The Best of Juneau, Alaska!

 

Juneau

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Juneau, the Capital of Alaska, has a lot to offer tourists. Do we go see the famous Mendenhall Glacier, or take a boat safari out to see the sea mammals, including humpback whales, or do we take a nature walk in the National Forest where bears roam free and sockeye salmon swim upstream to spawn?

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Thanks to Gastineau Guiding, we managed to do it all, and we did it with the guidance of an extremely knowledgable guide, Eric Oravsky, and boat captain, Jeff Worther, both of whom have as great a sense of humor and joie de vivre as they do skill and talent for their work.

 

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Did we have a good time and did we experience the animals up close and friendly? Yes and Yes! Captain Jeff, who works winters in Hawaii, knows a lot of the whales by name, and introduced us to “Zipper” who really hung around our boat quite a bit. In fact, Zipper actually encircled our boat and seemed quite delighted to encounter his old buddy, Jeff.

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We also met a small family of whales, with the parents taking special care to allow their youngster to enjoy playing in the water while not getting too close to our boat.

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Our guide, Eric, showed us a catalogue from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, which had photos of over 200 whale flukes, aka “tails”, to help explain that the fluke of a whale is equivalent to our “hand-print” – each is unique. These whales “winter” in Hawaii, which explains the familiarity and passion that Jeff has for these magnificent and intelligent sea mammals.

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We also encountered a small island with a huge colony of sea lions hanging out together — resting one on top of another, sparring, barking, swimming, playing, and just enjoying themselves in each other’s company. We spent a fair amount of time observing them, but I couldn’t get enough of watching these fascinating and exceptionally “social” creatures.

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On the trek through the National Forest to see Mendenhall Glacier, although we did not encounter any bears as we had in Ketchikan, Eric provided a first-rate lecture on salmon spawning, the flora and fauna of the forest, and the history of Mendenhall … and when we arrived at our first viewing point, we were awestruck by the majestic beauty of the glacier.

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We viewed it from several additional vantage points, including from the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Visitors’ Center, and were sad to hear that at the current melt rate, this magnificent force of nature will cease to exist in approximately a century and a half. So folks — enjoy it while you can!

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We finished off our visit to Juneau at the Twisted Fish. Highly recommended by Trip Advisor and conveniently located right by the ship’s pier, this restaurant offers free samples of smoked salmon and a menu full of delicious fresh fish and king crab. I had the halibut tacos recommended by our guide Eric — with the halibut grilled, not fried — and Denis had cedar plank-grilled pink salmon. My Bloody Mary even had smoked salmon jerky floating on top which lent a delicious and unique smoked flavor to the drink.

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From whales and sea lions to Mendenhall to freshly caught salmon and halibut, this was a day orchestrated by a first-class tour company that was filled with the best of Juneau.

Stay tuned to BonVoyageurs.com for more Countries of the World as we share our joie de vivre from around the world.  Luxury escapes and city breaks to Quebec City, New York, Washington, Buenos Aires. In Europe, places like Paris France, Nice France, Provence and the Cote d’Azur (French Riviera), Tuscany and Florence in Italy, Rome, Napoli and the Amalfi Coast. In Asia, countries like China, India, Nepal and so much more!