Prequel: Happy Fourth of July, my fellow Americans! As I said on Facebook, our country is hurt and wounded, but it is beautiful and I love it. We need to make sure it’s a safe place for all of our citizens, regardless of creed, color, sex, orientation, or other divisions our society deem okay to separate its citizenry by. Stand up! Take voice and denounce those who would decry democracy for all! Now, after a nice relaxing day, I am sitting here with a tea, some music, and a hankering to discuss further my trip with you.
Regatta, morning: In Juneau! Finally! We had been waiting for this day for some time, because it was the day of our whale cruise. DH had even called our trip “Whale Boat” on his Google calendar, which just gives you some glimpse into how excited we were to see whales. We had breakfast, disembarked, and headed into town.
Juneau, morning: It was a rather stunted morning, as everything we tried to go to was closed. There were several shops along the way, but we weren’t really into going shopping. We tried to go to two different museums/art centers, and both were closed! So instead, as we were tired of walking aimlessly in the humid cold, we stopped in at a lovely coffeehouse, had a drink and used the free wifi, and just settled. We left the coffeehouse, noticed a bookstore on the corner, and wandered over there. We can never resist a bookstore! There, we purchased a children’s book for our nephew, and a book of folktales for the folklorist who was kind enough to housesit for us. We exited, but DH mentioned we should ask the clerk if there were any good lunch places nearby. He said yes, and recommended V’s Cellar Door.
Juneau, lunchtime: V’s did not disappoint! Their food was spectacular, and we were so happy to find something off the beaten path. I ate tacos, and DH got a burrito. Pleasantly full, we headed back to the pier to catch our bus to head to the whale boat.
Whale boat, afternoon: Gentle Reader, we saw whales! They were rather shy, as it was raining, but they were beautiful. We had at least one fluke and one flipper wave. What was most fun were the sea lions on the buoy, fighting over the best space to sun themselves. We got no pictures of the whales, as we were inside the boat, due to the rain, but managed a few of the sea lions. Then, we headed back to shore and boarded the bus to go to Mendenhall Glacier.
Mendenhall Glacier, late afternoon: What intense beauty. What gorgeousness. What awe-inspiring views spread before us. It was like the time I went to the Grand Canyon. Something so natural, so beautiful, spread before you that you can’t help but be slack-jawed at its sublimity. I touched Glacier water, Friends. And it was cold.
Regatta, night: Back at the ship, we had dinner and went back to the room to sleep. Juneau was everything we had hoped it would be.
The Postmodern Bluestocking 