The beginning of the Alaskan journey :D
So, we began our travel to Alaska on June 10th around 1 or 2 pm.. I don't remember the exact time of the flight leaving home. Anyway, we had to make several stops and plane changes. The last of which was changing at Seattle where we would then get on a plane to go to Juneau, Alaska. Did you know that Juneau, the capitol of Alaska, can only be reached by plane or boat? There are no roads leaving the city. Also, it is in a rain forest climate? This past winter they received and unusually large amount of snow even for them.. I don't remember the exact amount, but it was only a few feet or so under 200.. O_O So, wow.
So, we were in the Seattle airport and I took a few pictures while there because it was a pretty airport I thought :) All three were taken in the food court area.
Can you discern the bird image made from all the small hanging babbles?
The windows were just so awesome 'cause they spanned from floor to ceiling and the ceiling was high :D
Our flight is listed up there ^_^
And of course I couldn't resist taking pictures during the flight :P
Though of course we need to start with a picture of the plane I flew XP
Pretty colors ^_^
More pretty colors n_n
CLOUDS!!! Yes.. I like clouds. Leave me alone XP
Alaskan moutains!! YAY! Almost there! :D
So we arrived in Juneau finally and we were taken to our hotel the Silverbow Inn. A very nice hotel. I highly recommend it if you are planning to stay in Juneau :)
How cool is this place? They have a rubber duckie in the tub? XP
Quite a spiffy looking bathroom eh?
Now who would have expected a platinum screen tv? o_O
UBBER comfy beds n__n
So, we went kayaking the day after we arrived in Juneau :) We got picked up out our hotel and got into a van, you know, those white ones that hold 14 people? Or maybe I should say has seat belts for 14 people :P Anyway, there were also three people from one of the cruises that were there and they were going to be taken out by the other guy.. don't remember his name. But here's some info on our guide.
We first drove out to where we picked up gear and such and the kayaks and then instead of launching from there, which is the main port, we went to one that is really only used by residents so that way we wouldn't have crowds and would be able to be out by ourselves in our small groups. And we even split ourselves up and the one guide took his group out first while we walked down this path a bit and then we started out after they had launched so we would be spread out.
Freaking looking tree was saw on our walk.
On the walk our guide pointed out some of the plants and such and briefly mentioned how that because the glaciers are melting, that a lot of weight is being lifted off the land of Alaska, and as that weight is lifted, the land that had gotten compressed (Okay, I can't remember what he said and what others said, so all my memory about this area are going to be compressed to here ^^;; ) with all that weight of the glaciers is now.. what's the word.. rebounding? Anyway, essentially, Alaska is rising out of the ground and is gaining land all the time now. And at a fast pace. People in their lifetimes have seen the land grow and expand. In Gustavus, one guy told us how someone had bought a certain amount of land initially bought X amount of land, so X+some amount of land and still has more than original amount of X land that he bought... follow? And this was the same guy who bought the land if I'm not mistaken.. though maybe it was the person's son.. but still that's a short period of time for a person's land to expand that much. And the reason people's property is extending is that often the papers for their land say that they have from point Y to the water. And the water is getting farther away as the land rises. So, that's your Alaska lesson for this entry :P
Actually, one more short one: the difference between high and low tide in Alaska are much greater then they are where I am from. Look at how the tide looked before:
And after our going kayaking:
Anyway, we eventually got out there and got to kayak. My sister was in back steering and I was in front. My dad was in the back of the other kayak with my mom. Big mistake. My dad can barely drive, I don't know why mom thought he could steer a kayak -_-' But they got stuck in shallow water almost immediately and needed rescuing... But we eventually got going and it was a lot of fun. Eventually my parents were tired so our guide got them back and out of the kayak and then the three of us (sister, guide and I) went out and made it out to the Catholic shrine on an island that can't be seen from the road but can be from the water.
Catholic shrine
On the way back from kayaking, we stopped to look at this glacier, though I can't remember the name of it ^^;;
And here's just a picture I took when we were walking to the museum in Juneau.
So, we were in the Seattle airport and I took a few pictures while there because it was a pretty airport I thought :) All three were taken in the food court area.
Can you discern the bird image made from all the small hanging babbles?
The windows were just so awesome 'cause they spanned from floor to ceiling and the ceiling was high :D
Our flight is listed up there ^_^
And of course I couldn't resist taking pictures during the flight :P
Though of course we need to start with a picture of the plane I flew XP
Pretty colors ^_^
More pretty colors n_n
CLOUDS!!! Yes.. I like clouds. Leave me alone XP
Alaskan moutains!! YAY! Almost there! :D
So we arrived in Juneau finally and we were taken to our hotel the Silverbow Inn. A very nice hotel. I highly recommend it if you are planning to stay in Juneau :)
How cool is this place? They have a rubber duckie in the tub? XP
Quite a spiffy looking bathroom eh?
Now who would have expected a platinum screen tv? o_O
UBBER comfy beds n__n
So, we went kayaking the day after we arrived in Juneau :) We got picked up out our hotel and got into a van, you know, those white ones that hold 14 people? Or maybe I should say has seat belts for 14 people :P Anyway, there were also three people from one of the cruises that were there and they were going to be taken out by the other guy.. don't remember his name. But here's some info on our guide.
We first drove out to where we picked up gear and such and the kayaks and then instead of launching from there, which is the main port, we went to one that is really only used by residents so that way we wouldn't have crowds and would be able to be out by ourselves in our small groups. And we even split ourselves up and the one guide took his group out first while we walked down this path a bit and then we started out after they had launched so we would be spread out.
Freaking looking tree was saw on our walk.
On the walk our guide pointed out some of the plants and such and briefly mentioned how that because the glaciers are melting, that a lot of weight is being lifted off the land of Alaska, and as that weight is lifted, the land that had gotten compressed (Okay, I can't remember what he said and what others said, so all my memory about this area are going to be compressed to here ^^;; ) with all that weight of the glaciers is now.. what's the word.. rebounding? Anyway, essentially, Alaska is rising out of the ground and is gaining land all the time now. And at a fast pace. People in their lifetimes have seen the land grow and expand. In Gustavus, one guy told us how someone had bought a certain amount of land initially bought X amount of land, so X+some amount of land and still has more than original amount of X land that he bought... follow? And this was the same guy who bought the land if I'm not mistaken.. though maybe it was the person's son.. but still that's a short period of time for a person's land to expand that much. And the reason people's property is extending is that often the papers for their land say that they have from point Y to the water. And the water is getting farther away as the land rises. So, that's your Alaska lesson for this entry :P
Actually, one more short one: the difference between high and low tide in Alaska are much greater then they are where I am from. Look at how the tide looked before:
And after our going kayaking:
Anyway, we eventually got out there and got to kayak. My sister was in back steering and I was in front. My dad was in the back of the other kayak with my mom. Big mistake. My dad can barely drive, I don't know why mom thought he could steer a kayak -_-' But they got stuck in shallow water almost immediately and needed rescuing... But we eventually got going and it was a lot of fun. Eventually my parents were tired so our guide got them back and out of the kayak and then the three of us (sister, guide and I) went out and made it out to the Catholic shrine on an island that can't be seen from the road but can be from the water.
Catholic shrine
On the way back from kayaking, we stopped to look at this glacier, though I can't remember the name of it ^^;;
And here's just a picture I took when we were walking to the museum in Juneau.