We woke up to a very heavily overcast day with rain showers off and on. After breakfast, we went outside on deck six forward from 9:30 am to 1pm to catch the scenic sailing all the way to Juneau. To say it was cold is an understatement. The temperature was in the mid 40's with a wind chill to match. The bow had been opened at 9am, and it was interesting watching the folks venture outside in all types of clothing. The majority did have heavy jackets, hats, and gloves. However, there were some with shorts and flip-flops. Needless to say, they did not last very long. Some came with the deck blankets wrapped around them, which was useless in the strong wind.
We kept an eye out for any sign of wildlife, but for the most part, we saw very little except some flocks of birds. Some were gulls, snow geese, and a few that resembled puffins. When we got closer to Tracy Arm, we did see a glacier up high. This one did not reach the waterline. Passing this area up, we will come back to the nearby Endicott Arm on Sunday. It will replace our venture into Glacier Bay. About the same time, a whale or two appeared along the coastline. We were lucky to get a shot of the big one as it breached, then dove, exposing that famous tail.
As we approached the Gastineau Channel, we saw more whales spouting in the distance. At least our perseverance paid off, and we did see some wildlife. Just as in the last two weeks, there were many fisherman up to their chests in the water fishing for salmon. We cannot imagine how cold that water must be. On the way to the pier, we did see some eagles in the trees on the Douglas side. There were no eagles in flight today like last week.
The Zaandam was the last ship to dock here. The RCI Quantum, Grand Princess, and the Disney Wonder were already there in their usual spots. So what put Juneau on the map? It had to be the $150 million worth of gold that was found here in the 1880's. Can you imagine what that would be worth today? And it was also the fisheries and lumber industries that flourished here back in those days. Now the city of 32,000 hearty folks work for the government and also the tourism industry.
By the time we left the ship, it was almost 2:30pm. And it was raining. We went directly for lunch at the Hangar on the Wharf of course. Today there was no wait for a table. We did the same as last week by ordering the macho nachos with ground beef this time. Two Amber Gold beers and a dessert of mud pie completed our meal. On the way back, we did some shopping. Juneau Drugs had what we needed in the way of toiletries, and The Alaska Fudge Company had the delicious peanut brittle we like. We did stop at the Alaska Shirt Company Extended, but were surprised to find most everything on sale was 3X to 5X. The prices were really good such as $5 t-shirts, $10 pull-over fleeces, or nice jackets for $20. What we did not know was that this shop only carried extended sizes. At the Alaska Juneau Mining Company one of us could not resist purchasing another Lazy One sleep T ……discounted for a quick sale, like most everything else in the store. One last sweep through the larger Alaska T Shirt Co. and we were done. It was so crowded in there with their close-out sales, the aisles and registers were super busy.
We got back to the ship by 5:30pm a little wet from the rain, but not too bad. While we were downloading photos, we watched as the Quantum sailed past us. The Disney Wonder had already left. By 9:30pm, the Grand Princess left, and we took off last about 9:45pm. We're not sure how many more ships will be up this way for the remainder of the season, and judging by the last minute sales that appeared this time, we think they will be shutting down soon.
By the way, a few days ago we had received an invitation for appreciation of our loyalty as President's Club Mariners, an exclusive dinner would take place in the Pinnacle Grill this evening. The invite did not say who was hosting this dinner, but we did hear from Tina that it would be the Captain and perhaps some of his officers. Since there is only one other PC couple onboard, there would be only 4 guests. Had this been on a sea day, we would have attended. But on the final Juneau day, we did not want to sacrifice the port for an early dinner at 5pm. We gave our regrets and that was that, although we did have a visit from cellar master Tahana, who said the wines would be top shelf. Of course, we don't drink the wine, so it would not be up our alley.
The upper dining room was half full when we arrived at our usual fixed seating time of 7:30pm. Little by little, the tables filled with guests who appeared to be coming directly from an excursion. The Lido was opened until 8:30pm, but when they closed, the guests kept coming until close to 9pm even though this venue closed by 9pm. No one was turned away. About 8pm, we could see the rain cascading down the aft dining room windows. We doubt many folks would be in town with that kind of rain.
Our meal began with tomato soup and one Caesar salad. Mains were sliced tenderloin and a chili rellenos with rice. One dessert of chocolate whiskey torte and we were done. When we returned to our room, we had the final customs declarations form to be filled out and returned to the front desk. Last week we had gotten this form and the instructions early in the morning. They must have forgotten and sent it at the last minute, since it was due to be returned before we left port. We quickly filled it out and brought it the front desk folks.
Tomorrow we shall be back in Skagway as long as the predicted winds don't prevent us from docking.
Bill & Mary Ann
