(Forgot to post the above picture of Seattle, taken from the dining room just before the lifeboat drill. With all the rush, not many pictures were taken that first day.)
Monday was cruise day, as we were making our way up the coastline to Juneau. We slept in, thwarting Herbert's efforts to "clean" our spotless stateroom. DD explored the ship for a while, then came back and she and her dad read their Kindles. The day was overcast, with occasional glimpses of land, but mostly just open water. Actually, we didn't see the sun for 6 days!
I took a stroll later, leisurely making my way around the promenade deck. It was always so noisy inside, but the deck, though breezy, was much quieter, even with the ship noise.
Ran into Frank and Janell near the shops, so we decided to all dress up a bit and go to the steakhouse for dinner. We had a sumptious dinner overlooking the pool and hot tub, ending with some yummy creme brulee. Just outside the restaurant was a giant chessboard with a game in progress:
Afterwards, Frank and Janell wandered to some other places, while Jack and I sat down in the main atrium where a "One-Man-Party" performer entertained. After a while and some Motown, more folks began to gather and the bar nearby began to pick up a little. Soon he was playing 60s and 70s music and a group of ladies began to dance. The guys weren't as bold, though they were bustin' some moves in the back. I couldn't stand it--I got up there with them. I've never been able to dance, but what the heck--I was never going to see any of these folks again anyway!
Tues. morning brought more cloudiness, but glimpses of land as we neared Juneau. Lush greenness everywhere and waterfalls hinted at the mountains hidden by the clouds.
Once we set foot for the first time in Alaska, we had some time to stroll the streets before going to our first excursion. We were starved, so stopped at a street vendor and had some barbecue on a stick while watching sea planes take off. There was a street mural nearby:
Saw cute little shops with residences above, and this incredibly steep staircase leading to--? more residences?
Our first excursion was the only one all 3 of us did together. DD hates to have her picture taken, so I sneak one in when I can.
We went whale-watching on a covered boat. The guides were great in getting Jack on board with the wheelchair and the views were awesome. I spent some time up on deck 2 out by the rails, and when we slowed to a stop, went up to the third deck for photos. The humpback whales were off in the distance, so all we could see were their blow-spouts, but there were some killer whales swimming alongside the boat. Two of them were a little ways off, but one seemed to be showing off for us:
DD got a really good picture of him leaping out of the water, with a close-up of his markings. He was beautiful. I had left my point-and-shoot camera on the bus, but had my smartphone with me and managed to get some pics. Fortunately, we rode the same bus back and my camera was right where I left it.
Inside there was a wonderful little buffet, with salmon mousse, veggies and crackers with dips, and a multitude of scrumptious desserts. I made 3 trips to the buffet: one for J-Man, one for the lady on the inside of the row who wouldn't crawl over him to get herself a plate, and then one for me. I know folks thought I was hogging the food, but truly, I was too excited to eat much.
On the trip back to the ship, we could see the Mendenhall Glacier in the distance. It's the blue-greenish part between the two mountain peaks. Frank and Janell took a helicopter ride to the glacier and walked around on it, and Frank even laid down and drank from the glacier water.
Back on board, I had time to grab a couple of shots as we pulled out of port:
A glorious ending to a lovely day.
Next: If it's Wed., this must be Skagway.
1 comment:
Loving all your shots and stories! Definitely dance when you can :)
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