Friday, September 8, 2006

Juneau

By far the coldest, rainiest spot on our vacation was Juneau.  It rains 300 days a year there.  I can't imagine dealing with that much gloom especially in a place where there is practically no escape.  There are roads that lead 60 miles in one direction and 40 in another but those roads basically go no where.  The only way to get in or out of Juneau is by boat or airplane. 

It was a day of the guys going their ways and Dianne and I going on an excursion together.  Mickey took a float plane to a fly fishing adventure where he caught and released at least 20 fish and a seagull. LOL.  He had a great day.  Dennis and four other brave souls went on a hike in the rain escorted by a very good guide who knew the area very well.  Dianne and I went to Mendenall Glacier and then to the beautiful Glacier Gardens.  We viewed the glacier and the visitor's center and then bussed to the gardens.  Luckily, they have covered golf carts that took us through the grounds so we didn't get totally drenched.  It was so lush and beautiful.  I wish I could have taken more pictures of the grounds but I didn't want to risk getting my camera damaged by the rain.  I did get some nice shots in their gazebo area.  They have huge pots of hanging flowers and a very large double heart of red blooms and lush greens where weddings are performed.  Again, the day was scheduled so there was no time to explore the town by the time the excursions were over but the weather was so cold and rainy that we didn't really want to be outside in it anyway.  We were pleased to be back in our warm quarters where we could get into nice, clean, dry clothes and prepare for another evening of fine dining and entertainment.

From here to our last port, Ketchikan.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

We watched the short film at the Mendenhall glacier Visitor's Center. The lady that narrated told us  that she grew up in Juneau and when she was a young girl they used to picnic up in that area during the summer.  This was in the mid 1950's...she said at that time there was NO waterfall.  The glacier has melted that much.  It rained, lightly , just  briefly the day we were there. So we had a great day in Juneau without getting drenched.  Linda in WA

Anonymous said...

The photos are wonderful, especially #6! I love waterfalls! Great account of your vacation, think I missed some entries when alerts were down. Just going back to see what I missed! The flowers are so prett too! Jeannette xx  

Anonymous said...

My goodness, Kathy, I couldn't stand rain THAT many days in a row!  Gracious!  How depressing would that be??  And to think people live there and tolerate that.  I like a good rain storm now and then, because you know, we don't get them much here in Cali.  They are a blessing when they happen.

Loved the pictures!  Looking forward to your next entry!

Hugs
Jackie