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| Nugget Falls at the Mendenhall Glacier |
When I first retired almost two and a half years ago it seemed as if we were constantly on a cruise ship. Since last May we’ve only done two cruises (Alaska and the Caribbean). We were excited to get on board Monday and found ourselves back in the groove immediately. Unpack once for the week, hot tubs available from 6:00 AM until 11:00 PM, nightly entertainment, unlimited bacon and of course the beauty of Alaska.
It’s Friday afternoon now. We’ve cruised some of the inside passage and visited old favorites, Ketchikan , Juneau, and today we are in Skagway. Three interesting and very different ports. Having been to all three several times there is no real pressure to see anything particular, meaning we do what we do best, just roam around.
Ketchikan is one of the rainiest places on the planet and as usual, it didn’t rain a drop while we were there. Overcast, yes, but no rain, and boy was the temperature in the low 60’s refreshing. We walked the 5 miles (round trip) from the port to the Saxman Totem Pole Park. This is a nice, easy walk along the coastal road. Simply turn right on the main road in town. It’s a little “industrial” for about a quarter of a mile but very scenic after passing the Coast Guard station. Once back in town we heard there was a possibility of seeing bears feeding on salmon in a creek outside of town. Beth solicited several people on the streets looking for couples or families to share a cab out to the creek. She found two couples from Wisconsin who were interested and within a few minutes we were on our way to Herring Cove in search of bears. Luck was with us and we saw three in about 20 minutes. The first looked like a juvenile and then a mom and cub came out of the brush and into the creek. They were about 200 yards away so it wasn’t a close encounter but it did provide a thrill. We may try biking out there when we pass back through Ketchikan in a few weeks if the weather is good.
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| Saxman Totem Pole Park- A short hike from the cruise terminal |
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| Inside the Saxman Totem Pole Park |
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| Pulling out of Ketchikan |
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and has the distinction of being the only state capital that is not accessible by car (you have to fly or take a boat to reach it). The Mendenhall Glacier is close by and since we hadn’t been out there in a few years we decided to pay it a visit. You can take a shuttle bus out there for around $45, a cab for about the same or a city bus for $2 each way. Guess which one we did? You can catch the bus (#3 or 4) at the downtown transportation center. It’s a little slower getting there, about an hour as opposed to 20 minutes but you get a nice tour of Juneau while saving money. The only other catch is the bus stop is about a mile from the entrance to the glacier visitors center. Again, no worries, it’s a nice walk on a pedestrian path. The glacier and Nugget Falls are quite spectacular to view. On the way back to the bus stop we had a special surprise. A black bear mom and cub crossed the road about 100 yards in front of us. They had no interest in us or the other humans on the path. Salmon were plentiful in the creek and nobody got between momma and her cub.
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Me and the Mendenhall Glacier
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| Mendenhall Glacier (we're a little over a mile away from the face of the glacier) |
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| Along the path to the glacier |
It’s kind of a rainy, chilly day here in Skagway today. We’ve been logging around 8-12 miles per day for the last few days so we’re enjoying a laid back day. We did wander through the small town where so many gold prospectors passed through back in 1898. Many of them died from the harsh conditions or they got in the way of a bullet traveling at a high rate of speed. Only a few were rewarded for their efforts and found gold. It must have been quite a site to see all those folks from all walks of life searching for prosperity in this amazing area.
http://skagway.com/
