Alaska 2018

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Wednesday August 15, 2018
Haines

Thursday August 16, 2018
Juneau

Next
Friday August 17, 2018
Ketchikan

I woke up early and got in a great workout once again.
Every morning I hit up the breakfast buffet for a few large glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice to energize me for my workout.
I would also grab at least a cup of chocolate milk, sometimes two.
I love it that chocolate milk and jelly beans both sponsor the Tour de France on US television.
Sugar is an important part of my diet.

08:37 Alaska time 09:37 California time
Paul: What's Kathy thinking of the cruise?
Paul: We know the only thing you like is staring at mountains (or staring at things FROM mountains), so we can guess your thoughts from that bias
Paul: More curious about what she thinks....

08:40 Alaska time 09:40 California time
Dusty: She likes it alot
Dusty: Everyone should do at least one
Dusty: She's enjoying the excellent service and food we're getting
Dusty: The drink package we got for free by booking w costco is also key so you don't worry about spending money every time you order a drink

08:40 Alaska time 09:40 California time
Dusty: Paraphrasing her response

08:43 Alaska time 09:43 California time
Dusty: We ate at the steakhouse last night, we got one night as another part of the free Costco upgrades
Dusty: Amazing service and food
Dusty: I thought the dining room we'd been eating at every other evening was great and 5 star, this was a step up
Dusty: Even the food at the buffet is all good
Dusty: Why anyone would eat there instead of the dining room is beyond me, would be a major mistake

08:48 Alaska time 09:48 California time
Dusty: Can't send panos

08:49 Alaska time 09:49 California time
Dusty: On our way to whale watching in Juneau

08:19 Alaska time

09:57 Alaska time

09:58 Alaska time
Point Retreat Lighthouse
The entrance to Glacier Bay is not too far aware directly behind those mountains.
We haven't travelled very far in the past three days.

10:07 Alaska time

10:16 Alaska time

10:17 Alaska time

10:32 Alaska time 11:32 California time
Dusty: Just saw orcas for about 30m! They appeared right in front of our boat once less about 100' away..
Dusty: have lots of pics and about 30s of video of the canon but didn't get them up close

Dusty: Couldn't believe it when they appeared right in front of me...
Dusty: don't think anyone was ready and got pics when they were close ..
Dusty: now on our way out to find humpbacks..we were between Barlow Islands and Shelter Island in the Saginaw Channel, now headed around Point Retreat into the Lynn Canal

10:51 Alaska time 11:51 California time
Paul: Tay and I just saw an orca too
Paul: In fact, we reeled him in! His name is Squishy

10:36 Alaska time

The far side of Point Retreat from the Lynn Canal

Humpback whale bubble net feeding Lynn Canal just south of Point Retreat near Juneau Alaska

Humpback whale bubble net feeding Lynn Canal just south of Point Retreat near Juneau Alaska

2:10 bubble net feeding
3:55 whales surround a nearby boat that got way too close

10:47 Alaska time

10:54 Alaska time

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11:05 Alaska time

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12:25 Alaska time

11:51 Alaska time 12:51 California time
Dusty: Saw 3 humpbacks breech from a distance once..
Dusty: we only saw the splash
Dusty: Then saw bubble net feeding within a few hundred yards - several whales work together blowing bubbles to force a fish ball to the surface and the whales simultaneously surface and devour everything in sight
Dusty: Have 2-3 of those feedings on video and maybe another with pics
Dusty: Saw humpbacks as close as about 200'
Dusty: Tons of pics and video of whales, flukes, etc..on the canon
Dusty: Guide says there is no need for any of us to go whale watching again cause we've seen everything now, he also told us to go buy lottery tickets...
He says he sees bubble net feeding maybe once every three weeks, only maybe 15% of females are capable organizing other whales into a bubble net group

12:31 Alaska time 13:31 California time
Ray: I love orcas
Ray: They're some of nature's cutest killing machines.

