Alaska continued

Wednesday was our day to sail through Tracy Arm Fjord and visit Juneau.  The day began early (6:00 am) as we began the journey through the Fjord.  Having a balcony was a great advantage this day as we were able to order room service for breakfast, then sit back and enjoy the spectacular views.  It was a little cold, but with our newly purchased jackets (Ketchikan shopping) we were able to sit with our binoculars and enjoy our four hour excursion.

As we entered Tracy Arm we noticed how calm the waters were.  They were as smooth as glass and there was a tranquility around us that is hard to explain.  An onboard naturalist provided information over a loud speaker that we could also recieve on our television about the area.  He was able to point out things that we would have missed without his narration. 

 We were all excited when we saw our first chunks of "blue" ice.

 The naturalist pointed out several ice bergs where seals were giving birth.  They go to the ice to protect themselves and their babies from the whales.  This phot was taken with a telephoto lens (on my point and shoot camera) so it isn't very clear but you can click on it and see that she has a baby on the ice with her.  The babies weigh about 25 pounds when they are born.

 There were waterfalls all along the passage and as we got further into the fjord there were a lot more ice bergs.

We were disappointed that due to the large amount of ice we wouldn't be able to go further into the fjord to where the large pieces of ice crash into the sea.  We'll have to save that for the next trip.

As we sailed from Tracy Arm I took this picture showing the very calm water.  We had about a 4 hour trip to Juneau so we were able to walk around the ship and have a nice lunch in the dining room.  We arrived at Juneau about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and caught a bus to Mendenhall Glacier.

There were already two cruise ships in town when we arrived.  Juneau is the state capital and is the only capital in the US with no roads leading in or out of town. The only way in or out is by air or sea. Locals like to add a third way. They claim they get here by plane, boat or birth canal.

We took a bus to Menedenhall Glacier the most popular attraction in Juneau.  The glacier is 1/2 mile wide at its widest point and the ice is 300 to 1800 feet deep. 

 Sue, Duane and Johnny.

 Sue standing in front of the huge waterfall.  The spray coming off the water was really cold.

 I'm standing with Hannah, Johnny and Sue.  We're all wearing the jackets we bought in Ketchikan.  I had read on cruise critic that you shouldn't even take a coat to Alaska, that you could pick one up in Ketchikan for a better price than in the lower 48.  Of course, I didn't believe them and packed two jackets with me.  They were right, we got these for $19.95 and they are pretty  nice coats.

 We watched two men sail off in these kayaks, now that had to be damn cold!  After we returned to the city we still had a couple of hours before the ship sailed so we made a stop at the Red Dog Saloon.  Founded in the early gold rush days the saloon has been in service for many decades.  They claim that it looks exactly as it did in the early years.  That is easy enough to believe.  Judging from the dust on everything they haven't cleaned much in that time either.

 I had ordered a glass of wine before I saw the menu or I may have tried the Duck Fart.

Our home for the week.  After a busy day in port it is always nice to be back on the ship and enjoy a nice dinner and nightly entertainment.