Shopping

After that we did a bit of shopping before walking back to the ship. That night after dinner we watched a musical comedian in one of the lounges, then a song and dance program in the theatre and finally a rather unusual country and “western” duo in a different lounge.

NEA Alaska

We passed by the office of Alaska’s teachers’ union.

Alaska's State Seal

This state seal was on the outside of the building.

New Office Building

Our tour guide told us about the view from the eighth floor of the State Office Building, so we had to check it out.

Skunk Cabbage

We visited a small rain forest area where many of the plants were labeled. Black bears eat a particular fungus off the tree to bind themselves up for hibernation. When they wake in the spring, they eat skunk cabbage, which acts as a laxative.

Waterfalls

There were waterfalls next to the glacier.

Iceberg

There was a fairly sizable iceberg in the lake.

Mendenhall Glacier

Our next stop was Mendenhall Glacier which flows into a fresh water lake.

At the Museum in Juneau

It’s Tuesday, August 27, 2013. We’ve docked in Juneau. Here’s at the museum they have reconstructed an eagle’s nest. Eagle’s return to the same nest each year until they decided it is too dirty. The male builds the next under the female’s supervision until she is satisfied. It can be several thousand pounds.

Whale Watching

This early evening (Monday) we went out whale watching. We saw two humpback whales, one breaching, but we were too slow to catch a photograph. We also saw porpoises.

Owl

It has actually several days since I saw this owl and I cannot remember what kind it is.

Bald Eagle

These animals were injured and can no longer survive in the wild.

Reindeer

Near the end of our Noah took us to a wildlife sanctuary. The reindeer were very friendly creatures.

Moss

The moss on the lower branches actually benefits the tree by eventually breaking off dead branches to save the tree energy.

Teaching Tree

This tree was used by a mother black bear to teacher her cub to climb trees. She would leave him at the base of the tree and go off a distance and then come running at him making horrible noises to scare him up the tree. She repeats this until the cub gets it right.

Bear Scat

Can you tell what the bear that left this has been eating?

Black Bear

Look carefully lower center. Here’s a black bear looking for a salmon snack. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you may be able to see the salmon.

Banana Slugs

The banana slugs we saw here are all yellow.

Old Man's Beard

If I remember correctly, this lichen is called Old Man’s Beard, and it only grows if the air is at least 90% clean. Pollution kills it.

Devil's Club

Noah warned us about Devil’s Club, a plant with very large leaves and tiny nettles that break up into smaller nettles when you try to get them out of your skin. The inner bark, however, is apparently medicinal. Noah told us where we could buy some Devil’s Club tea and Donna and Dan bought some.

Noah, Our Guide

Our guide’s name was Noah. He had spent his childhood exploring the local rain forest, becoming so knowledgeable that we thought he had studies the rain forest in college. Instead, his degree was in computer science.

Temperate Rain Forest

Our tour today involved walking through a temperate rain forest.

Feeling Safe

While waiting for our bus, we observed this young citizen (maybe all of 10) doing his best to protect the streets of Ketchikan from invading tourists.

On Shore

Not too long after an early breakfast we headed to shore to catch our “excursion” into the temperate rain forest.

Monday in Ketchikan

When we awoke this morning we were docked in Ketchikan.

Formal Night

Tonight was the first of two formal nights. Pat and Phil, Dan and I had roast leg of lamb this evening in the Santa Fe Dining Room. After dinner we all went to see a song and dance show.

Sunrise Sunday Morning

It was hard to choose from the 12 shots of the sunrise I took this morning. Not long after this beautiful sight, the skies turned gray and the see choppy. After breakfast it rained a bit and the sky remained overcast for the rest of the day. We attended several sessions offered by the cruise staff as we made our way to our first port, which will be Ketchikan tomorrow morning.

Sunset over the Georgia Strait

After a delicious meal in the Pacific Moon Restaurant, I caught this shot of the sunset before we went off to attend an introductory entertainment show.

Lion's Gate Bridge

As we were leaving port, we passed under the Lion’s Gate Bridge, the same bridge we took to get to the Capilano Suspension Bridge yesterday.

A Pile of Sulphur

We disembarked at about 4:30, passing what appeared to be a huge pile of sulfur.

Canada Place

The ship was docked at Canada Place. This shot is taken from the ship.

On Our Balcony

Nancy took a shot of me on our balcony. We’re on the starboard side of the ship, on the 12th deck.

Boarding the Sapphire Princess

This time after our breakfast at the Two Parrots, we had to say goodbye to our favorite waitress who has taken such good care of us each morning. Before long we were standing in the first of several lines on our way to boarding the cruise ship. Thanks to the advice from our travel agent at AAA, we were able to board before noon. It gave us plenty of time to explore.

rooftop

Becoming habitual by now, we returned to Two Parrots, this time for dinner. Afterwards, we went to the roof of the hotel where the exercise area was. This shot is of Granville. We played table tennis—or should I say we played AT table tennis?

Cliff Walk

How Could I Resist?

She Makes It Back

Donna was not a suspension bridge enthusiast, but she did it anyways!

Banana Slugs

These charmers were almost 6 inches long.

Looking Up

Another Canopy

"Treetops Adventure"

There were also smaller suspension bridges from one huge douglas fir to another.

Tree Sprites

The Bridge

The suspension bridge spans the Capilano River, 230 feet high, 450 feet long.

At Capilano

There were totems all about the entry area of Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. The park was far more commercial than we had expected but it was still very interesting.

Morning Walk

Because we could not get a shuttle to the shuttle to the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver until 11:30, I went exploring along English Bay. A park spanned the rim all the way to Stanley Park.

Breakfast

We were back at the Two Parrots for breakfast.