I was restless during the night and by 5:30 am I was awake, hence by 6:00 am we were parked at the small boat harbor where we would meet the catamaran that would take us to Juneau and back. The boat turned out to be a 65' cat with a large single enclosed cabin and a small open after deck.

It was a great day, the weather was fine and clear, something the locals told us was unusual. The scenery on the way to Skagway, via Haines, was simply magnificent with snow covered mountains in every direction. On the outward leg we saw harbor seals, stellar seals, sea lions, scoter (little black birds that fly about 6 inches off the water), hump back whales (though at a distance).

We had a few hours to stroll around downtown Juneau and catch the cable car to the top of Mount Roberts, one of the mountains that overlooks the town. From there we visited the Mendenhall Glacier, at the foot of which is now a major bedroom suburb of Juneau. You might notice in the photo of the glacier that Nina has invented a new trend in fashion, zipping together two different jackets !!

On the return journey, the sea was rougher but the weather still clear. We added to our tally of animal sightings with some porpoises, and mountain goats.

Both Skagway and Juneau show the impact of the cruise ship industry. They are well kept, obviously affluent towns, with way too many (for my taste) well manicured jewelry and souvenir shops.