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Juneau, Mendenhall and Douglas Island Since we didn’t want to raft with a cruise ship, we passed Juneau and made for Auke Bay. Fuel was our first goal. We had not used the $5 a gallon gas we bought from a fishing boat in Hobart. Our Jerry Jugs were full but tanks near empty. We had made 176.6 miles on the 55 gallons on board when we left Petersburg. We had to wait at the fuel dock while Coast Guard boats, tasked with protecting Juneau bound cruise ships from terrorists, filled their tanks. After settling into our slip, we saw Shawn and David on their way to catch a bus into Juneau. We spent the rest of the day drying out the V-Berth, fixing a leak in the hatch over the berth and putting things in their proper place. We talked to our children and I answered e-mails. The day ended with delicious grilled halibut sandwiches and French fries, at the Big Bite, just up the ramp from our slip. We rented a car and drove out to the Mendenhall Glacier. Before getting to our parking place, we were stopped by a crowd watching a one year old cinnamon black bear dozing on a tree limb. We could only see bits and pieces through the leaves. We walked, looked and took photos in a cool light rain. Next stop was downtown Juneau. After about 15 minutes of crowds, we got back into the car and crossed the bridge to Douglas Island. As we drove down the island, we stopped to photograph the Mendenhall Glacier from across Fritz Bay. As the sun settled behind the mountains clad in snow, glaciers and forest, striking vistas competed for our attention with wild flowers and ferns at our feet. |