We started out our day riding through Juneau, the landlocked capitol city of Alaska. As we were leaving the heart of downtown we pulled over into a scenic overlook....which featured the Mendenhall Glacier.
Our guide was quick to point out that Juneau is located in a rainforest climate....and that when the sun "happens" to break through the cloud cover they have a phrase for that..."cloud failure"! Well, we had a few brief glimpses of said cloud failure today, but for the most part we were under overcast skies.
As we boarded the boat headed out for our whale watching excursion, we quickly learned to watch for the tell-tale evidence of the humpback whales "blowing"....
....and what a backdrop!
If you look closely you can see a baby just this side of the mother....
This fellow is getting ready to dive....
They are massive creatures, and I would have loved to have seen one breech, but unfortunately that behavior is not that common during this season...
Getting ready for another dive....
We have seen the guaranteed whales, so we are now off to see a "rookery"....these are mostly male sea lions...and they were a hoot to watch!
The majority of them were sleeping, but occasionally you would see a head pop up and look around....
....then they might feel the need to show off.....
....scratch an itch...
...or get into a spat with another male, whether it be by vocal or physical means...
These guys out here on the end of the island seemed to have laid claim to their territory and didn't get into the fray...
....tho' this fella' did swim out to check us out!
We headed a little further out and were greeted by a pod of Dall dolphins. At first, it was hard to tell what they were because they were swimming back and forth across the bow of the boat to speedily that it was hard to tell WHAT it was....but it was definitely something!
The Dall dolphin is the fastest aquatic creature...and it was easy to believe! It was hard to get a picture, but I managed to get a couple (even if they are a little blurry!)
On our way back into Juneau we came across a couple more humpback whales....
Then it was time to head to the rainforest and the Mendenhall Glacier, but on the way we were able to see these sockeye salmon spawning
Just look at that bright color!
They expend so much energy getting to and then protecting their spawning grounds, that it is understandable why they then die!
On to the rainforest....our guide loves this devil claw plant....
....and I love ferns, tho' they are NOT what I expected to see in Alaska!
I have been learning to capture running water....and this is finally a fairly successful attempt!
Our next stop was at the Mendenhall Glacier....
The icebergs come in all shapes and sizes....
...even a dolphin?!
It's time to say farewell to the Mendenhall....
...but on our way out we saw this "cuddly" little porcupine all nestled in a tree. Wanna pet him? LOL
We were relaxing on our balcony.....
...watching the sea planes take off and land....
....when we heard the captain announcing that that a mother bear and her cub were on the quay in front of the ship. We did make it topside in time for me to see the mom, but no photos....left the camera in the stateroom!
Tonight was formal night....and the Captain's Circle reception....we had a great night and have a memento of our trip....
And, yes, if we look like we are in love....well, we still are after 20 years! Actually, much more so than 20 years ago!
Tomorrow we will pull into Ketchikan....wonder what sights we will see and what adventures await us there?
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