Joni's Jottings

On  Saturday morning, we took one last Alaska boat ride, a 3.5 hour whale watching tour in the Icy Strait. The Icy Strait lies between the Alaska mainland and multiple islands of the Alexander Archipelago. It’s the primary channel for water flowing between the Pacific Ocean and the northern Inside Passage, with currents and tides … Read more

We spent Friday on an all day boat tour of Glacier Bay, arranged for us through the Glacier Bay Country Inn. Glacier Bay National Park extends across 3.3 million acres of varied ecosystems (mountains, glaciers, fjords, coastline and temperate rainforests) and is part of a four park, 25-million acre World Heritage Site, one of the … Read more

Thursday morning was all about packing up and cleaning house in preparation for our departure to Gustavus and Glacier Bay National Park that afternoon. We even found Juneau’s drop off recycling center, located conveniently near the airport. While we were packing, we practiced the mnemonic that every Alaskan kid learns to remember the five kinds … Read more

On our last full day in Juneau, we visited major landmarks and museums, did a quick auto tour of the residential area up top, and took a walk at a trailhead in the mountains above downtown. Our first stop was a visit  to Takhu, the  Whale Sculpture, on the northern end of Juneau’s waterfront. Takhu … Read more

We had nothing scheduled on Tuesday, and decided to have an slow day. Crystal & Gary wanted to hike, so Matt drove them to a trailhead on the north end of Douglas Island. (Alaska won’t let you add an extra driver to a rental car contract unless it’s a spouse, so Matt got stuck doing … Read more