There be Whales Here!
Ted and I started our last full day in Juneau by taking a walk through downtown, over to Douglas Island, and back. We saw some totem poles, a huge statue of a humpback whale (photo credit to Ted), and the State Capital Building, which is probably the smallest in the US.
After that, we came home and had a light lunch, and then Maya, Kathy, and I went whale watching! I’ve never been whale watching before, though we did go dolphin watching in Maui a few years ago, which was great. We have whale watching off the coast of California, but that’s in the open ocean, while in Juneau you are in the Gastineau Channel, so the water is pretty calm. We saw quite a few whales, all Humpbacks, which are my very favorite whales of all. It was cold and wet, and I was glad to have the new rain jacket that Maya bought me the day before, and for the advice from the saleswoman to wear layers. It was pretty thin, but I wore my cozy fleece jacket underneath. At one point my fingers were so cold that they were painful and felt like they were going to crack. I could have gone inside on the boat, out of the wind, but I was enjoying being outside far too much for that. It was a glorious day.
Maya took the video below. I’ll admit to getting choked up by the majesty and gracefulness on display.
Ted and Richard didn’t join us. Richard had a quiet day to himself, which is sometimes much needed after so much family time, and Ted toured the Alaska State Museum and the Capital Building, both of which he really enjoyed. After our whale watching tour, we all met up at a little Mexican restaurant that has been in Juneau for a long time, and according to Kathy we even sat at the same table where we sat back in 1999.
The following day was our flight home. We went out for breakfast all together, then drove out to the airport. On the way, we stopped for a last look around, and finally saw a bald eagle at the top of a pole.
It seemed a fitting sendoff. Our flight home was mostly uneventful, though the departure from Juneau was delayed, so we worried a bit about making our connecting flight in Seattle. Turned out to be a non issue, we made it in plenty of time. Ted’s brother picked us up at SFO and brought us home, and I was reminded of how crowded the Bay Area is, there was so much traffic. Regardless, it was nice to be home.
18 Comments
nance
The excursion I looked forward to most was whale watching, and I was so happy to see so many whales when we went. I was like a little kid, really. It’s astonishing to me that something so immense lives in the oceans today. And how do they get all that weight and size to breach so effortlessly? I was continuously amazed. Maya’s video is excellent.
It was also a guide in Alaska who taught me how to look for bald eagles in trees and elsewhere–look for what seems to be a golfball in midair. That’s its head. I never forgot it, and that’s still how I spot them.
Your trip was such a great opportunity for you and your family in so many ways. I’m glad you got to go and it seems like you were able to hit many of the high points you wanted to.
J
Nance, I don’t know what my issue was, but I wasn’t sure ahead of time if I wanted to go or not. Kathy asked and I hemmed and hawed. I don’t generally get seasick or anything. Anyway, I finally decided I wanted to, and I’m SO glad I did. It was my favorite thing we did on our trip. The whales were so beautiful and amazing.
I’m 90% sure that I saw a couple of bald eagles on the top of some trees on the drive to the airport, but it was quick. They looked just like you described.
Ally Bean
I know not everyone would like it, but the grayness of the skies in your photos appeals to me and my light-sensitive eyes. Whale watching! I love that you did that. It seems like a delightful way to end your vacation.
J
Ally, I love the grey, overcast, misty skies. It is much easier on your eyes, your skin, everything. Not good for star watching, but it was fine with the whales.
Margaret
We saw humpbacks in Alaska too–by Seward. It was amazing! I love the Star Trek reference. That’s one of my comfort movies.
J
Margaret, I’m glad you got the reference!
Kyria @ Travel Spot
That is so fun that you saw whales! I have such a good feeling about whales; my grandmother lived near Plymoth MA and every time I when to visit her when I was a kid we would go whale watching. They were her favorite animal and we would go whale watching and then get a lobster roll and an ice cream from the local dairy and then go to the whaling museum in New Bedford. If you have not been there, it is pretty cool (plus you can tack on a trip to Newport or the cape too!) as our whaling industry was quite bustling at one point and hearing about all of that, even though they were killing whales, is still pretty interesting. They are such majestic animals and it is so weird/sad to think that we used to kill that huge animal just for a few little parts of it!
J
Thanks Kyria, I’m not sure I could handle the whaling museum, but maybe…it is very interesting I am sure. I hate seeing the taxidermied animals in natural history museums, so I’m not sure. 🙂
Stephany
That video is stunning. How amazing to see an animal like that so up close! I’ve always wanted to go whale watching. I had the opportunity when I was in Boston a few years ago but we ultimately decided against it. Alaska is a must-see destination for whale watching, though!
I love that the people in your group didn’t have to be together for everything. Sometimes, you need a day to yourself after being around people for so long! I totally get that.
J
Thanks Stephany! I have never been whale watching off the coast of California, I feel like the seas are kind of rough. In Juneau, they are really smooth, a perfect place to go. And yeah, I like that we were able to split up some, made things easier between those of us who are more go go go and those who are waning some quiet/downtime.
San
Oh wow, that Whale Statue is amazing!
J
San, isn’t it grand! I loved it.
Melissa
I love seeing whales. We saw heaps off the beach at Fraser Island this year and unfortunately one beached (still alive and hopefully able to get off with a bit of assistance from the rangers). We also saw heaps in the distance from our apartment on the Gold Coast. I’m not sure whether I’d be able to go whale watching on a boat because I get seasick. I need the boat to keep moving straight. We did have one come up to our boat when we were coming back from the outer reef at Port Douglas and that was so fabulous.
J
How amazing to see whales from the land! I’ve seen a few spouts once from the shore, but nothing like we saw this time. Because this was a channel and not the open sea, the water was pretty calm. Not sure if that would help. We took some bonine before we went, my sister in law gets seasick pretty easily, and we were all fine.
What kind of whales did you see>
Lisa’s Yarns
I have never seen a whale! I would love to go whale watching some day. When we were in Maui for our honeymoon, it wasn’t the right time of year for whale watching. Otherwise that is something we would have done. I love the whale statue and the totem poles, too!
J
Hi Lisa, we had the same experience in Maui, the wrong time of year for whales. Apparantly when we were in Maui, they were in Alaska (or on their way down from Alaska.) It was really pretty amazing.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
It must be so impressive seeing whale in their habitat and. then so close. Really graceful. I agree.
J
Tobia, yes, it was amazing. I’m so glad that I did that.