12:37 Alaska time 13:37 California time
Dusty: Humpback sightings guaranteed, you get like $100 back if you don't see any whales at all
Dusty: Orca sightings arent very common here, that was what we really wanted to see
Dusty: When they surfaced right on front of our boat all i could say was 'oh my god', couldn't believe it....
Kathy had gone back inside when that happened, was not warm out there with wind chill cause of boats movement.

12:38 Alaska time 13:38 California time
Dusty: Love Juneau and Homer, I can see flying back to Juneau...

12:38 Alaska time 13:38 California time
Ray: Insert best photo here

12:40 Alaska time 13:40 California time
Dusty: Took almost no pics with iPhone, i just sent you one of the very few i took...

12:40 Alaska time 13:40 California time
Dusty: 30x zoom on canon makes it no contest which camera to use to take wildlife pics

12:41 Alaska time 13:41 California time
Dusty: Didn't take any orca pics w iPhone

12:41 Alaska time 13:41 California time
Dusty: On the way to Mendenhall Glacier now

Black bear cub eating salmon next to Steep Creek at Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau Alaska

12:53 Alaska time

12:55 Alaska time

13:01 Alaska time

13:04 Alaska time 14:04 California time
Dusty: Dinner aka salmon

13:01 Alaska time 14:01 California time
Dusty: Black bear cub eating salmon about 10' away..
Dusty: mama is sleeping with her other cub..
Dusty: fence conveniently keeps mama bear happy and tourists away from bears ...

Time-lapse of Mendenhall Glacier Receding.

13:20 Alaska time 14:20 California time
Dusty: Time lapse video of Mendenhall glacier disappearring rapidly over last 10yrs is horrifying..
Dusty: all climate change deniers should be fed to the bears or entombed in a crevasse

13:14 Alaska time

13:30 Alaska time

Kent's pics from the top of Täschhorn, Switzerland

13:06 Alaska time 14:06 California time
Kent: Very cool! I'm trying to write a trip report of just my climb before I forget it all
Kent: Couple of pictures show my route
Kent: Already seems like wild dream.

13:33 Alaska time 14:33 California time
Dusty: I know exactly what you mean..
Dusty: France seems like a lifetime ago, I still can't believe the stuff I did...
One of the reasons I text so much is so I've got trip report notes...

14:55 Alaska time 15:55 California time
Dusty: World famous Red Dog Saloon..

14:42 Alaska time

14:43 Alaska time

Dusty: they have Wyatt Earps pistol over the bar..
Dusty: he checked it, then left for Nome before the marshalls office opened to reclaim it

14:53 Alaska time

15:10 Alaska time

15:16 Alaska time

15:27 Alaska time 16:27 California time
Dusty: As we left 80 year old piano player [above - different player than the video] between songs rattled off 'holy shit go back to California man!' He was funny as hell
Dusty: Kathy said 'well he called that right'

15:40 Alaska time 16:40 California time
Kent: Nice! Love old saloon names
Kent: In Dawson I think there is one named diamond tooth gurties

15:41 Alaska time 16:41 California time
Kent: Bucket of blood in Virginia city is a good one too.

15:54 Alaska time 16:54 California time
Dusty: I've still got my pint glass from the Bucket of Blood!

15:57 Alaska time 16:57 California time
Dusty: Kathy now wants to move to Alaska again

16:05 Alaska time 17:05 California time
Paul: Alaska wont be a big change from San Francisco
Paul: Its cold and people smell funny

17:04 Alaska time 18:04 California time
Ray: And there's an ocean too cold to swim in.

17:05 Alaska time 18:05 California time
Dusty: It rains and snows more here

17:06 Alaska time 18:06 California time
Michael: Less poop on the sidewalks

17:06 Alaska time 18:06 California time
Ray: I was just about to say that

17:07 Alaska time 18:07 California time
Dusty: Its bear poop here, not homeless poop

17:42 Alaska time 18:42 California time
Ray: I can imagine staying for a month in Alaska that's for sure

I have an obsession with French food.
Thursday night the ship's steak house turns into Rudi's Sel de Mer, a pop-up restaurant by Holland America's Master Chef Rudi Sodamin
Kathy, Bob and Karin humored me by agreeing to go.
This was the one thing I really wanted to do on the cruise that nobody else was especially excited about