Alaska...Our Last Day...

July 13, 2014

Our last day in Alaska...how do we spend it?

We decided we wanted to see Juneau.  Because there are no roads to Juneau, we booked

a tour.

The

boat arrived at the harbor this morning at 7:30.  We boarded and headed out of Skagway

in the fog and misty rain.  We were not too sure how this day would work out.

However, despite the fog, we saw

 

beautiful water falls that started high in the mountains finding their way to the ocean below.

We watched

 

Sea Lions pups playing like kids.

We made a stop in

the small boat harbor at

Haines where we picked up a few more passengers.

As we made our way on towards Juneau, we passed

the ferry boat,

the tender boat, and

a fishing boat. 

As we neared Juneau, the more the

fog rolled in.  We heard over the radio someone say...I have never seen this much fog... but,

Glynn, our Captain, delivered us safely to the dock just out of Juneau.

We boarded a bus and headed into town.  By the time we reached our destination, the rain was steady, but, our driver dropped us off at the dock anyway and said we were on our own.  We had a couple of hours to shop

the streets of Juneau and have lunch.  We didn't find much to shop for and decided to find a place for lunch to get in out of the rain.

After making a stop at the

Red Dog Saloon, where the line was out the door, we decided to go to

Tracy's King Crab Shack.  So, much for finding a dry place.  However, while you have to place your order outside, we did find a place inside to eat.

  We ordered crab bisque, crab cakes, and decided we couldn't leave Alaska without having at least

one king crab leg!  All of it was yummy, but, the hot bisque and garlic rolls hit the spot on this rainy day!

It was soon time to head back out into the rain and to our

bus.  We loaded and made ready for our next stop,

Mendenhall Glacier.

By the time we reached the park, the steady rain had not given up.  But, being the troopers we are, we unloaded and headed out to see

 

Mendenhall Glacier, the most viewed glacier in Alaska.

This is a closer view

of the glacier.  I think I have lost track of how many glaciers we have seen in the last several weeks, but, they are so beautiful and amazing to see.

We had a little time to go through the Visitor Center where we watched a short movie and of course, made a trip through the gift shop before our bus driver returned.  Once again, we loaded on the bus, but this time, we had to return to the harbor where we boarded our boat for the return trip to Skagway.

By the time we pulled out of the harbor, the rain had almost stopped.  We stopped by to watch a fisherman friend of Glynn's, our boat captain, gill net fishing.  With a permit, they can fish

for 3 days.  They put out their

nets, some as long as 300 feet.  They wait a couple of hours and start reeling them in, hoping to have salmon in the nets.  They empty the nets and start all over.

Moving on, we passed a

cruise ship headed down the inside passage.

We got a great view of

the old lighthouse located on a small island.

We made a return stop in Haines, where we found an

eagle perched out on the rocks guarding the harbor.

Then, not far out of Skagway, we met up with that pesky fog

lying low on the water.  It

begin to cover our view of the mountains and by the time we arrived in

Skagway, the harbor could barely be seen.  And, tonight, we are totally socked in by the fog and the steady rain has retuned.

Now, although our last day in Alaska, has been a dreary one, it is one that we won't soon forget.  Because, just about the only thing left that could be true Alaska made this day and the finish to our trip...

a whale of a day!

Thanks Alaska, it's been great!