Alaska - Whales

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Today is whale day and what a day it was. We docked in Juneau to beautiful weather and headed out to see whales. As we got off the bus and boarded the boat we saw 3 adult and 2 juvenile bald eagles fishing from the beach and the day just got better. This outfit really knows where the whales hang out and Captain Larry headed right there. Ross and Kelly were our narrator/guides and both we enthused about whales. Kelly was almost more excited to see them than we were.



She told us to watch the sea gulls that were circling and when they dove into the water we WOULD SEE WHALES. And we did. She explained that these were bubble feeder whales and each member of the pod has it's job. They find a school of fish, in this case herring, and circle the school until the fish form a tight ball. The herring do this to make the predator think they are larger than they really are. The whales use this defensive behavior against the school. One whale releases bubbles from below and that herds the fish to the service where the whales are waiting with open jaws. Each whale get a share and the gulls feed too. Then the whales swim on the surface looking for another school and repeat the process. When a school is spotted the whales dive and that's when the tails come out of the water.



Not every whale knows this trick, only about 1%. Kelly runs from port to starboard spotting whales for us. She and Ross spend their spare time watching whales, two people who have found the perfect job for themselves.



We also see Steller Sea Lions among the whales, also feeding on the herring that seem to be abundant here. A young eagle is soaring among the gulls looking for a snack. The whales are very bright animals and seem to understand that we do not pose a threat They come pretty close to us.



When Captain Larry first started this job he spotted a whale that was tangled in a fishing net. The whale came up to the boat and Captain Larry was able to free it. The whale seemed to understand and permitted him to work until it was free. She then swam away.



Each whale tail is individual to that animal. Years later, Captain Larry was on the water when a whale came up to the boat. It was the same animal and she made eye contact. Then her calf came up alongside the boat and looked Captain Larry over. The crew feel that Mom was introducing baby to the man who saved her life. Kelly is able to name many of the animals by their tails and each has it's own personality. Some are playful and others shy. It was a great morning to be on the water with this crew.



But the day wasn't over yet. We drove a short distance to the Mendenhall Glacier. The intrepid hikers walked out to the waterfall while I just sat and absorbed the surrounding beauty. I hit the Visitor's Center and listened to a lecture about glaciers and saw a movie about the Tongoss National Forest. This temperate rain forest runs along the coast from southeast Alaska to Oregon. It is the largest remaining forest of it's kind and there are always interests that would like to harvest but so far they have not been successful.



Back on the van and we stop in downtown Juneau for lunch at the Red Dog Saloon. This tourist stop is fun and the food is good. An ancient piano player plays boogie and tells awful jokes but is a delight. The shoppers shop and I head to the tramway with MaryLou. We head up to the top of Mt. Roberts and enjoy the view of the town below. We visit Lady Baltimore, a bald eagle that was shot in the beak, lost the sight of her left eye and injured her wing. She has been here eight years and seem perfectly happy. They clean her enclosure every day and change her bath water. She is still wary and stays an arms length away. The eagle close up is a wonder. She stands so tall and her wing span is about six feet. She has her back to us but turns her head to look over the crowd. We take a short walk in the woods but the mosquitos are so bothersome that we head down the tram and back to the ship.

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