Juneau where we are going?

So, a few more posts about Alaska! Our next stop was Juneau. We were there on the best day ever. The sun was shinning and the air was warm. It was a perfect day. We didn't have any plans, so we just decided to get on shore and make our own plans!

Our first stop was the Juneau Fish Hatchery.  We talked to a nice lady from the Juneau Visitor Center about some fun places to visit.  She recommended we take the bus and visit the hatchery.  It was so fascinating to see the salmon return to where they were born... or in this case hatched!  HAHAHA  They have a fish ladder to help the fish make it to the top of the hatchery.

Salmon trying to swim upstream

Waiting to get in the stream... look at how thick... it was crazy

More fish jumping up stream...
After we had our fill of fish jumping,
I called a Taxi to come and pick us up.  I had had enough of the Juneau bus system. 

Our taxi driver took us to this cool place to eat right on the water and we could watch the planes come and go.   We ordered a nice lunch of fish and chips!

After our nice lunch, it was time for our WHALE WATCHING Tour.  Somewhere along the way, we made arrangements for a tour at 1:00, so we had to hurry to get to the pick up spot.

The whales we were able to see are Humpback Whales.  They are huge.
The whales will come to the surface and blow air out and then float for a few minutes and then dive under.  They usually stay under for 10 to 15 minutes.  That is how they do their feeding. 

As they flip under, you get to see their beautiful tales.  

We were able to see about 9 or 10 different whales on our tour.   Including a  mother and her calf.

Sea lions resting on a bouy

You can see Mendenhall Glacier in the background.  Notice the clear day!

This is the boat we were on for the Whale Watching tour.  It was named the Summer Star!

Our next stop was Mendenhall Glacier National Park.  This was a beautiful spot and very busy with families and tourists hiking and viewing the Glacier.  We were warned to beware of bears and don't pack food into the park.  We had just enough time to take the hike to the Glacier.  It was about a 1/2 mile hike one way. We had 2 hours to visit the park, so we had to hurry to get in everything.

The view of the Glacier as you see it from the trail head.  Notice the bluish color... all the glaciers have this blue tint.

The water melting off the Glacier!  A HUGE waterfall

It was surprisingly warm next to the glacier

Mendenhall Glaicer

Another view as we were hiking out... notice the ice chunks in the water.

The huge waterfall from the visitor center... 

You can see how huge the glacier is compared to the big waterfall, next to the glacier on the left!  The people in the foreground are the on the trail.

We didn't see any bears on the trail despite the fact we had a back pack full of food including left over fish and chips from lunch!  It was a fun hike.

Another great day in Alaska .. Next we headed back to the boat and a relaxing evening of dining we also attended the show "Do You Wanna Dance?"

Our next stop is Skagway, Alaska... GOLDRUSH Central!

Ketchikan

Ketchikan was our first port of call on the cruise. We had a fun excursion planned and looked forward to the day.  Ketchikan is located on an island and the only way you can visit is by plane or boat.
We went to the Totem Bight State Historical Park and then to The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show!  

Bight State park has several Totem poles thata were repaired or duplicated and now stand in this state park.  They are all beautiful and tell a story.  

I don't know the story behind this, but it appears to be Eagle standing on Raven's head.

You can see how big the poles are in comparison to us!  This was a smaller  totem.

Big EYES.. they are watching you.

The park is part of a rain forest... yes you heard me right!  Alaska is part rain forest.  It rains in Ketchikan almost every day!  

Our guide Bryce.. .from Utah and is going to Utah State.  
 He did a good job of giving us  a nice tour.  

Roots of a tree.. they just grow right out of the ground.   

The paints were created from natural substances such as clam shells, lichen, graphite, copper pebbles, and salmon eggs.  

Close  up!  

The clan house
A community house or clanhouse of this size could have housed 30 to 50 people.

It was raining very lightly in this photo... notice the huge flowers.. 

This was the tallest totem pole

I thought this looked like a Hobit Home.

 Now on to The Great Alaskan Lumber Jack Show! 

You have to say YO HO after everything you say!  
They had popcorn for sale there and we couldn't resist , we each ate our own bag of popcorn!  YO HO

It was Canada VS. US in lumber jack skills.  The guys in the grey shirts are US and the plaid are Canada. 

Wood Chopping!  YO HO

He said he was making a rabbit, but it turned out to be a small chair.  They gave it to a kid in the audience.   It was cute.  YO HO

The log rolling contest!  Canada won, but US won the overall contests of the day.  It was a fun show.  YO HO 

After the Lumber Jack show, we had just enough time to walk around the town and get back to the boat.
Here is Creek Street.  It used to be a Red Light district. Now you can watch the salmon swim up stream and enjoy the shops.

We were able to see lots of Salmon and even a seal in the river.
All these shops are on  stilts

Time to head back... we were able to walk back to our boat.  

A picture of down town Ketchikan.. there were so many cool shops and places to eat... and it smelled so good down town.  I could have stayed here longer and looked around, but it was time to go back.  I did have time to buy a nice coat and T-shirt in one of the shops. 

Back on the boat, resting while watching a movie in bed!
What a great day. 

Alaska.."North to the Future”

A few years ago we decided that we wanted to take a cruise to Alaska.  We looked forward to the day with much anticipation!  We looked forward to the rough and uneven wilderness and the mystic glaciers!
Our journey began on a beautiful sunny day in Vancouver Canada!  We stayed at a nice motel in Vancouver and the next morning they shuttled us to the CRUISE SHIP!   Vancouver is a beautiful city with a varied population.

Here we are at the beginning of our cruise filled with excitement and anticipation. 

We were updated to a mini suite!  It was a nice surprise.

A view of the balcony 

As we pulled out of the port in Vancouver, it was so windy, so I tied a scarf around my head to appear like an old time movie star!

A view of our room

A MINI SUITE!  And it is all ours for 7 days!
 Edgar was our steward.  He was nice.

We are leaving the port... the view from our suite!

We passed under the bridge and headed out to the sea... good-bye Vancouver

Looking back and Vancouver as I ponder how beautiful the ocean looks!
Alaska...HERE WE COME!