Prospector Hotel Juneau

I left Fairbanks on Thursday by train for Denali National Park. Denali is the native name (it means Mighty One) for Mt McKinley, the tallest mountain in the USA (6194 metres). The train ride was great. They let you stand at the end of the carriage where they have stable-like doors (the lower half of the door is closed but they leave the top open). This means being able to take photos without glass - yay! Also, in the dome on the dome cars there is an ...

... of the logistics and transportation issues of the last few days worked flawlessly. And, it is still drizzling in Skagway. It felt good to get back to our motorhome for a light dinner.<br><br>It is with some sadness that we write today's blog. We have had such a great time and countless adventures in the Yukon and Alaska. Tomorrow, we leave Alaska for the 1700 mile drive to Seattle via the Cassiar and Yellowhead Highway through British Columbia.

... It was a fun experience.<br><br>Tomorrow back on the ferry to Skagway. It's our last full day in Alaska tomorrow, then we'll be back on Canadian land for the remainder of the trip once we enter Whitehorse sometime on Sunday. <br><br>Hope everyone is doing well, our first full week is now over, so far so good! <br><br>Distance Travelled Today: Just around town<br>Travelled By: 1993 Chrysler Intrepid (rented from rent-a-wreck)

... we've heard.<br><br>We had invitations to the Captains Circle cocktail party and seeing that it is the only source of free alcohol on the ship we went. The Captain is Italian, and doesn't really like the social events, so his speech wasn't much to have to sit though. Margy did win one of the three bottles of champaign. The only issue is we can't take the champaign off the ship, so somehow we'll have to finish it off over the next 24 hours, wish us luck.<br><br><br>

... delicious, and of course, we visited the gift shop afterwards. A few more shops and we were ready to come back to the ship. It's a long port day today, back on board by 8:30 PM for a 9:00 PM departure. <br><br>We came back at 5, took a nap until 6 and then went back out for some final shopping, and also to acquire some snacks for ...

Ships log; 7.45am Picked up our first Alaskan pilot 12.00nn Partly cloudy skies, light breeze; 10 degrees C 1.45pm Safely docked in Juneau 10.05pm Unmoored 10.35pm Commenced voyage to Skagway Berthed at Juneau, the capital of Alaska, at 1.45pm and we make our way off the ship to join our Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier excursion. We get taken by bus to the airport where we ...

... the parentals, went back to finish up the laundry before we boarded the ferry to Bellingham, WA. Once that was done and clothes were put up, we went to the Red Onion Saloon for lunch and did a tour of the "Bravel" above the saloon where the girls lived. Anyway kind of interesting some of the stories behind the building. We finished off exploring town and our now sitting in the van in line at the ferry terminal watching our ferry come into dock. We will board the ferry at 4 ...

... big guy went through the halls and made his point clear. Any more of that trouble and people would be kicked out. That really helped, the second night was actually much smoother besides our drug addicted neighbour, but we took it easier that night. It was still exhausting and Jason, the most patient person I've ever met, lost most of it when we tried to change our flights over the hotline and was put on hold for a total of about 1,5 h! Me on the other hand had a ...

... up the straits, as in the picture here. Juneau's best boast is the nearby Mendenhall Glacier, which we took the opportunity to visit. A $14 shuttle ride took us over and back. We took a long hike and had the excitement of coming face to face with a brown bear in our path! I was pretty terrified and backed away slowly; the bear ...

... saw some most marvelous sights. Broken ice floating on the water, with clouds floating close to the ground and ice reaching out, these things combined to make it appear to be an alien landscape. Because I was unable to take time to visit the visitor's center (3.00), I can not tell you if that flowing water on the right is Mendenahll River but that is what I think it ...