JUNEAU, ALASKA
(Alaska Flag)
(Map of Alaska)
All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.
TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2007:
The Sapphire Princess was securely moored at the South Franklin Dock in Juneau by 8:03am Tuesday.
My first shore excersion of the day was with Temsco Helicopters.
It was a beautiful day for flying and the sights were incredible.
Our first landing was on Gilkey Glacier.
After about fifteen minutes on Gilkey Glacier, Dave, our pilot, flew us off to our next glacier.
The second glacier we landed on was Herbert Glacier.
After several minutes on Herbert Glacier it was back into the helicopter for our return to Juneau.
11 minute video of Temsco helicopter tour into the Juneau Icefield. Click on the �YouTube player below to watch the video. | ||
I had just enough time to ride the Mount Roberts Tramway before my next shore excersion.
There were fantastic views of Juneau from the top of Mount Roberts.
Next it was off to Auke Bay for a three hour whale watching cruise.
We saw several humpback whales including a mother and her calf.
In addition to the whales we also saw seals and bald eagles.
11 minute video of humpback whales in Auke Bay near Juneau. Click on the �YouTube player below to watch the video. | ||
Next it was off to Mendenhall Glacier.
After leaving Mendenhall Glacier I took a walk through downtown Juneau before returning to the ship.
A fantastic day came to an end as the sun set on Juneau and we sailed away.
11 minute video of Mount Roberts, Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau, Alaska. Click on the �YouTube player below to watch the video. | ||
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Hello Everyone, What a fantastic day today was. The weather was fantastic. The sun didn't stop shining from sun up until sun down, and up here that is an 18 hour time span. The day started very early when we docked in Juneau. This is my third time in Juneau but the first time I have actually got to see it. It was covered in fog and rain on my previous two visits. I'm sure it won't surprise any of you that my first shore excursion of the day was a helicopter flight and this one was one of the best I have ever taken. The town of Juneau is actually a very tiny piece of flat land surrounded by mountains. So almost immediately after takeoff we were flying over mountain peak after mountain peak. Completely clear skies every inch of the way. We spent about an hour in the air not including the time we spent on the glaciers themselves. We landed on two different glaciers. The scenery was absolutely spectacular. After the helicopter flight I had about an hour before my next tour so I just barely had enough time to go up the Mount Roberts Tramway. There are fantastic views of Juneau and Lynn Canal from on top. Today's attached picture was taken from the top of the tramway looking down on Juneau. The cruise ship you see in the picture is not my ship. Mine is a much larger ship parked just behind it out of the picture. My next tour was a whale watching tour. We spent three hours on Auke Bay north of Juneau looking for whales. We saw four humpback whales. One came up so close to the boat we could almost feel the spray from its blowhole. We also saw a mother and her calf. On the way back we got to see a bald eagle protecting its nest as a large bird made several attempts to get to it's nest. The Eagle won or at least it did up until the time we left as the bird was still trying as we sailed away. We also saw several seals. The wild life was the highlight of the cruise but the scenery was awesome as well as Auke Bay is totally surrounded by mountains and glaciers. On the way back from the whale quest we stopped at Mendenhall Glacier. This glacier sits just north of the city of Juneau and is a crowded tourist attraction for those folks who are too cheap and lazy to hire a helicopter to take them to the really neat ones out in the remote wilderness. Didn't get back to the ship until after 7:00 this evening. I was really ready for dinner once I got back on board. I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast at 6:00am. The food on the ship is very good and plentiful. After dinner I went to another show in the theater. Tonight's performance was a singer from Broadway. During one of her numbers she came out into the audience to shake the hands of a few people as she was singing her number. I was one of the people she shook hands with. My bald head got kind of roasted in all of today's sun and I figure my glowing head drew her to me. I had a cap but it blew off into the fjord on Monday. I was wearing an Alaskan cap when it blew off into the ocean in Tasmania on a cruise this January. I replaced it with a cap that said Tasmania on it. That is the cap that blew into Alaskan waters on this trip. I guess that is justice. But I am spending a lot of money on caps that end up in the sea. More later, Tim |
Click above to continue to my next adventure, SKAGWAY, ALASKA.
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