Skagway and Juneau
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Now it was time to explore Skagway. Much to our amazement we saw there was another cruise
ship docked behind ours. Hope he leaves first!!! Then a short walk into the town which had of course lots of souvenir shops. Loved the murals on the
side of the buildings. Added to the atmosphere of this quaint town. Off for a well deserved coffee and came across the local Fire Brigade raising
money in what we thought was a brilliant initiative! A car wash. somewhat out of the ordinary. Two fire engines spraying cars after volunteers on
the other side had given them a wash! There were cars lined up for blocks waiting and what community spirit these people have. Gary then found
another hairy friend and just had to have his picture taken! We were amazed at the size of the small trucks (not!) parked around here and then again
back to the ship for our onward sail to Juneau.
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Overnight sail on beautiful flat water to the City and Borough of Juneau, capital of Alaska. An early morning
docking allowed us to off the ship early and we found it very convenient as the tour operators were all along the wharf.
However we decided to
take a local shuttle out to visit the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Centre. What a hoot! A lovely young driver
welcomed us onboard with a musical rendition of the safety talk! Time to do the short drive out to the Glacier and we
were so lucky..it was a fabulous weather day and the sun was shining for us! A short walk soon opened our eyes to the beauty
of this area. Even though the snow was melting the ice flows and the scenery made this well worth the visit. Nugget Creek Falls
were flowing down the mountain, and the water rushing made a wonderful sound. The whole scene was just breathtaking and we spent
sometime just taking it all in.
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There are trails to explore here and the only one we could walk was the Photo Point Trail which gave us a beautiful view of the
Glacier. The East Glacier Loop was closed as there was sighting of a mother bear and her cub and it was deemed to dangerous to go anywhere
near them. We spent some time chatting to other tourists and watching the many ice chunks floating downstream and trying to work out what
animal they looked like! Must go back again someday!!
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Unfortunately it was time to head back to Juneau with our wonderful and informative bus driver. He again gave us a potted history
of the area and too soon we were back in town. Our other choice here was to ride the Mt Roberts Tramway but the day went by so quickly. A
picture from the dock was all we could manage but we asked others that had done that how it was. They had a great day too! Before boarding we had
time to check out the town and what a lovely place it is. We walked to the outskirts and found more murals and a ferocious bear with a salmon
outside the Council Offices. Of course no visit here would be complete without calling into the Red Dog Saloon! This famous venue was founded
in the mining rush days and has kept some of the traditions since then. The original owners favoured entertainment and dancing and today there is lots more but still a fabulous atmosphere. The piano player was awesome and sang creative songs and had his audience in stitches! The food and the dancing
all contribute to a wonderful day in Juneau..
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