We docked in Juneau and spent the morning on a tour which included a drive through the City, a visit to the Salmon Hatchery and the Mendenhall Glacier. We departed from the dockside in a large, comfortable coach and had the added benefit of a very knowledgable but also very witty and amusing driver who entertained us throughout the trip with his many jokes and stories which all added to the enjoyment.
We started our journey passing through Juneau's picturesque downtown and travelled past the capital building having all buildings of note explained in detail to us as we journeyed. It was not long before we reached the Macauley Salmon Hatchery and Visitor Centre. Our group was escorted by one of the staff and we were given details of the life cycle of the salmon and viewed the many different hatchery operations. The Visitor Centre also had interpretive displays and here we had chance to obtain refreshments, view the exhibits of bears and eagles, and purchase souvenirs and postcards.
We all then returned to the coach for our onward journey to the Mendenhall Glacier travelling a very scenic route as we went.
On our arrival the driver explained the procedure that we could go to the Visitor Centre where we would be shown a film giving insight into the area and details of the glacier, purchase souvenirs in the gift shop, and that the time was then our own to view the glacier and the scenery around. The information given in the film was very informative and told of how much the glaciers are receding over the years. The Mendenhall is a moving river of ice with rugged crevasses and a distinctive blue colour that appears deceptively close because of its immense size.
When leaving the Visitor Centre there were beautiful walks, but the good thing was that even for those not quite so physically able, the views of the glacier could still be seen. Hundreds of photographs must be taken every day of this beautiful sight.
The time came to return to the coach which everyone was reluctant to do not wanting to leave this beautiful scenery. But the coach driver - in jest - had said he would leave anyone behind who was not there on time, so we boarded the coach for our return journey to Juneau.
This day was the shortest of our days ashore as our onward journey was through the fjords to the Sawyer Glacier. This was unfortunate as Juneau had much to offer but the time limitations meant that we had to keep to the main street to browse in the very well stocked shops with so many tempting souvenirs on offer, many of them of Russian origin. There was certainly not enough time to take the chair lift, which leaves from the centre of Juneau up the mountain side, which was a great shame. Perhaps we will return and make this a priority next time.