First stop - the state capital! We were there a year before Alaska celebrated 50 years as a state, but they were gearing up for it already. We were there just before Gov Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican running mate; when we saw the capitol building and the governer's mansion, I'm not even sure they mentioned her name. I'm glad we were not there among large amounts of photographers and news outfits!
Boroff Way, notice, has a street sign. That generally means it is a local or state maintained road.
This is Boroff Way. It is, indeed, a maintained... way. The steps are cleared by local or state employees, just like the roads are. There are houses at the top of these steps... and there are more steps just like them, each with houses at the top. Never seen anything like that before!
The famous Red Dog Saloon
Inside the Red Dog Saloon... the main reason we made time for our very short trip into town!
one of several eagles on our whale watching tour
I think this is Herbert Glacier
humpback whale
and tail!
neat shot of an eagle
and two more
harbor seals
a pod of humpbacks
We didn't have good weather today. Again, it didn't really matter today... but I got soaked, and had a hard time keeping the camera dry. I made the mistake of going inside the boat to warm up, and my camera lens fogged up! It also had a difficult time focusing due to all the drab colors and constant movement. Bear with me... these aren't the best pictues, but it was a great experience!
So, these whales would travel together, and then dive together. After a few minutes, they would all burst out of the water at the same time, as if they were diving out of it, mouths wide open. This is called bubble net feeding, and apparently it isn't seen very often. We saw them feed in this way several times! When they dive, they blow bubbles to push all the fish to the top, and then they rush upward with their mouths open for an easy meal. Working together in this manner really pays off for them, and makes for a magnificent sight.
It was also rainy there, so we didn't stay long. Luckily, we didn't miss much because of the weather. Plus, Mendenhall doesn't calve often, so we didn't need to stare at it for long!
Next, a float plane ride! That was a new experience... I love to fly, but taking off and landing on the water was very neat!
We flew over 5 glaciers... unreal.
our plane!
our ship from the plane!
My parents went on the Mt. Roberts Tramway... here's a shot of our ship from another bird's eye view!
"downtown" Juneau
a real gold-panner on our gold panning adventure
our guide, who has panned for gold for 10 years
He says that the real value of gold is the beauty of what's around you when you. When you pan for the money, you've lost the real meaning. We did pan for gold, and we did find a few flakes! Nothing more than a momento of a good time with friends and family... which has proven to be quite valuable. =)
No comments:
Post a Comment