After being at sea for over a day, a large fog topped mountain range (a mere 100 yards from your boat) is not the first thing you expect to see upon waking up. Now, we really felt that we had reached Alaska. We all hurried to get dressed and have breakfast as we were eager to take in this new found scenery. The morning was very peaceful as we slowly cruised through the channel on our way towards Juneau. We were even lucky enough to spot our first whales. Now mind you, there was no free willy demonstrations or acts that would put sea world to shame, but we were able to spot them as they came to the surface for air, and then watch their tail as they dove back down.
Once we neared Juneau, we made a remarkable discovery; the front of the boat. Since all cruise ships differ, we were unaware that our current ship would allow you to walk around to the very front edge of the boat. Since we had spent most of our time towards the back of boat, no one really had the desire to walk a 1/6 of a mile to get to the front, or bow in nautical jargon. So here we stood for a good hour or more as we watched the captain dock for the fist time this trip.
Once off the boat in Juneau, we decided to do one of the city and glacier tours that were offered by one of the local groups. This enabled us to stop by several locations throughout the city and surrounding area;
- first stop was at a scenic overlook on the other side of the channel. This supplied a neat view of the city and cruise ships (there were 5 there that particular day)
- next we made a quick stop at a crossing stream so our guide could show us the salmon. Much to our surprise while looking at the fish, Sara noticed a bear maybe 40 yards away in the trees. Apparently "Ahh, BEAR!" is the key word to get it to run away. However he hung around long enough for people catch some pictures and video of it. Next you probably want to hear about how the bear ate our tour guide or you want to see some proof that we actually saw a bear that close. Well, The bear didn't eat anyone, sorry. However as far as proof, I was shooting video at the time and didn't want to stop to try and get a picture also....so I guess you will have to wait until I have time to get the video on the computer....(amidst everything else I have going on in my life)
- Then on our way to the glacier, we drove by a marsh area near the waterfront were dozens and dozens of eagles feed. However most of them were adolescents, so they hadn't developed the signature white head. Still a rare site for any midwestern to see.
- Finally we made it to the glacier. It looked so impressive from a distance...and we really weren't anywhere close to it. Being limited on time, we were only able to view the glacier from the nearby visitors center and could not hike on the near-by trails in an effort to get a little closer. Despite this set back, it was still a worthwhile trip.
Once back in Juneau, the girls wanted to do a little shopping. This would have been all fine and dandy if it wasn't for the fact that every store was the same....and every store carried the same thing. If you visit one tourist store in Alaska...then you have visited them all. The only thing that will drive you nuts is knowing that you could have saved $1 by either spending $50 with a coupon, jumping on one leg and kissing the town mascot, or by waiting till the next port city where they slashed the prices by $1. One family member witnessed this account first hand with the beloved Alaskan Ulu knife....that was EVERYWHERE. They purchased it for $24, then found it at the next store for $17 with the included cutting board, only to find it at the next port of call for $16 with cutting board AND wooden bowl. sneaky sneaky.
As the sun began to set, it was time to head back to the ship, where we enjoyed another delicious meal, and then sat on the top deck as we watched 3 of the other cruise ships leave before us. (seems there was a tour running late so we had to wait for the stragglers) Once we departed, it was time to call it a night, but not before trying our hand at room service again. See the first time we simply order cookies. This time we were going to add milk to the equation, AND see if we can get the cookies warm. Well, we managed to strike out with both requests. The cookies weren't warm, but we didn't expect them to be and were happy with them as is. The kicker was the milk though. Apparently Skim Milk translates to Whole Milk in nautical terms. Not sure where we went wrong, but none of us were ready to take the leap to drink strait from the cow. So we went to bed with a plate full of cookie crumbs, and 4 whole milks stuffed in the room's mini fridge.
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