After reaching the northernmost point of our trip, the National Geographic Sea Lion pointed her bow south last night and headed towards our final destination of Seattle, some 1,200 miles away. Sunrise this morning in Barlow Cove was quite spectacular with a pair of Dall’s porpoises gliding through the glassy waters of Saginaw Channel on the north end of Admiralty Island. We spotted a few humpback whales and an orca on our way to dock in Auk Bay near Juneau.
Our feature destination was Mendenhall Glacier, just outside of Juneau. Our guests enjoyed the different photo and hiking opportunities around the glacier. The streams are full of sockeye salmon spawning near the glacier, which attracted a couple of black bears and an eagle to feed. Another less charismatic creature, but extremely cute, is the porcupine which we found resting in a tree.
From our glacier walk, we transferred by bus a short distance to town where we explored the picturesque coastal town of Juneau. We visited the Alaska State Museum which has a fantastic collection of native art and historic artifacts in this capital city. This was a great opportunity for everyone to stretch their legs in town, to shop and enjoy some Alaskan culture. One of the locals gave us a tip about a great bluegrass band that was playing at the historic Alaska Hotel Bar. This century-old establishment was a great way for us to enjoy our afternoon before we returned to the ship. Another incredible day in Alaska!
