Again, the weather was perfection.
We didn't have time to visit the dog kennels in Denali, but we were treated to a close-up look at, and some hands-on time with, both a Siberian and Alaskan husky!
The larger one is the Alaskan, and the leaner one is the Siberian. Despite appearances, their owner says they weighed the same. I'm pretty sure the bigger Alaskan always ended up on top, though.
Conner was very curious, but tentative.
Mark loved them, and the feeling was mutual.
After quite a bit of time with the dogs, we finally moved on to ... shopping! This Alaska Shirt Co. provided us with everything we needed and wanted, from toiletries to kid toys to souvenir clothing.
The train cars and train equipment around town proved endless entertainment for the kids.
And then there's a lovely, short hike up to Lower Dewey Lake.
Short, but steep. I'm told we climbed over 500 vertical feet in an approximately half mile hike. Half mile sounded so easy, but less than halfway up I was already cursing.
By the time we finally got up to the lake, I was done. Mark fared much better than me, carrying the backpack, encouraging me the whole way up, and periodically handing me a towel and water. No way I would even consider going the extra distance to Upper Dewey Lake. We snapped a quick picture and headed back down straightaway.
We encountered Jimmy and Sally on our way down. They were making their way up, woefully unprepared: no map, no water, no bug spray. They did, however, have motivation we didn't have - time away from their kids. So not only did they make it up to Lower Dewey Lake, they made it halfway around the lake and back.Next stop Juneau, our busiest port. Sally and Jim opted for a floatplane tour to the Taku Lodge, while the rest of us opted for a whale watching excursion with a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier afterward. It was the most productive whale watching tour I'd ever been on.
Dolphin Tours promised we would see Humpbacks, and we did almost right away, but it dove deep down before I could get my camera out. I saw its beautiful tail just before it disappeared.
Orcas, on the other hand, were not guaranteed. These tours estimate they see Orcas maybe once a week during the summer season, but our luck was running hot. Shortly after seeing our first Humpback, we spotted a group of Orcas a ways off.
There had to be at least three of them, and all the whale watching boats were far enough away that they were undisturbed for a good while, playing around long enough for us to get lots of pictures in. If only I had better zoom on my camera. Sigh.
Finally, the boats got too close and they disappeared under the water. So we were on to the next location.
We saw several more Humpbacks, but they were good at eluding my camera.
The tour included bagel sandwiches with lox cream cheese spread, bottled water and juice, for everyone: little kids ...
... and big kids alike.
Everyone had a great time.
Only, it was over too soon, especially for Conner, who took quite a bit of convincing to get him off the boat. Poor guy was not happy it was over.
Dolphin Tours then took us straight to the Mendenhall Glacier, the largest "walk-up" tidewater glacier in Alaska.
They had a display of glacier ice for you to feel and handle. Apparently the ice crystals are so large, due to the amount of pressure that packs the snow together, that they melt much slower than the conventional ice we eat. A block about a foot and a half in diameter would take several days to a week to melt!
There is a vantage point close to the Visitors Center, and then there's a trail that will take you closer to the glacier and up to the gushing waterfall to the right of the glacier.
What more could you ask for? Well, back in downtown Juneau, there's Tracy's King Crab Shack. It's not cheap - $15 per leg - but it's oh-so-fresh, sweet and delicious. Nothing like the crab legs at restaurants or from Costco. This was as fresh as you can get, and they know just how to cook it at Tracy's.
We also tried the crab bisque because how often do you find King crab bisque? It was a great accompaniment.
But it was nothing compared to the main event. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. One leg was plenty for one person, although without the bisque, I probably could have done two.
The Bear's Lair - a reminder of home
Finally, there was Ketchikan, which as far as I can tell, was dominated by four large cruise ship docks. Mark and I had plans to take a kayak tour to Orca's Cove, but I wasn't feeling well, so I opted out and only Mark went. Mark doesn't take pictures, so this is all we have from Ketchikan (taken on the way out to Orca's Cove). 
Alaska stayed sunny and mild for us throughout our entire 13-day stay, and for that, we are eternally grateful. Our disembarkation port was Vancouver, where it rained for the first time on this trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment