On Friday morning, we were scheduled to dock in Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
We had breakfast at Cabanas again, and the kids were a little tired of it. It would be nice if they changed up the menu a little more there.
One of the main attractions in Juneau is Mendenahall Glacier. There is a shuttle that departs from the port that costs $35 per person round trip. However, I did my research and made reservations with Evergreen Taxi. We were able to hire a van for the ten of us for about $120 round-trip, including admission fees to Tongass National Park. We scheduled the taxi for 8:15 a.m. so we could beat the first tour buses. The van was on time and our driver was a talkative guy from Cuba. The drive took about 30 minutes. On the way we saw an open field with bald eagles just hanging out on the grass. (Was unable to take a picture).
You can practically see Mendenhall Glacier from the parking lot! It is quite massive, although it is receding at a rapid pace.
To the right of Mendenhall Glacier is Nugget Falls.
We took a short hike/walk to get a closer look.
Both the glacier and the falls are spectacular by themselves, but seeing them right next to each other is truly magnificent!
Skipping rocks
After we finished taking in the scenery we went to the visitors center. We watched the short movie and the kids completed their junior ranger booklets.
Swearing-in
The taxi driver was waiting for us and we had him drop us off downtown. We did a little shopping and then headed back to the dock. This is the Mount Roberts Tramway, that we did not ride, but it is an easy landmark to spot near the dock.
Instead of food trucks, Juneau had a line of these little food huts, which I imagine are similar to the ones in Portland.
Although we planned to eat lunch back on the ship, I wanted to try the famous crab bisque at Tracy’s King Crab Shack. You cannot miss this place if you are anywhere near the dock.
We arrived before the lunch crowd, so there was plenty of seating.
I am not sure if n is allergic to shellfish, but he was fine with just eating some of the rolls! D, k and I shared a small cup, which was just right for us to all have a taste. It had small chunks of crabmeat and a little kick to it; very good on a cold day.