Wednesday dawned much drier, and the sun was peeping through the clouds as the group, minus Dave and Lois, embarked on a boat tour of the inside passage via the Lynn Canal. This tour, called the Fjord Express to Juneau, was a wonderful experience, but it did require me to get up early. Oh, well, We stopped for some Rhubarb coffee cake on the way, so it wasn’t all bad. We picked up the boat, a large catamaran, in the small boat harbor in between today’s allotment of cruise ships.
The boat, owned and captained by Glenn Jacobson, and crewed by his teenage daughter Libby, would be our home for the next several hours. Glen was the perfect tour director: funny, interesting, and obviously doing something he truly loves to do. Glen and Libby MADE the tour, for sure!
The water was glassy smooth, and the scenery was nothing short of breathtaking!
Along the way, we saw many eagles in the trees and saw literally dozens of humpbacked whales. Glen stopped the boat often to allow us to get some great pictures, and we never felt rushed. It was remarkable!
This is a sea lion rookery. Hundreds of sea lions hanging out on the rocks.. doing what they do best… making a lot of noise, making a really powerful smell, and making more sea lions. Dang! It feels like Mutual of Omaha’s wild kingdom!
The boat trip included food… My Favorite! A continental brekky, and a visit to Haines to pick up a few passengers.
Some picturesque scenes from the trip to Juneau…
We arrived at a dock outside of the city and hopped on a bus, which delivered us to the city for a few hours of shopping and sightseeing. Oooo seaplanes. Gotta get a ride on one of those… maybe later.
After lunch, the bus took us out to the Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier used to be a lot bigger, ‘m told, but it is still pretty impressive, and is flanked by a very large waterfall.
Then, it’s back to the boat for the return trip, another visit to Haines, and a bowl of very tasty salmon chowder to finish off the day. There was an incredible rainbow as we approached Haines, what a perfect Kodak moment, and what a fun day.
If you visit Skagway, DO NOT MISS THIS EXCURSION! www.alaskafjordlines.com
Re a seaplane ride.....we did one out of Soldotna for a half day bear viewing trip. It was great. I even got to ride co-pilot on the way back.
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The link in the prior note may not work. This one does:
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