There are no roads into Juneau — you have to get here by plane or by boat. While we were in port, there were at least 3 other cruise ships there as well. We were on the bow the morning (Wednesday) we arrived and are kind of amazed at the crew’s parking skills. I was pretty sure we were going to smash a fishing trawler between us and the dock, but somehow our big ship gently sidled up to the dock and fit perfectly into the designated space. To moor the boat, the crew tosses out several big lines with weights on the end for the dock workers to haul us in and tie up. It is a well choreographed dance.

The Alaska state capital is a very nondescript brown brick building; I was expecting something a little more impressive. There is a significant federal government presence here as well and about 50% to 60% of the workforce is employed by some level of government.

While here, Theo took to the skies for some heli-hiking atop Mendenhall Glacier. Glaciers are essentially a river of ice and they do move. Slowly. The surface is not smooth, but is full of crevices and spikes (called seracs). As the glacier moves along, it picks up debris and grinds away bits of the mountain. Atop this glacier is one of the few places in the world one can see rain forest, glacier, and the ocean all at once.

View from the helicopter.

All suited up and ready to go.  In the background is a tent where the guides wait between groups.

Dylan the guide.

Looking down into a waterfall.

I went to Mendenhall Gardens, then to the Mendenhall Glacier via a land route. In the garden, there are ‘flower towers’, which are fallen trees turned roots up and stuck back in the ground — flowers are planted in the nest of roots and are really very pretty. I think Theo now has some new ideas for our yard…

View of the Mendenhall Glacier from the bottom.

We met back at the dock afterward to take off on a whale watching trip. Oh. My. Goodness. We saw an impressive number of whales — one group of about 12 was working together in what is called ‘bubble net feeding.” A couple dive deep and scare the herring into bunches, then the whales blow bubbles underwater, which forces the herring up. Apparently this makes for a tasty herring snack! Of course, the seagulls seem to understand what is going on and hover above waiting for leftovers. We caught the whales breaching, flipping their tales, and just about every other behavior that makes for great whale watching. Even the tour guides were impressed!

All in all, a fabulous day!  Sorry, but no sunset picture tonight — we were long asleep by sunset!

Jean