Traveling The Inside Passage

As I am writing this, I am sitting here on the veranda outside our stateroom watching a seal six stories below, watching me. From this distance all I see is a sleek black head that looks perfectly round and smooth, but as it swivels in the water I can see the shape of his nose.

When I use the binoculars I realize he is a harbor seal, brown with spots, not black at all. And he is just as cute as can be as he checks out this enormous building that has just invaded his world. I'm no fool though. I know although he may be curious, he is probably much more savvy, than puzzled. However, Alaska has just opened up for the cruise season and this is the first cruise of the season, so if he's very young, perhaps he really doesn't understand the three ships in the harbor.

We have had amazing weather. The last few days we have had bright sunshine and cloudless blue skies. (Of course, the picture of me proves that sunny does not equal warm! When the wind blows off the glacial waters it is cold. The temperatures are in the 50's, but add a cold breeze and extra layers feel good.) The cities along the inside passage experience far more rain and clouds than they do sun, so this weather is truly exceptional. In fact, Ketchikan gets 30 feet of rain each year! Most of the stops on the Inside Passage are accessible only by boat or plane. Ketchikan is an island, and while Juneau is attached to the mainland, there are no roads leading into it. (It is the only State Capital in the US that is not accessible by car.) Skagway is our only stop that has one road in and it is over rugged mountain terrain.

Ketchikan is known as Alaska's First City because it is the southern most port along the panhandle of Alaska. It is famous for its Salmon fishing and is mainly a seafood port.

Our day in Ketchikan was relatively short but we took the DUCK tour; a land and sea tour on an amphibious vehicle that drives through the streets and then right into the water, while tour guides share stories, facts, and tidbits about local history. There are several DUCK tours in cities around the U.S. and they are generally lots of fun, but be prepared for a lot of corny jokes!

We had a good view of the town from our room, including this tunnel. This road has one lane that goes through the hillside, and the other lane comes around the edge of the hill. Houses were built there first and then the tunnel was dug through it later. In fact, I believe it may be listed in the Book of Guinness Records as the only hillside that you can walk over (note the steps up the hillside to the houses), drive through, drive around, and live on.

The hillsides come right down to the edge of the water so as the town grew, it was built over the water on stilts....houses, roads, shops, and the concrete shipping docks! Originally this tunnel was one way at a time, until they built the road around the edge of the hillside.

Our second stop, Juneau, is the capitol of Alaska, in spite of the fact it is a landlocked city that is hard to reach and pretty far away from the main area of Alaska. The original capitol was Sitka located on several islands off the Alaskan panhandle, but that changed in 1906 when Juneau was named the capitol.  Sitka had been known for its supply of otter skins, a warm and waterproof fur that was popular in the 1800's. By the turn of the century the fur trade was waning, and Juneau was on the rise. In 1906 Juneau was the leading city economically as well as by population. There are periodic pushes to move the capitol but many Alaskans prefer it to be there, possibly to stop any territorial preferences between the two other main cities; Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Dockside at Juneau

Mountain View and Snow Melt Waterfall

Artwork on Side of Building

 I was disappointed, however, that although we were driven through town on our way to a whale watching excursion, and the bus driver pointed out a few sights, we never actually saw where the Governor’s mansion was or the State House. Our bus driver was new on the job and was totally flustered when she had to use the wheel chair lift for a passenger, and she couldn't get it to work. She finally got everything going, but we were well on the way out of town before she regained any composure. I've come to realize that since this is the first cruise of the season we are meeting a lot of newbies here for seasonal work, and we are the guinea pigs when all those practice sessions become real events.

Patsy Ann, Harbor Dog

My favorite Juneau story was of Patsy Ann, the harbor dog. Patsy Ann came to Juneau with her owners, but she soon adopted the city as her home. She would hang out at the port and became friends with the longshoremen. This was in the days before radios so the residents never knew exactly when to expect a ship. Patsy Ann could tell when a ship was coming and a half an hour before it came into view she would be on the dock, ready to greet people. She even picked out the pier that the ship would dock at. The best part of the story?... Patsy Ann was deaf.

Patsy Ann may have adopted Juneau as her home, but the people adopted her as their dog. At one point a new city ordinance mandated that all dogs be licensed so the people pitched in and bought her a collar and license. She wore it for awhile, but one day it disappeared. After that, the dog catchers looked the other way and that dog collar became a thing of the past.

The Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest lived up to its reputation. The tour is guaranteed to spot whales or you get a $100.00 refund. In the last 18 years, they have refunded customers two times. Our tour did not disappoint and I got pretty good at spotting them! I spotted two before the captain did.

Whale surfacing Starboard

Whale Swimming Alongside

Waving It's Fluke Goodbye and It Heads Down Deep

I was hoping to see lots of whales on our excursion and we did, but the pressure was off because I had already seen a couple as our ship came into port! (Seeing whales was one of my MUST DO's on this trip.) As we came up the strait into Juneau at 6 AM, I was out on the balcony when I saw a 'blow'--water spewing into the air from a whale's blow hole.

Water Spout from Whale Right Before it Breaks Surface

While tracking that spout I heard an odd, screechy sound, like a rusty door hinge, right below me. A whale broke through the water, arched his back, sounded, and waved his fluke. It was awesome!

Seeing whales is one thing. Getting a good picture is quite another. I took several, but realized watching them was far more important than taking photos. I'll leave that to the wildlife photographers who have the time and the equipment to do them justice.

Mendenhall Glacier outside Juneau

Our tour was excellent. We had a wonderful view of the Mendenhall Glacier, while watching harbor seals, sea lions, and whales.

Seals Playing Around Boats in Bay

We've heard there are Dall Porpoise but we have not seen any yet, nor have we seen otter. The eagles haven't been showing themselves much, but we saw one majestic one in a pine tree near the edge of the road. He was poised perfectly so that we could see him in great detail. What a truly majestic bird they are! The American Bald Eagle is found only in North America. (That was a new fact for me.) No wonder they impressed the early settlers so much!

What an awesome day! (Sometimes highly overused words are still the best choice.) We've been to two stops on our cruise. Next stop on the Inside Passage: Skagway and Glacier Bay! I can't wait to get there! Tune in!......