We've Arrived in Juneau

We are at the apex of our journey and we're overwhelmed with all that we've seen and experienced on our journey here to Juneau.  We've been in Juneau now for about a week and new computer has been purchased, software loaded, and we're back in business for blogging (but still dependent on the limited wi-fi locations in Alaska).  It's truly impossible to cover everything that we've done, but I will share some highlights.

Sunset in Ketchikan

Our last blog entry was from Prince Rupert and we had Dixon Entrance to cross.  Let's say that Dixon Entrance was not so kind to us and we'll hope the weatherman is more accurate on our trip southward.  It was the worst sea conditions we've experience (ever) and one that we don't want to repeat.  We stayed in Ketchikan for about 5 days, as we needed to replace our radar, which went out while we were crossing Dixon Entrance.  It poured rain in Ketchikan for 3 straight days.  I've never seen it rain so hard for such a long period of time before.  Alaska weather is truly amazing.

Creative use of driftwood--note the foiled fish.

Moving northward, we pulled into Meyers Chuck, a place Jerry had been to before and loved.  I, too, found it utterly charming and took a walk around the area, meeting and talking with some of the locals who live there.  

Another creative mind -- you can just make out the rusting spider

Some of the artists are quite clever with their local art.

S/V Elusive

One of the joys of our travels this summer has been all of the great people we have met and cruised along with.  We spent the last two weeks of our journey north to Juneau with a Canadian couple, Brian and Patti, from the Gulf Island of Saturna.  We hit it off right from the start and both agreed it's rare to find lifelong friends on an adventure like this, but both feel we may have done just that.  With both couples having a love of red wine, it was easy to start off the first night together.




The colors of Alaska have been the most spectacular of any other place I've ever been.  The pink of the sunsets, the greens of the water, the blues of the icebergs floating by.  The closer you get to glacial water, the more opaque the green water becomes.  It's pure magic, this Alaskan experience.

Sunset at Cleveland Passage

While we have experienced lots of whales on this trip, the bear has eluded us (so far).  We have gone to coves where bears are known to frequent.  We have visited streams known for its prolific amount of bears during the running of salmon. The only thing we can figure is that it's just too early ... or, they are waiting for a special visit!  How close this special visit may be is what concerns us.  








One night, in an attempt to encourage the bears to come out for a visit, Jerry launched the kayak and took over to the beach some leftover food.  Even though it was raining and the no-see-ums were eating him alive, he was determined to see a bear!  No luck this time!

Early morning at Tracy Arm Cove

One area we were all excited to see was Tracy Arm, a 20-mile long fjord reaching up to the Sawyer Glaciers.  This fjord is now visited by some of the cruise ships, but we were hoping for a beautiful day.  And did we get it!

Enjoying our cruise of Tracy Arm on S/V Elusive

There was no sense taking both boats on the 40-mile round trip, so S/V Elusive was our host for the day.  (They get better gas mileage anyway!)

The water was littered with icebergs and bergie bites.

What a day!  The sun came out.  No wind!  And best of all ... no cruise ships to share the waterways with.  As a matter of fact, other than two other tour boats from Juneau that rapidly passed us, we had no other cruising vessels in Tracy Arm that day.  

One of the many waterfalls on the way up Tracy Arm

Magical!  Unforgettable!  Just some of the words used to describe this day.  We know we can't go back because we can never repeat this amazing experience!

Brian and Patti out searching for a bergie bite small enough to pick up.

Getting as  close to the glacier as Brian was comfortable with (the amount of bergie bites floating around us were increasing), he lowered his dinghy and he and his bride drove out looking for a small enough hunk of ice to bring aboard the dinghy.  You can see their dinghy in this photo and see just how large the iceberg was that was in our vicinity.  Jerry and I stayed onboard Elusive to keep her out of harm's way.

Enjoying a little whiskey over 1,000 year old glacial ice.

With both back on board, we toasted to a memory we soon would not forget, with Scotch Whiskey over glacial ice.  Not a bad way to end our day up Tracy Arm.

Patti finding out what an Oosik bone is.

Two days later, we pulled into Juneau and shortly thereafter, said good-bye to our new good friends, as they started their journey south.  We will see them again on their island in September!  Thank you, Brian and Patti, for your friendship!

Friends meeting.  Nick & Mary, our Juneau friends,
hosting the cruisers on a warm Juneau night.

Juneau is home to friends, Nick and Mary, and they've been awesome hosts.  A loaner car was at our disposal for trips to grocery stores, laundry days, and trips out to Home Depot for supplies.










We'll be in Juneau for about 5 more days, while we change oil in the engine and wait for Canadian charts to arrive for our new navigation system.  In the meantime, when weather permits, Jerry acts as tour guide and shows me the area he lived in for 3+ years.

Here we are in a rare photo with both of us!  At the Mendenhall Glacier north of Juneau.