Cruise to Alaska - Juneau

written on May 27, 1996

This font refers to what was written in 1996        and this font is my own commentary in the present.

May 22           Wednesday

            [The] Casinos are closed while [the ship] in [is] Alaskan waters - I suppose that's another reason why there were so many people on the outside during the glacier bay excursion.  I don't know what they did for the next few days and up until Thursday night when the casinos opened again - not that I cared.  I don't even think I knew where the slot machines or the dome were located . . . I'm not a gambler. 

            When we were asked to make a decision about which tours to take, I said I didn't much care about what we did in Juneau.  There was a wildlife tour offered and also a nature walk that I had checked as possibilities.  Mom said that she had wanted to go river rafting which really surprised me.  [And so] that is what we did. 

            A bus took us out to Mendenhall Lake.  Our driver pointed out some landmarks to us as we went.  Of course, the only one I can remember at this particular time was the three schools.  Elementary, Jr. high and high school - all next to each other which I thought was interesting.  I guess that's why I remember it.

            There were six of us assigned to the boat.  The other three were from a different cruise line.  Our guide's name was Liz.  I took several pictures of the lake and several more of the river [sharing these few as I did not scan them all]  We were given boots, ponchos, and life jackets.  It was the only day of not being on the ship that I wore my coat - we were blessed with really nice weather.

            It was overcast.  Even rained a little bit.  Nothing major though.  The glacier looked blue.  And our guide said that the glacier made the river look green.  We rowed passed a connecting river called Montana.  I am hoping the color difference will show up on my film

[it does not capture the green that we saw in person]

            It was pretty.  There were some sad areas - like the wastage (cars) that had been dumped alongside the bank.  I didn't get a picture because I had only my one camera and was told to leave the other on the bus (which was just as well - the battery had died during the night; only I hadn't discovered it until much later)

 [I honestly don't even remember bringing two cameras or ever having owned multiples]

            [I] didn't get too many pictures of mom and grandma, (as I was located on one end and they were on the other and two other passengers between us) nor did I have the opportunity to even look at grandmas' expressions.  Mom said she was thrilled.  The water was quite tame, but mom said it was the same kind of thrill as teens on a wild raft.

            We got stuck on the rocks at one point - all rafts did.  Or most anyway.  I think there was one which actually made it through without help. 

            We returned to the boat.  Mom and I ate at the buffet while grandma rested, washed up and either went to lunch or tea.  Mom and I walked from the boat into town to buy more souvenirs (and of course postcards)

            I think it was in Juneau where I bought my ornaments actually.  I charged what I could.  I had decided I hadn't really needed to get traveler's checks [after all]

            Oh, I must mention that during the glacier bit, there had been an Italian dinner and we had our pictures taken with a pirate.  Neither that one nor our embarkment pictures turned out - or at least not that we saw.  And we did look for them every day.

            Mom did find my glacier picture and I [purchased] that along with two pictures of our disembarkment in Skagway.  When we disembarked we were greeted by a mascot moose and bears and had our pictures taken with each.  So I [purchased] three pictures I guess it was the same day we had gone to Juneau

            And the dress was semi-formal.  And we had our pictures taken again.  This time a prop display - bar and float tire of the regal princess and a backdrop of water and the moon

            The cuisine was French.  Mom and I both tried snails.  My main course that night was trout, I think.  Ocean trout certainly tastes different than the river trout of Utah.  Probably my most bland meal other than the eggs.  

            Mom and I had gone to a movie trivia challenge and so did not get to the theatre until first after the magician's act had started.  I think she probably enjoyed the trivia things and hadn't missed out on a whole lot.  It was okay.  I liked the princess dancers best - although the juggling act was quite impressive.  And we had front row seats for that one, but in a way it seemed we were too close.