Juneau

We arrive in Juneau shortly before we're due to meet our tour guide. We hurry to the dock, and find Harv and Marv's van waiting for us.  The goal today is to see WHALES.  We chose this tour company based on their reputation. Gotta love the Internet: you can get information on AN-Y-THING.   The cruise line offers a whale watching tour but it's on a large boat full of 150(?) people. With Harv n Marv, the boats hold only 12. We meet our captain at the dock and he informs us that the 'head' onboard is liquids only...no TP, no... Anyway...I'm not sure how long it took but we just shoved off and cruised into the bay when our captain Shawn says, "look!  See the water spout from the blow hole?!". Oh man. About seven humpback whales circled around the bay.  They resurface to take a breath about three times, then they FLUKE, arching their back, diving deeper to show us their tail. Blake, our First Mate is a Marine Biology major at U of Alaska, Juneau, and grew up in Berrien Springs, MI!  His grandpa has ND football Season tickets.  Small world.  He's full of all sorts of info on what we're seeing.  We're scheduled for a 3 hour trip but see our fill of whale tails within the first hour.  Capt Shawn also takes us to an island where Stellar Sea Lions hang out.  He says they can be aggressive and their cute, cuddly bodies are deceptive. They can reach 1800 lbs!  I know I don't want to mess with them!   We head back to the dock and see one more whale tail. These whales are incredible. Our guides tell us that their tails are wider than the beam (width) of the boat we're on!  It's easy to lose perspective until you see them up close.  Rick snapped lots of good pix.  The whales can be identified by the color of the underside of their tails and their shape.  Rick got several shots but one in particular clearly identifies one called AK.  Cool!  Our guide asked us not to be specific if the next tour group waiting on the dock asked about our trip.  Apparently people get a little grumpy if they don't see many whales.  He tells us that our weather (overcast yet 60's) and number of whale sightings are highly unusual.  Once again we are grateful for a good tour.  On the way back we stop at yet another glacier, Mendenhall.  I remember this place from our last trip here because it was the first time I'd ever seen a glacier. It's one of the prettiest and most interesting that we've seen. The overcast skies cause the blue-green color to seem deeper and richer.  I don't think this color appears anywhere else in nature, with the exception of maybe the water in the Bahamas.  Back to the cruise ship, Rick and I chat with our shuttle driver.  She and her husband are from Georgia and this is their second summer up here working for Harv n Marv. They came here on a tour and joked about wanting to work here and Harv n Marv hired them, pretty much on the spot. Guess you need to be careful what you say.  They drive up each summer in April with their fifth wheel, stay in it all summer, then drive back to Georgia in late September. They're staying at an RV park with full hookups in Juneau. The bad news is that you can only reach Juneau by water and air, so they have to ferry their rig from Skagway (about $1200 each way). We decide it wouldn't be too much fun having to work every day, including Saturday n Sunday. Ugh.  Back toward the ship, we have tickets for (another) salmon bake.  Bus ride to the outdoor facility, it's all you can eat salmon, beans, salad, corn bread, potatoes, cake...  Good hearty food. Another colorful character plays the guitar and sings while we eat.  A small fire ring off to the side is available for roasting marshmallows and , of course, that's my dessert!  Poor Cary, she's been blasted this whole trip by fish & seafood, which she really doesn't like but has been a good sport for those of us who do.  We're trying to eat our fill!  so far our favorite is the Copper River Salmon...but it's hard to choose.  We board the ship in plenty of time for a NAP!  We've been too busy to fit vacation nap time into our schedule. Cool!  Tonight is lobster night in the dining room so we don't want to miss THAT!  Carlos our waiter greets us and As always, recommends his favorite dishes. Last night when we couldn't decide which dessert, he brought several for us to try.  Chocolate-peanut butter or white nectarine ice cream, creme brûlée...so tonight we again couldn't decide. Carlos brings us samples of the tiramisu, mango, and banana ice cream to make sure we get to try them all.  One of the things I love about cruising is that most meals are included.  You can try everything on the menu if you wish.  The portions are not oversized but just right.  The first week of our trip, our meals were not included.  Now we can eat nearly whatever and whenever we want. After dinner we went to the casino.  Rick and I are not really gamblers but went for the fun of it. I put $20 in the machine to play video poker.  Cheap entertainment.  Tonight we are on our way to Ketchikan, our last port.  Wow the time has gone fast!