Now this is funny.......one of the first things we were asked in the Pinnacle Grill this morning was would we like a mimosa? Oh my gosh.....can they read our minds? Of course, we said yes, thank you. That might help improve the mood of the dreary day. Then a miracle happened. The skies cleared up, and the sun appeared. It was actually warm on our veranda, where we stayed watching for wild life. This area is considered a temperate rainforest, so the dense evergreen trees of the mountainsides were
beautiful. Peaceful and quiet. This time we looked for those orcas and porpoises, but saw none. Only a few scattered sea gulls.
The Zuiderdam approached Juneau and the Gastineau Channel by 12:30pm. We were docked by 1:30pm, but we never did hear the announcement that we were cleared by the local authorities. Just by coincidence, some folks on the deck below us, spotted a black bear way up high on the mountainside near a waterfall, then alerted us. It was even difficult to locate it with powerful binoculars, but we did see it and got a few pictures. However, flying within reach of our veranda was an eagle heading towards a nest on the shoreline. It had been perched with another one across the bay. Once it landed, it tucked itself deeper into the branches, and was difficult to see. On our last visit, we spotted the same birds there. Today we saw a total of three.
The area of Juneau is 3255 square miles, although 928 square miles is ice cap. Water consists of 704 square miles, while the actual rural area is 14 square miles. They get 62 inches of rain and 88 inches of snow annually. The average temperature is 35 degrees. Their main industries are government, tourism, fishing, and mining. There are more trails than roads, and 280 species of birds, black and brown bears, five types of salmon, orca and humpback whales reside in this area.
The area of Juneau is 3255 square miles, although 928 square miles is ice cap. Water consists of 704 square miles, while the actual rural area is 14 square miles. They get 62 inches of rain and 88 inches of snow annually. The average temperature is 35 degrees. Their main industries are government, tourism, fishing, and mining. There are more trails than roads, and 280 species of birds, black and brown bears, five types of salmon, orca and humpback whales reside in this area.
Getting off of the ship was a joke. The line on deck two mid ship snaked all the way to the Mainstage. There was only one gangway that could be opened today. Next time we will wait at least 20 minutes for the crowd to clear. This is where the masks are a must, in our opinion. It was next to impossible to maintain a 6 foot distance, since many folks were anxious to get to their tour buses.
A group of officers, including Henk, Manish, and Shiv, were on the landing to greet the guests as they left for the day. That did help to unruffle some feathers. That gave us a minute to ask about the upcoming port changes that we heard concerning the Tales of the South Pacific. Henk was surprised that we have not been notified by HAL, and he said he would send the amended itinerary to our room. One of the biggest disappointments was missing Bora Bora, but due to the fact the passenger count exceeded their requirements, they were forced to substitute somewhere else. We would learn more when we got back and found the itinerary in our mailbox as promised.
A group of officers, including Henk, Manish, and Shiv, were on the landing to greet the guests as they left for the day. That did help to unruffle some feathers. That gave us a minute to ask about the upcoming port changes that we heard concerning the Tales of the South Pacific. Henk was surprised that we have not been notified by HAL, and he said he would send the amended itinerary to our room. One of the biggest disappointments was missing Bora Bora, but due to the fact the passenger count exceeded their requirements, they were forced to substitute somewhere else. We would learn more when we got back and found the itinerary in our mailbox as promised.
Slowly walking through town, we decided it was already getting late, so we headed for lunch once again at the Hangar on the Wharf. We knew that when the excursion folks got back from their tours, it may be crowded there. By the way, two other ships were in port.....the Disney Wonder and RCI Quantum of the Seas - both rather large vessels. The restaurant was not crowded, so we went inside and got seated in a nice booth. Starting with Alaskan Amber beers, we added one Jack Daniels BBQ burger with fries, followed by that delicious slice of mud pie. Plenty for two. While we dined, the Quantum sounded her horn, and pulled away from the dock. We had a bird's eye view as she sailed out of the channel.
On our way back, we stopped at Marine Park, where a young local gal had spotted a mountain goat on the same cliffside we had seen the bear. There were two telescopes on stands pointed in that direction, and we looked for the goat, but did not see it. We told her of the bear sighting, and the local girl said those bears come down to town during the night, and raid whatever they can looking for food. Can be a dangerous place.
Our final stop was at the Alaska Fudge Co. for more peanut brittle and Mendenhall Mud fudge (looked like rocky road). That will last for another week.
The shops were getting too crowded, and we really did not need anything, so we boarded the ship, and worked on photos the rest of the afternoon. Once the sun disappeared, it got downright chilly.
Unfortunately, we had to wait a few minutes to re-board, because there was a medical evac taking place. A man was brought off on a stretcher, and taken to a waiting ambulance. We sure hope he will be OK.
Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, where we began our meal with two cocktails. Earlier in the day, we had taken the time to thank the staff here online, and they had already received the message. They have really taken good care of us, and they deserved the kudos. Anyway, the restaurant was surprisingly full of guests, but then we have to remember this is a seven day trip and people are going to hit every venue they can. Both of us enjoyed the wedge salads, 7 ounce filets, French fries, and mushrooms. Two tiny scoops of Neapolitan ice cream finished the meal. We had window seats where we could watch the last of the guests coming back to the ship before 9:30pm. A forklift driver removed the gangway, and soon we were ready to sail.
We watched the sail away from our veranda until it got way too cold. We sure got lucky for such a nice day here in Juneau. Tomorrow we will be back in Skagway....hope it is just as nice as today.
Bill & Mary Ann
119 Pictures
