Alaskan cruise part 2: Juneau

Thanks for all of the broken ankle sympathy. Orthopedics appointment is tomorrow, but I'm getting more used to the boot and the pain is virtually gone unless I walk too much.

I've decided to talk about Juneau next and leave Glacier Bay (the best part) for the third post. The drawback of an Alaskan cruise at the end of the season means you are likely to hit rough water. Our original itinerary had us going out in the open ocean to head up to Sitka for Day 2. Unfortunately, the evening/night of day 1 saw 30 foot swells! The captain wisely decided to switch course at 2am and go up the inside passage. I was grateful for a smoother ride, but that meant no Sitka, an entirely changed itinerary, and 3 days at sea before our first stop. We were certainly happy to see Juneau when we got there!

As if on cue when we got off the boat, this eagle swooped down and landed right in front of us.


We didn't have any tours planned (they were crazy expensive), so we wandered around for a bit in the tacky shops and along the water.



It turns out that not paying for the expensive cruise arranged tour is a really smart idea. We found a local tour that was usually $50 (compared to the $120 the boat wanted), but they only charged us $30 each since we were the last group of the year. It was a 2-3 hour van tour, and we learned a ton about Juneau and saw some beautiful sites.
This church (the Shrine of St. Therese), hidden on a former island in the trees.

It was raining like crazy and super cold, but it was a very peaceful spot. They also had a prayer labyrinth.

I think this photo speaks for itself (and how irreverent we are!)


Next up was a stop at a lake fed by Mendenhall glacier (in the back left of the photos). It was just gorgeous.

Love this family photo :)

My dad picking up a large chunk of glacier ice:



It was a bummer that it was so cold and rainy, but the stop was nice and learning about Juneau was really interesting. Our guide was funny and entertaining, and it was a well-spent $30. It was a beautiful place, although I'm not sure I'd like living in a town that is only accessible by boat or plane.