Blogs from Juneau, Alaska, United States, North America
September 20th 2011
Arrived in Juneau around 2 pm. we spent the morning playing trivia and wandering. Had our cabin crawl with 4 cabins and 12 people participating. We all ate lunch together at Blue lagoon. got off in Juneau with the gang for our limo ride but the driver thought it was tomorrow so we split up and each did our own thing. Toni and i walked about 8 blocks and met our good friend, sugar, at the viking bar. Had a nice half hour visit and then headed back to the ship- it was raining harder by then.Bought a postcard to send to my girls and some advil to help my ankle. Dinner with our boys, Jack and Ron, in Indigo last nite. The lamb was super then off to the Las Vegas style show. Not bad. ... read more
September 15th 2011
Can't remember where I left off. We left Girdwood and continuued south to Seward on the Kenai peninsula. Hiked up to Exit glacier. Can't even describe it, words do not do it justice. We continue to have lots of great food and then on Sunday boarded our ship, the Zaandam, to start the end of our trip. We've had no cell or internet service, they do have satellite service but even that is intermittant and very slow. We cruised for 2 days thru Glacier Bay, skirting some bad weather in College Fiord and saw magnificent glaciers, sea otters, eagles and whales. We then made port in Haines. Took a high speed Catamaran up the canal to Skagway. Skagway is the most picturesque town we've been to. What you would expect Alaska to look like (withouth the ... read more
They’re Jumpin’ in Juneau
Published: September 8th 2011North America » United States » Alaska » Juneau
September 6th 2011
They’re Jumpin’ in Juneau Our “You Have a Message” red light prompted us to check our messages when we awoke, to find that our Gold-Panning Salmon Bake tour was sold-out, so we had to reschedule something if we wanted a tour. We purchased the unlimited laundry and pressing package, which really is nice. Sharon has a 3-star rating with HA, so we don’t yet qualify for this as a complimentary service, but it sure is nice. We left our second batch which usually gets returned the next day before setting out. We went to breakfast after checking with the excursion office and selecting the “Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Quest”. We also decided to do the tram which ascends 1,800 feet for a panoramic view of Juneau. I tried the Make-your-own-Omelet, with ham, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, onions, ... read more
The city I thought I'd never see
Published: April 30th 2012North America » United States » Alaska » Juneau
August 2nd 2011
Highlights at Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier/ Visitor center Mt.Roberts tramway walking along the touristy shops around the port salmon runs along sheep creek Haines...Tuesday, August 2nd The Ferry terminal is further away from the so-called downtown & so we left early to drive up there. Some 5 mi or so. We took the 9.00 am ferry to Juneau. It was 4 hrs of cruising along, fairly warm & pleasant. The landscape was fantastic. Mountains just rising up from the ocean floor. We saw a few tidewater glaciers on the chilkat range & snow on many mount... read more
July 13th 2011
July 13, 2011 - JUNEAU, AK. Today we traveled to Juneau aboard the Fjordland, a new 65-foot, state-of-the-art, fast-hulled catamaran specially designed for the waters of the Lynn Canal. This was a long day, leaving Skagway at 8 am and heading south through Lynn Canal, the continent’s longest and deepest glacial fjord. Lynn Canal stretches over 100 miles long and is over 2,000 ft. deep. Along the way our ship’s captain went out of his way to bring us close to any wildlife we saw along the way. Throughout the day we were able to view Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bald Eagles, Stellar sea lions, but no mountain sheep!! A bus met us just outside Juneau and took us on a tour of the city before dropping us off for 3 hours to do our own exploring ... read more
July 5th 2011
The day we left Juneau the weather worsened and we had gale force winds. Some gusts were up to 55-60 mph. The boat was rocking and the outside decks were closed off. Some people were sea sick, some had cabin fever, but the kids in the (indoor) pool had a ball! It was like a rogue wave pool. They had a ton of fun and it was great to watch them all scream as the water washed from end to end. We read, played trivia, and amused ourselves. They cancelled the landing in Ketchikan. It was too dangerous to try to dock in the high seas, so we sailed on. The next morning we were in the inside passage, which was much more calm and very beautiful I. I saw a pod of dolphin swimming toward ... read more
July 2nd 2011
We were hardly out of the harbor and Captain Greg said, “Whales ahead.” We looked and could see several blow spouts not far away. Soon it seemed they were blowing and rolling all around us. Captain Greg explained that they were bubble netting and that Auk Bay was the only place he knew that they did this. The whales blow bubbles and encircle the herring, forcing the herring closer and closer together. Then on cue, the whales dive and come up under the herring with their mouths open, catching all they can in one bite. When this happens you can see the whole head of the whale and the stretching of the baleen. Other than this behavior, if you aren’t lucky enough to see a whale breach (jump up out of the water) then the most ... read more
July 1st 2011
You can’t drive into or out of Juneau. You must go by boat or plane. Hearing this was one of those little Ah Ha moments. If you look at a map, you can easily see, “Well of course”. Juneau is surrounded on three sides by glaciated mountains and the huge Juneau icefield. The other side of course is the water. Ferries bring in the automobiles and there are roads, just as in any semi-large city. Only here, the roads ultimately dead end. We’ve been having bad weather and there was a chance we wouldn’t be able to go by helicopter up to the Herbert glacier to the dog camp. The cruise ship sponsored helicopter tours and fly-over tours to the Mendenhall glacier were canceled, but we were lucky. Having booked with a private charter, Coastal Helicopters, ... read more
July 1st 2011
Between the helicopter glacier landing and the whale watching, we had just enough time to stop off at Tracy’s crab shack for a few legs. This is definitely the place for King or Dungeness crab. It is just a shack with outside tables under tarps, located behind the library and parking garage near the cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau. The crab is fresh and cooked right in front of you. Tracy and her crew have a sense of humor and love making people happy by serving up the crab and beer. I opted for king crab legs and an Alaskan amber ale. Delicious! Captain Greg, our whale watching captain and guide met us as planned and waited in the parking garage as we polished off the legs. Scroll down to see more photos or click: ... read more
June 18th 2011
Whale watching! It’s just three days before I leave for Alaska and I had one last excursion I wanted to tell you about. Rather than book on with the cruise line’s whale watching trip, I found Captain Greg and his little catamaran hulled boat that only takes six guests. The name of his business is Weather Permitting Alaska LLC. I booked out of Juneau in the afternoon after doing the morning helicopter/glacier landing/ dogsled mushing trip. I think I’ll have about an hour for lunch between trips so I told Captain Greg he would find me at the crab shack at the Juneau wharf. He knew it well and agreed to pick me up there. Of course I have no idea what this crab shack will be like. I found it online and it seemed like ... read more
