This is summer in Alaska!! Cold and windy.I know that my previous posts have been nothing but complaining and not much to do with the towns we have visited and the sights we have seen. Today was a reprieve from dealing with the ship stuff, and I actually have some stuff to report that is, hopefully, interesting. Michael and I both had a tour – together!! We have some great pictures, which I will post on the blog when I return home.
Our tour started with a bus ride through town to Auke Bay where we boarded a whale watching tour boat. The day was grey and about 57 degrees with a light drizzle. We had a naturalist aboard who gave us gobs of information about the sea life and wildlife, and the geology of the area. Southeast Alaska is in the heart of a temperate rain forest (the Tongass National Forest, which is the largest rainforest in North America) and that means wet, cloudy weather year round. In fact, Juneau receives only about 44 days of sunshine per year, and gets about 93 inches of rain each year, while 11 miles away, the Juneau airport receives only about 53 inches. There are two low tides and two high tides daily, with tidal fluctuations from 16 to 25 feet. In terms of size, Juneau is the second largest city in the U.S. and is the capital of Alaska. There are only 98 miles of road in the area and it is said that the only way to get to Juneau is by air, sea, or birth canal.
During our 2 ½ hour boat tour, we saw many humpback whales. It was raining most of the time, but the boat was very comfortable and dry. What an exciting sight to see these huge creatures blowing, breaching and diving with their tail in the air.
Humpbacks are baleen whales; that is, they have no teeth and strain water through comb-like plates of baleen, which trap krill and small schooling fish like herring. The esophagus of a humpback is no larger than a grapefruit! We also were able to see many eagles, harbor seals and Steller sea lions laying about on the beach or frolicking in the water. The seals looked like sausages just scattered along the beach, laying there doing nothing. The sea lions were huge (the large males weigh about 1,200 pounds) and were fighting for territory.
We then went to a salmon bake at the Orcas Point Lodge. I was very impressed with the organization of feeding so many people so fast. We walked up the dock and as you entered the dining room, there was a buffet line set up so people went down both sides to get a wonderful salmon and corn on the cob meal with all the fixings. There was a tidal basin exhibit, and the naturalist gave us a wonderful “tour” of all the creatures that live there. One of the most interesting tidbits of information is about how starfish eat. The starfish encircles a muscle and pries open the shell just enough to stick its inverted stomach into the muscle and eat the contents.
We also saw many bald eagles and learned that they can spot a fish from over a mile away and can fly at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. The number one killer of bald eagles is – I would never have guessed this – is drowning. If an eagle grabs a fish with its talons and the fish pulls the eagle down into the water or the fish is too heavy, the eagle will drown as it will not be able to fly or release the fish from its talons. The eagle can only release its victim when it sets it down, like on a tree branch.
After returning to Auke Bay, we boarded the bus for the ride to Mendenhall Glacier. We walked on a boardwalk that ran along a stream choked with spawning salmon. We could only go part of the way as it was too dangerous to go any further due to bears in the area. We also saw a porcupine up in a tree. Then we went to the visitor center and saw a movie about the glacier. Michael and I had been to Mendenhall Glacier about 20 years ago and were surprised to see how much it had retreated from then.
We then returned to the ship for the usual nighttime ritual. Only three more night to go.
Tomorrow is Ketchikan.
Our tour started with a bus ride through town to Auke Bay where we boarded a whale watching tour boat. The day was grey and about 57 degrees with a light drizzle. We had a naturalist aboard who gave us gobs of information about the sea life and wildlife, and the geology of the area. Southeast Alaska is in the heart of a temperate rain forest (the Tongass National Forest, which is the largest rainforest in North America) and that means wet, cloudy weather year round. In fact, Juneau receives only about 44 days of sunshine per year, and gets about 93 inches of rain each year, while 11 miles away, the Juneau airport receives only about 53 inches. There are two low tides and two high tides daily, with tidal fluctuations from 16 to 25 feet. In terms of size, Juneau is the second largest city in the U.S. and is the capital of Alaska. There are only 98 miles of road in the area and it is said that the only way to get to Juneau is by air, sea, or birth canal.
During our 2 ½ hour boat tour, we saw many humpback whales. It was raining most of the time, but the boat was very comfortable and dry. What an exciting sight to see these huge creatures blowing, breaching and diving with their tail in the air.
Humpbacks are baleen whales; that is, they have no teeth and strain water through comb-like plates of baleen, which trap krill and small schooling fish like herring. The esophagus of a humpback is no larger than a grapefruit! We also were able to see many eagles, harbor seals and Steller sea lions laying about on the beach or frolicking in the water. The seals looked like sausages just scattered along the beach, laying there doing nothing. The sea lions were huge (the large males weigh about 1,200 pounds) and were fighting for territory.We then went to a salmon bake at the Orcas Point Lodge. I was very impressed with the organization of feeding so many people so fast. We walked up the dock and as you entered the dining room, there was a buffet line set up so people went down both sides to get a wonderful salmon and corn on the cob meal with all the fixings. There was a tidal basin exhibit, and the naturalist gave us a wonderful “tour” of all the creatures that live there. One of the most interesting tidbits of information is about how starfish eat. The starfish encircles a muscle and pries open the shell just enough to stick its inverted stomach into the muscle and eat the contents.
We also saw many bald eagles and learned that they can spot a fish from over a mile away and can fly at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. The number one killer of bald eagles is – I would never have guessed this – is drowning. If an eagle grabs a fish with its talons and the fish pulls the eagle down into the water or the fish is too heavy, the eagle will drown as it will not be able to fly or release the fish from its talons. The eagle can only release its victim when it sets it down, like on a tree branch.
After returning to Auke Bay, we boarded the bus for the ride to Mendenhall Glacier. We walked on a boardwalk that ran along a stream choked with spawning salmon. We could only go part of the way as it was too dangerous to go any further due to bears in the area. We also saw a porcupine up in a tree. Then we went to the visitor center and saw a movie about the glacier. Michael and I had been to Mendenhall Glacier about 20 years ago and were surprised to see how much it had retreated from then.We then returned to the ship for the usual nighttime ritual. Only three more night to go.
Tomorrow is Ketchikan.
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