Juneau
We had a taste of civilization today. The Sea Lion docked in the capital of Alaska which is not accessible by direct roads, the only way into the city is by air or sea. The main industries are mining, tourism and working for the state government.
Just because we were in “town” for the morning does not mean we did not see wildlife or majestic scenery, this is Alaska after all! We boarded buses for a tour to the Medenhall Glacier. It was a typical day here with light liquid sunshine as we made our way through the valley to the park. At the park entrance there was a small stream filled with sockeye salmon and we were lucky enough to see a black bear appear out of the alder bushes to amble up the stream chasing the salmon. At one point the bear walked directly under the bridge we were standing on and it was incredible to be so close to one of these beautiful bears! We had a bit of time to wander in the park for an overview of the imposing glacier and learn more about the area in the national park visitor center.
Then we went back into Juneau to visit the Alaska State Museum. We saw a variety of native cultural artifacts and learned a bit more about the history of this great state. Afterwards there was plenty of time to wander around the downtown streets which still have a very frontier feel and a chance to look for a few souvenirs.
It was a relaxing afternoon as we had time to catch up on sorting all our photos or reading a good book. A bit later on we saw two more humpback whales doing there typical behavior of staying at the surface for a few breaths and then diving for several minutes, probably looking for herring. As we watched them we realized how fortunate we have been so far in this journey to see incredible wildlife and savor all that Alaska has to offer. We look forward to tomorrow to see what adventures it may bring!
We had a taste of civilization today. The Sea Lion docked in the capital of Alaska which is not accessible by direct roads, the only way into the city is by air or sea. The main industries are mining, tourism and working for the state government.
Just because we were in “town” for the morning does not mean we did not see wildlife or majestic scenery, this is Alaska after all! We boarded buses for a tour to the Medenhall Glacier. It was a typical day here with light liquid sunshine as we made our way through the valley to the park. At the park entrance there was a small stream filled with sockeye salmon and we were lucky enough to see a black bear appear out of the alder bushes to amble up the stream chasing the salmon. At one point the bear walked directly under the bridge we were standing on and it was incredible to be so close to one of these beautiful bears! We had a bit of time to wander in the park for an overview of the imposing glacier and learn more about the area in the national park visitor center.
Then we went back into Juneau to visit the Alaska State Museum. We saw a variety of native cultural artifacts and learned a bit more about the history of this great state. Afterwards there was plenty of time to wander around the downtown streets which still have a very frontier feel and a chance to look for a few souvenirs.
It was a relaxing afternoon as we had time to catch up on sorting all our photos or reading a good book. A bit later on we saw two more humpback whales doing there typical behavior of staying at the surface for a few breaths and then diving for several minutes, probably looking for herring. As we watched them we realized how fortunate we have been so far in this journey to see incredible wildlife and savor all that Alaska has to offer. We look forward to tomorrow to see what adventures it may bring!
