Well we have had a wonderful time in Juneau, and very much enjoyed staying in the community of Douglas. The options for Missy were fantastic, and the marina was a place we could catch up on some much needed rest. This traveling is taking a lot more out of us than we anticipated!

Playing tourist, and investigating our tour options from Juneau, we settled on a bus trip as it was just too foggy to spend the huge $$$$$ on a helicopter ride. Our next adventure took us to the Mendenhall Glacier which was beautiful! It doesn't seem to matter how many you see, they are still a spectacular sight! There were hiking trails as well, so feeling rested we headed out on a 5 mile hike to enjoy another waterfall! We also got to see a young Grizzley that surprised us and came out of the bushes to feed on one of the salmon spawning up the river! Darren was fortunate to capture this on video too, so we can also share with everyone!

Seeing Glacier Bay involves another 150 miles of travel north, and we would have to wait for a permit to be granted for our stay. Rumour has it among the local crowd that there is quite a wait for the permits. Sadly, Glacier Bay has become the main destination for the cruise ships. The number of permits is restricted, with cruise ships being top of the list. Our experience in Tracy Arm was raw, unspoiled, undeveloped & simply breathtaking, and we loved it, although it took a lot more from us than we expected! With this accomplishment under our belt, Tracy Arm will always epitomize Alaska to us!

We have decided that we have achieved what we set out to do here in south east Alaska. With that, we are now pointing "Orion" south and with fingers crossed, hope to find some sunny, HOT, weather! We passed many places in B.C along the way, that we would love to discover on our way home, as well as plans to re-visit some of our favorites! In all honesty, we are a little homesick too! The satellite phone, although very frustrating at times due to spotty coverage (arrrrrrr.....) has still been a wonderful addition for us this year, to stay in touch with loved ones along the way.

We will continue to post more pictures and updates enroute as we find internet service! If there is a time lapse in hearing from us, don't worry we may have just found a sunny oasis and stopped to enjoy it!!!!
xxoo