Alaska Trip Day 7: Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching in Juneau

 Day 7 Juneau:   

Whale Watching

 

 Juneau was great, one of my favorite ports! it seemed very big after Icy Straight Point. The excursion we had scheduled did not leave until 11:00 so we shopped around and I got my pressed pennies at a few penny machines. When the time came to go on the tour, we caught a bus to Mendenhall Glacier.  This excursion was scheduled through our cruise and we really enjoyed it. In our research before the cruise many people pointed out that Mendenhall Glacier was a "must see" and we agree.  Our bus driver should have been a stand up comedian.

He was very personable and had us laughing the entire trip to Mendenhall and back. We had a short visit at Mendenhall (about 45 min.). It was enough time to take a short walk to the glacier, get some pictures, and take a quick trip to the visitor's center. We then took the bus to the pier where we began our whale watching excursion. The company offers a money back guarantee. If you do not see a whale they will give you your money back.
They told us that they have only had to refund money once in the last 6 years.
The whales were particularly active on our tour. We saw them surface feeding which even amazed the tour guides.
They said that it was very rare to see the whales surface feeding.
We also saw stellar sea lions and some bald eagles catching fish.
 I was able to get some good pictures and was thrilled to see some more whales and wildlife.
After the cruise we went back to town. It was a beautiful day in Juneau.
It was 71 degrees in late May which amazed everyone.
The store owners had fans running as most shops do not have air conditioning. They rarely would need it!
We went back to the ship for a snack and then toured the town some more including a stop for a picture and some souvenirs at the Red Dog Saloon.
Then back to the ship for a relaxing evening and a chance to look at our pictures from the day's events.