May 29, 2013 Wednesday

Docked in Juneau from 6:30 am - 3:30 pm. 

High 17c partly cloudy. 

We had to get up at 6:30 to catch the bus to the 'Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest'. 

   Alaska's majestic national bird is the Bald Eagle. They are everywhere in Juneau!  
 In fact estimates say there are anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 Bald Eagles here. 
There are only 32,000 people in Juneau!

Humpback whale

Weight:	25-40 tons (50,000-80,000 lbs; 22,000-36,000 kg); newborns weigh about 1 ton (2,000 lbs; 900 kg)
Length:	up to 60 feet (18 m), with females larger than males; newborns are about 15 ft (4.5 m) long
Appearance:	primarily dark grey, with some areas of white
Lifespan:	about 50 years
Diet:	tiny crustaceans (mostly krill), plankton, and small fish; they can consume up to 3,000 pounds (1360 kg) of food per day

Weight:

25-40 tons (50,000-80,000 lbs; 22,000-36,000 kg);
newborns weigh about 1 ton (2,000 lbs; 900 kg)

Length:

up to 60 feet (18 m), with females larger than males;
newborns are about 15 ft (4.5 m) long

Appearance: 

primarily dark grey, with some areas of white

Lifespan:

about 50 years

Diet:

tiny crustaceans (mostly krill), plankton, and small fish; they can consume up to 3,000 pounds (1360 kg) of food per day

Whale Fluke.
Humpback whales are the favorite of whale watchers, as they frequently perform aerial displays, such as breaching (jumping out of the water), or slapping the surface with their pectoral fins, tails, or heads.

   

One whale gave us a great aerial display. Marcel got it on video.  Several people in our group did get a great shot and said they would forward it to me.  This is one. Thank you Pam. 

The next three were sent to us from Greg.  Great shots from beginning to end.  Thanks Greg. 

The boat we were on. 

Bald eagle above the mountain. 

Juneau is the 2nd largest city in the US by area.  8,430 km²  with a pop. of 32,000.

Group of Sea Lions

Sea Lions basking in the sun. 

Chilkat Mountain Range in back.

Bald Eagle

Juneau is part of a huge rain forest.  It has 300 days of rain or snow.
 But we got one of the sunny days. Hooray. 

White golf ball in the center is an eagle.  Difficult to spot. 

Route we took.

After the whale watching quest, we left our warm clothing on board and walked to town.

Think the temperature was a bit higher than 17c.  
Walked for 1 1/2 hours, but it definitely was very warm.

Yes, Teresa, I know what they are now.  These are beauties. 

Spring has sprung in Juneau.

By the time the ship left Juneau, it was cloudy and chilly.  

Another show in the Princess Theatre:  'I Got The Music'.  Great variety.

Explorer's Lounge:  'Marriage Match Game Show'  Hilarious.