Year 4 Day 141 “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 9/18/2024. Day 8 of 25-day Alaska to Las Vegas trip. Day 4 of 13-night cruise Alaska and Los Angeles cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. Today we are in Juneau. Alaska. Juneau is known as the most scenic capital in America. We eat breakfast and watch the beautiful scenery as we pull in. Huge evergreen laden mountains surround the area.
It is a cold and rainy day. I am so happy I have some clear plastic ponchos. MSC has free ponchos in baskets by the door on rainy days. I had grabbed two on one of our prior cruises, and they were still in my backpack never opened. Thank you MSC. Everyone kept asking us where did you guys get those.
This is the second time we have been here. The last time it was colder, and sleeting and we tried to go to Mendenhall Glacier, and it was canceled due to icy roads. Here is a link to our last visit https://deestimes.com/…/living-the-dream-year-2-day-149/ The last time we were here we walked around town, and we were soaking wet by the time we got back on the ship. Today we are getting soaked again, but we are headed out on the excursion to see the Mendenhall Glacier and Salmon Hatchery.
We boarded the tour bus and drove through downtown.
The Alaska state capital building is here. We followed the Gastineau channel on our bus ride. The population is 31,000 here in Juneau. There are 1,109 millionaire households and very few children. All roads dead end from town. There is no way to drive out of Juneau. Juneau is water on one side and ice lands on the other side. A cargo ship comes every two weeks. Juneau has the most Bald eagles out of anywhere in the world. There is one for every person in Juneau.
The temperature in summer daytime highs generally reach the low-to-mid-60s but can range above 75. Winter temperatures average 29 degrees. We are surrounded mostly by Sitka spruce and Western hemlock trees. The bark of a tree is food for porcupines. Porcupines live in those trees. We entered the Tongass National rain forest which covers most of Southeast Alaska, surrounding the famous Inside Passage. Here you can view eagles, bears, spawning salmon, and the breath-taking vistas of “wild” Alaska. There are two kinds of bears. We are told if we encounter a black bear to scream and yell and they will run away. If you encounter a brown bear lie down. But mostly just walk away slowly and let a forest ranger know. They then will close that section of the park till the bear moves on.
Mendenhall glacier has receded 1.5 miles since 1962. The glacier is always blue because it absorbs the red and orange parts of white light, while transmitting blue light. There is no thunder and lightning storms in Juneau. Thunder mountain was to our left as we rode the bus to the Salmon Hatchery. Thunder mountain is 2 894 feet. The thunder in Thunder Mountain is from winter avalanches that cascade down the cliffs above Juneau’s suburbs. Juneau gets around six feet of snow. The region in and around Juneau is also known for having substantial gold deposits, which spurred an era of mining in the late 1880s after the California Gold Rush. We then passed over Lemon Creek. In Lemon Creek there are no fish due to the amount of stone dust in the creek.
We were given two hours to explore the Mendenhall Glacier Nation Park. They had a few hiking trails. We went to the observation museum gift area first. There was a Bald Eagle perched right there. It was amazing how many different Bald eagles we saw here today. Due to the coldness and rain, we only did the short walk of Photo Point and Steep Creek. I really wanted to walk to the waterfall. Next time.
This is a very popular cruise ship excursion, but it did not seem crowded except near the bus pick up area.
Then it was on to the Salmon fish hatchery, which was very interesting.
Interesting fact about Juneau is that there are 26 jewelry stores in the town. Tourists must buy a lot of jewelry. Steve sets our bed up before dinner like they would if we had nighttime service. We elected morning service cleaning on the ship.
It was really empty in the dining room tonight, but we had entertainment.
Cruise Compass:
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
Womens Fashion Orthotic Flip Flops: https://amzn.to/4efeh5w These are the most comfortable flip flops I have ever owned. You can wear them all day and your feet and legs feel great. They come in lots of different colors. Currently, I own one pair. I plan to buy a few more after vacation. They also work great as slippers.
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To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count