Northern Frontier, Part Deux

On Tuesday we took a day-long cruise through the Tracy Arm Fjord. On the way to the glacier, our captain was so great about slowing down at animal sightings, interesting icebergs, and several waterfalls. The different shades of blue in the icebergs were like a rainbow of a singular hue!


This bald eagle allowed us to get so close to it! Sitting up there on the berg, he looks so majestic!




After our two hour journey all the way into the fjord, this was our grandiose vista of Sawyer Glacier. We parked here for an hour or so to take everything in and watch the wildlife.


The momma seal on the left was trying to coax her baby pup into the water with her. It was so neat to watch their interaction. She would bob up and down and splash with her tail until the baby finally joined her. They do have the sweetest puppy dog eyes! (which I suppose is why they're called "pups"!)




Our captain pulled us up close under a waterfall and then someone looked up and pointed out this bear enjoying an afternoon snack! He stared back at us as much as we stared at him, then eventually just went on about his day.


This humpback whale (I put arrows to help you see its fin and blow hole of water coming up...and then the smiley face because it was fun to write on the picture!) was spotted and this was the most peaceful time of our whole trip. We just sat there for probably 15 minutes or so waiting to get a good view, all the while surrounded by the lulls of nature. There were no sounds, we sat in silence with the mountains hovering above. It's hard to put into words how lovely that little moment was.

July 4th ~

We were in the Juneau parade!
(Sorry, I hate the not-so-flattering self-portrait as much as the next person, but when everyone is holding something but you, guess who ends up taking the pic.!)

Stuart's dad is an active member in his Veterans for Peace chapter. That was definitely an experience we won't soon forget - marching in this small-town parade, carrying huge, brightly colored origami peace cranes, being met down the streets with applause. It was so neat to see the majority of the population turn out in this wonderful celebration for their country and town.

Thursday ~

We drove across the way to Douglas Island and walked around a beach. These little barnacles were everywhere!


SEE! Kinda grody...
When the tide comes in, I suppose everything just gets covered with 'em.


It was so windy! Felt like I could get caught up in the sky!

Friday ~

Stuart's pop took us all around town, and one of our stops was the beautiful Glacier Gardens.
When clearing the land, the builder discovered an upside down tree and thought that would look pretty with flowers on top, draping down like a canopy. So that is the garden's signature mark.

Then you take a super-powered golf cart 600 feet up Thunder Mountain to the top where they've built this boardwalk overlooking Juneau!


After lunch we went to the Alaska State Museum where it was my father-in-law's fun idea to don the heads of local animals! :)
Fun factoid: there was no one around to snap a pic. of all three of us, so also at the ingenious idea of Stuart's dad, we took two pictures and I "Photoshopped" my head into the pic. of the two guys...technology...