In Alaska Part 2

Day 4: Tracy Arm Fjord & Juneau

Instead of Glacier Bay, our itinerary did Tracy Arm Fjord.  Bummer about it was that we were in and out from 6am-9am.  Did not bode well for Alicia’s sleeping pattern, but we did manage to roll out of bed in time to see as we were turning around and going back out of the fjord.

Inside joke of the cruise:  Spot the Mormon.

After lunch we docked in Juneau, and boarded our bus for an excursion.  Dan and I decided to do a float trip off of the Mendenhall Glacier.  We rowed around the lake at the bottom of the glacier, and then headed down the “whitewater” of Mendenhall River. 

We got to row up to a couple of the floating icebergs and touch them.  Amazing.  The downriver run was a ton of fun.  Very wet, and cold!!  We were not really prepared for it.  I felt like my feet were going to freeze off in my rubber boots!!  Next time I will be completely decked out in rain gear.  If only because of the downpour we ended up walking in later that evening!!

Yes we are Harwards, and yes we are too cheap to pay the $3 charge to ride the bus back to the ship.  It was only a 15 minute walk…in a rainstorm that probably equaled the ENTIRE amount of rain Utah gets in a year!  Needless to say Dan and I scrounged up some quarters to use the dryers in the Laundromat. 

Day 5: Skagway

Our last port in Alaska was on the 4th of July.  We got into the downtown in time to watch their Independence Day Parade.  We actually stopped and watched it…which shocked Dan.  Alicia doesn’t do summer parades (marching band scarred me for life).  This one was actually cute.  VERY small town…in fact I think the entire town was in the parade, and they were just putting it on for the cruise passengers.

After lunch the entire family went too the White Passage Railway tour up to the Canadian border.  Very old train, on a very old track.  Kind of freaky in some parts, although Alicia slept through most of it.

It was interesting seeing the trails that the miners used to get into the Yukon.  The narrator was very entertaining (oh, and definitely Mormon—spot the Mormon!)

Like I said, I was tired.  I slept a lot!!  It was a great vacation!!