Juneau, Alaska

We arrived in Juneau Sunday night and went straight to bed. The next morning we got up and broke camp. We drove over to Bob and Val's house. Bob and Terry were in cancer treatment together in Houston 2 1/2 years ago and we wanted to visit with him since we were here.

So we met up with them at their house which was literally across the street from the campground and they told us what not to miss on our day out in the city. We didn't plan to do the downtown the first day, but wanted to see some other sites first. . . like the Mendenhall Glacier. We went there first. It was only about 1 1/2 miles from their house and we had ample parking for MinnieMee. The glacier is very large with a waterfall to the side. The lake, known as Mendenhall Lake, has icebergs in it and is extremely cold. Brrrrrr. We hiked out to a photo point for closer pictures, but we didn't hike to the falls. A bit too far.

On the way back to the motorhome, we found a face staring at us from the ditch. A huge porcupine. Terry had been wanted to see one, but I didn't think we would get the chance. He was very pretty and I got one picture of his face before he hid in the culvert. After that, all I could see were his back and tail. LOL

We drove on toward town and stopped at the fish hatchery. We crossed Salmon Creek and could see the salmon running, so found the RV lot and parked. Walking up to the building, we passed by the fish wier, or ladder. Similar to Valdez, they collect thousands of fish into the fish ladder where they are routed up into holding tanks. Once the fish have produced eggs, they herd them into a tank and zap them with electricity to stun them. They they harvest the eggs and fertilize them by squeezing the sperm from the male fish. Then the fish are sent overseas where it is determined if they are fit for "human use." But they primarily are used in the production of pet food. I didn't quite get this at all. I inquired where they got the salmon they sold in their gift store and they told me. . . "from out there" and motioned to the harbor. LOL I'm thinking. . . hmmmm. At Valdez, the fish are processed and sold in their retail outlet. I'm a little bit mystified by the procreating of "pet food fish." Why don't they fertilize and produce salmon fit to eat? Something tells me they do. Sounds like a coverup. LOL

We drove downtown Juneau in MinnieMee and decided (as we were told) there was no place to park, but we got a feel for the place just the same. We checked out the creek on the way back and watched salmon going up the creek. These were ones which managed to avoid the fish ladder.

Later, Val and Bob came by and took us out sightseeing. Since it is light way late, it offers a good bit of time in the evening to see stuff. We went and visited the Chapel by the Lake and the Shrine of St. Therese. Both very impressive. We took pictures from several coves and Eagle Beach which has. . . EAGLES! There were both adults and juveniles. We continued to drive out till the road ends. Near the end we found a guy taking pictures. We stopped and he showed us an eagle nest. One of the adults was there and there were two babies in the nest. They were pretty good size and appeared to be plucking out their downy fluff as their feathers were coming in.

It was a great evening with great friends. We got back to the rig close to 11 p.m. but we had seen a lot!






Till next time. . .

Dale

Around Valdez

Today we slept in which really felt good because for the first time since we started this trip, I had trouble getting to sleep. I had decided to do without my nighttime mask and that was a mistake. So I donned it again and was able to get to sleep. I usually wake up without it, but it serves its purpose well.

We start today by going out and having dinner at a Greek restaurant with Tab and Deanna. We were hoping we would get steak, but at $32, we opted for the house special, fish and chips. It was good, but we had a late breaksfast and then I made two pans of lasagne and wasn't very hungry. So I brought over half my lunch home and we will eat it some evening when I don't want to cook.

After lunch we headed out to the "other" side of the harbor to the fish hatchery. We had heard that a momma bear fishes in the river there with her FOUR cubs. She had four cubs last year as well, so we were hoping for a glimpse, but we didn't get one. The fish ladders were open, but we didn't see any fish either, which is probably why we didn't see the bear. We did see bear track that were in the concrete. Apparently the bear did not see the "wet cement" sign. LOL

We did see some seals and sea otters in the harbor and we saw one seal we thought was in trouble. It had its head out of the water for at least a half hour but never moved other than to pivot. We could see what looked like vapor spray and at one time it opened its mouth. So we were sure it was alive. We worried that it was tangled up in something. So we made some inquiries and ended up at the animal shelter where we reported our concern to a lovely gal. She was on the phone before we left seeing if someone in fish and game could have a looksie. So hopefully, if it was in distress, it was helped. That was all we could do.

We then came back into town and went to the Old Town Valdez site. This is where the town was located before the 1964 earthquake that devastated many areas of Alaska. It was a farreaching event, causing catastrophic damage in Anchorage, Seward, Homer, Seldovia, and Valdez as well as other towns. Those are the ones we have visited, however, which talk about the damage and lives lost. In Valdez, it started by the earthquake pushing up to the surface and causing ocean water to mix with the sandy soil on which the town was built. It caused "liquification" of the ground, meaning the earth mixed with so much water, it ran like rivers. The land ran into the sea and took everything that was attached to it with it. There was a ship at the dock at the time and it took a wild ride up, then down, then over on its side. When the tsunami swept it, it was able to right itself and moved out under its own power. Since the actual town site was now lower than it had been, the buildings would flood when the tide came in. So it was decided that the town had been built on soil that could not and would never be able to sustain another such event, so the town was rebuilt four miles to the west on land that barely rocked when the quake hit. The town fathers mapped out a town and many new buildings were built, although some that survived were moved to the new town site. It is an interesting story and the town has museums on its history.

Tomorrow there are fourth of July events happening here in town and we may decide to take some in. The problem is that it is cold and wet here and not the kind of weather I would like for standing out watching a parade. So we shall see.

Till next time. . .

Dale