Juneau!

Hey all,

Totally got behind again.  But oh well.  Last Thursday we docked in Juneau.  This was the only port where we had close to a full day, getting in around 9:00 am and leaving at 7:45 pm.  We had looked at our excursion possibilities and the weather (not great, unfortunately), and had been planning to do a combination beer tasting-cooking demonstration-Mendenhall Glacier option, but that was cancelled due to lack of interest.

What we ended up doing instead was pretty awesome, and at our own pace.  One of the cool highlights of the City, which is set in a valley with mountains on all sides, is a tram that will take you straight up 1800 feet of mountain, in approximately six minutes.

Once at the top, we perused the nature center and gift shop (as always, strategically located between you and wherever you want to go), and decided to hike some of the trails that start behind the nature center.  The next picture is the view from the nature center.  

Happily, the 1800 feet up gother us more or less above the rain line, so it was cool and dry.  We combined two trails, with the "end destination" being Father John's Cross.  All in all, I think it was around three miles over some fairly established trails.

Of course, as soon as we walked out of the nature center, which had advised us on what to do in the case of a bear encounter, Troy asked me what our plan was, should we see one.  I had apparently kind of glossed over proper bear protocol, but for future reference, you are supposed to: 1) make lots of noise, 2) identify yourself as a human, and 3) avoid eye contact.  So, no existential crises allowed when dealing with the bears (which we did not see).

But we did take more pictures.  

And we made it to the cross!

After hiking back, we stopped to visit Lady Baltimore, a bald eagle who had lost an eye due to a hunter's shot.  Because she only has one eye, her depth peception is totally off, and she can't fly.  Instead, she's an ambassador for the nature center.

We headed back down to Juneau (bearing witness to a wildly awkward scene, wherein tourist lady asked our tram operator "why his people weren't living on a reservation") and walked around town for a while.

We were able to pick up some new art for our guest room (cat-free, come visit!) and a few other souvenirs here and there.  Troy tried and liked one of the Alaskan beers, and I got my Alaska magnet.

More posts soon!  Ketchikan next!