Rougher seas tonight

The captain has told us we have to head out to open seas to empty the gray water tanks. Such a huge difference between this and the inner passage.
Day 4 - Arrived in Skagway

No rain this morning, and very mild. I signed up for an organized excursion, which of course starts really late, we don't meet up until 9am.
Day 4 - Waiting in the rain

Waiting in the rain.
Waiting for a train.
There can be no gain,
Without a little pain.
This is my transport today, finishing out the full set of Trains, Planes and Automobiles (and ShipsLue lisää
Day 4 - Climbing to White Pass

Not ideal for photography, the carriages were overheated, the windows didn't open, so they were steamed up for most of the trip. One or two folks could go out at a time to a little platform at the endLue lisää
Day 4 - Out and About in Skagway

A pleasant little town of about 2000 souls. So the population of the town more than doubles with each cruise ship that arrives.
The town is deeply connected to the Klondike Guild Rush.
Radioshack is dead. Long live Radioshack

Really cool to see Radioshack is still a thing here in Alaska. From where I live, it's easy think that Radioshack ceased to exist. It does still have locations nationwide, but a tiny, tiny echo of theLue lisää
Day 4 - The Red Onion Saloon

The town's most famous bordello. Customers chose their companion by picking from one of the 10 dolls placed at the bar, each representing one of the working ladies upstairs. When a doll was chosen, itLue lisää
Day 4 - Today's winner

Day 5 - Arriving in Juneau

No excursions planned today. I'm just going to wander and explore.
Day 5 - Quite the Unkindness

Really large population of ravens here in Southeastern Alaska. I came across this unkindness outside the State Capitol.
Day 5 - The Empty Chair

In 1942 the seniors at Juneau High School left an empty chair for their valedictorian, John Tanaka, at their graduation ceremony. John and his family, like all Japanese-Americans, had been removed andLue lisää
Day 5 - Russian roots are still here

Juneau has a Russian Orthodox community still present. These folks' ancestors would have settled before the USA purchased Alaska from Russia, when Russia was still governed by a Tsar.
Day 5 - Out and about in Juneau

Day 5 - Tahku

An imposing bronze sculpture of a lifesize humpback whale.
I did my best to get it to appear as intended. I walked out there for high tide and hid our ship behind it (it's still massive from aLue lisää
Day 5 - A 'Russian' lunch

Some Pelmeni dumplings. Lena tells me they're American-Russian and she would know. About as Russian, as an Irish pub here is Irish.
Delicious all the same.
I promised, that I'd share some foodLue lisää
Day 5 - Native art from the Tlingit

A slightly more authentic shop
Day 5 - I can't decide on the winner!

Bald eagle feeding

I'll add pictures when I get them off my DLSR. Here's a phone shot and a couple of videos for now.
Day 6 - Arrived at Hoonah

We've docked on the port side. It's still dark and a bit foggy, so not much to see yet. This area has the highest concentration of Coastal Brown bears in the world, so needless to say my objectivesLue lisää
Day 6 - An eagle silhouette

A nice welcome ashore.
I'm first off the boat again, which does not bode well for the whale boat to leave on time.
Day 6 - The Coastal Brown Bear

A coastal brown bear fishing in Spasski Creek. This one was actually recognized by our local guides because of a scar on his butt from a fight he had a couple of years ago.
His name is... Scarbutt.Lue lisää
Day 6 - The Island-Hopping Deer

Our boat's captain (whale-watching boat) told us that he had never personally witnessed this, but knew that deer visit the islands by swimming over.
So we were insanely lucky to find a doe and herLue lisää
Day 6 - The Humpback Whale

I've got shots on my real camera, but for now just a quick video and a couple of distant shots of the whale's fluke.
Day 6 - And our winner today

Day 6 - We're leaving

Today was sadly a short day. We left around 15:00, and had to be back in board by 14:30. This was my favorite stop, so I'm exasperated it was much shorter than the others.
I also missed out on tryingLue lisää