Juneau - Just Juneau and a glacier called Mendenhall

Thursday, July 10

After our great day at Skagway, the big boat took us down to Juneau.  It is always exciting ... catching that first glimpse of a new port from the water.  As most folks know, Juneau is the capital of Alaska.   It also is the only State Capital that cannot be driven to.  It can only be reached by water or the air.  Another fun fact is that it is the only U.S. capital boarding another country.

Our day started out a bit cloudy and cool but nothing like we were told it could be.   We have lucked out at every stop so far.   All that should tell you is that we all over-packed, but you just never know what you were going to get.  So far, so good.

The tour today takes us out to see Mendenhall Glacier.  On the way out there, driver Richard was telling us about the wildlife in the area and almost as if on cue, as he was mentioning the bear population, I looked down the street, and lo and behold, a black bear was walking through the middle of a neighborhood.  We all got a quick glimpse of it before the bus moved behind some trees.  Our first sighting of a bear. Vi didn't get a photo, but we are now believers! Bears are a thing here  There was even one in our room today!

But anyway, Mendenhall Glacier is not as large as Hubbard Glacier but it is the largest glacier in Glacier Bay.  This is a mountain glacier which means it ends on land, and it has been retreating since the mid 1700's.  It is about 12 miles long and is only about 12 miles from Juneau.  

In front of the glacier is Mendenhall Lake.  An easy half mile walk along the lake and you get rewarded with one of the most impressive sights ... Nugget Falls.  This powerful waterfall drops 377 feet in two tiers and is powered by meltwater from Nugget glacier.  You can get right up and close to the falls if you don’t mind getting a little wet.  The water is cold as it powers down the falls.  Very impressive indeed.

Our next stop along the way was at Allen Marina where we boarded a boat called St. Yakov for the whale watching part of the trip.  It is still cloudy but no real rain to speak of as we sailed about.  Indeed whales were spotted several times.  You would see their spout, then their back as they took a breath and submerged.  Several flukes were also spotted which told us that they were taking a deeper dive.  One of the more popular sightings was of a momma and a baby named Flame and Match.  They are being watched carefully as the baby matures.   Another common sight in the area were the bald eagles.   We don’t get to see these majestic birds very often, and they do not disappoint.

As usual, when one or more cruise people are gathered together, there is food.  Our lunch today was at Orca Point Lodge on Colt Island.  There we had a delicious meal of clam chowder, fresh salmon, steaks, fresh local vegetables and beignets and s'mores were for dessert!  It was quite the spread, and no one left hungry. It began to rain a little after lunch, but not enough to spoil a quick walk around the grounds and on the shore.  Beautiful and stunning flowers like the blue lupines, daisies and Sitka roses were Vi's favorites!

A few more whales spotted on our way back, and as we docked it seemed everyone had had a good day.   We didn’t get a lot of free time to spend in Juneau so we will have to come back for our daily brew at the Red Dog Saloon.  In Skagway, there is the Red Onion Saloon, in Juneau, Red Dog Saloon.  Saloons abound in Alaska! We've heard there is a famous one in Ketchikan, too! We will let you know!

Once back on the ship, we found our way back to the Crow's Nest and managed to get in another game of Balderdash with Melba Jean and Jet Plane.   This is a new game for Vialula and I, and it is fun to spend some time with the kids.

 

Tomorrow is Ketchikan, the last of our three ports in Alaska.  Hopefully the weather will give us one more day to enjoy.  See you there.

LeRoy and Vi