Alaska: Juneau Whales, Ice, and Legs

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We arrived in Juneau very early in the morning after a short trip from Skagway. Early enough that Dave was only on his second cup of coffee and had a meltdown when security would not let him leave the ship with his just-poured cup. The rationale was coffee may have dairy (he didn’t) and since the ship itself originated in Canada before our sailing agricultural products could not leave the boat. UGH!

It’s very strange that Alaska’s capital of Juneau can only be accessed by plane or boat. Over 30% of the city’s population works for the government in some capacity. The ship docks are conveniently located in the heart of downtown making touring very easy.

All six of us signed up for the Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari through the cruise line. Our tour was operated by Gastineau Guiding and they did a terrific job educating us the entire trip. One of the first things we noticed while taking our bus over to the boat docks was that bald eagles here are crows or pigeons back home. They seemed to be ever-present and very helpful for taking pictures. At the dock our group of 12 was led to a big boat with a comfortable enclosed cabin. The windows opened easily to allow for shooting. On our way into the bay we learned about the area in-general and certain cues to look for when watching the whales surface. Along the way we saw a few more eagles, seals, and a few ferries (a main source of transportation up here) along the way.

It didn't take too long to find our first whale. The typical pattern we looked for was 1) signs of an exhale spout 2) a few displays of dorsal fin while swimming 3) a larger display of the back followed by 4) display of the tail (fluke). Once we saw the tail we knew that whale would be out of sight for several minutes. Our small boat tour was great because we could maneuver around easily without dealing with a bunch of people. Our guide was an expert photographer/videographer and helped guests with varying equipment.

We had an overcast day so our photos weren't full of much contrast. The guide and captain did a nice job helping us get some great shots, including the fluke raise with a glacier in the background.

When we left the boat we took a short drive over to the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, part of the Tongass National Forest. Our guide took us on a nice walk along the forest path giving us a lesson in forest development from moss, to alder, to sitka.... and told us about how the salmon spawning process. As we walked toward the glacier we passed markers indicating where the edge was over the last 100 years. We also spent some time working on photography techniques to capture soft waterfalls and water droplets that looked like diamonds.

Our tour didn't bring us too close to the glacier nor the waterfall, but we did have a pretty nice view of the entire area.

On the way back to the bus we lucked into seeing a porcupine up-close climbing a tree. Boy was it ugly.

We split up when we arrived back in town so we could go to Tracy's King Crab Shack for lunch. Order at the counter, find a seat, and wait for the food to be brought to you. The crab legs were humongous and delicious.

We did not have too much time in town given our early cast-off time. We spent our remaining hours visiting the Alaskan Brewing Co. store, picking up glacier soap, and deciding that we didn't have enough time to walk to the distillery. We did have a beer in the Red Dog Saloon while listening to the dirty old man piano entertainer.

Before we waited on the long line to board the ship we saw the crowd-pleasing memorial to Patsy Ann, a dog that used to welcome incoming ships. Every native we talked to told us it was a must-see.

Once we weighed anchor we were on our way to Ketchikan. We were treated to some great views and a humpback whale giving us a goodbye wave.

We have a short video from our whale watching trip:

 

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Yellowstone North - September 2017

After Holly ran the Bozeman Marathon we left the city to spend two nights in the northern part of Yellowstone. It took about two hours to reach the first major attraction - Mammoth Springs. The ranger at the visitor center suggested taking the ten minute walk over vs. struggling to find nearby parking. Taking his advice was probably a mistake since Holly just ran 26.2 miles and it was kind of warm. The hot springs didn't help with comfort levels and the multiple stairs and ramps weren't doing us any favors. Of course, there were several nearby parking spaces. Holly almost died. At least the springs were nice to look at.

 

Enroute to Canyon Lodge (our hotel) we encountered a traffic jam caused by buffalo blocking the road. The buffalo were not as annoying as the stupid tourists in front of us who wouldn't move their cars when the opportunity presented itself. Stop taking your pictures... the thing moved and the road is clear.

Along the way we made a few stops that included Tower Falls and a quick sighting of a bear.

We made it to The Canyon Lodge just before it got dark and met up with Mike and Jan (they left Bozeman when Mike finished the half marathon) for drinks and dinner. The lodge was nice, but nothing was well-marked and all the dining options are in one big food court. The ice cream booth closed way too early.

The next morning the four of us hit the falls. Upper Falls, Lower Falls, and Artist Point. We must have left earlier than most people since we accomplished everything before the food court opened for lunch.

We spent the afternoon heading south to Yellowstone Lake. On the way we stopped to view buffalo and more stinky pits of bubbling mud and steam. Last time we visited Yellowstone Lake we were on the south shore under overcast skies. Today's weather held up much better.

On our way back to Bozeman the next morning we got a chance to see the Roosevelt Arch. Between this trip and last year's trip we saw most of the Yellowstone's highlights.