I thought we would never get out of Juneau, but if all goes as planned, we should leave in the AM. The electrical work did not get done while we were away, and when I opened the parts, I discovered they had sent the wrong inverter control. After some days of effort, I think I have resolved the charging and battery issue. The wind speed/temp sensor at the mast head will likely require unstepping the mast to replace wiring done by the commissioning yard in Seattle. That's going to have to wait.
On to more pleasant things. We rented a car for 2 days and toured around Juneau, including a scenic hike along the east trail above the Mendenhall glacier. Reprovisioning was a lot easier with the car. Today it rained heavily all day (what else is new) so we stayed aboard, read books, and Lynel baked.
Tomorrow we should get to Funter Cove, then Friday into Glacier Bay. Not sure how long we will stay since it has been so rainy and foggy that visibility is only about a half mile. No point in spending days looking at a flat gray monotone. After Glacier Bay we will make our way to Sitka for a few days, then decide on our route south. Won't have cell/internet until Sitka.
Thanks again to everyone who has commented on the blog site. It's great to keep in touch with everyone following along.

We came on into Juneau on the 9th and took a side tie in Harris Harbor. The harbormaster was kind enough to grant us an extra day of two, so we will leave the boat here during the trip to Denali.
The 10th was spent on the phone trying to work out the charging and electrical issues with the battery bank. Too boring to recount,, but I think that the problems will be under control by the time we leave here. Of course the wind speed sensor and outside temp sensor have failed...again recalling the definition of cruising. Oh well, I've always believed that you don't need electronics to know wind speed and temperature...all you have to do is stick your head out the window.
Yesterday the 11th the next SE front hit with a vengence. We stayed aboard the entire day while the wind screamed through the rigging. Today we visited the state museum, the capital, the Russian Orthodox church and some of the sites along Front Street. Of course the wind was 20-25 knots, high temp was 51, and it rained all day. I think I've finally got an understanding of the weather in SE Alaska: One or two nice days, then 7 to 10 days of crummy weather, then the cycle repeats. This front was particularly bad, with gale warnings even on the inside passage route, and seas to 10 feet in Clarence strait. Tomorrow, if things settle a little, we will try to visit the Mendenhall glacier, then start getting ready for the plane trip to Anchorage on Monday.

We left Petersburg with clear weather, although some high clouds came on during the day. Our destination was Gambier Bay, about 55 miles. The trip was smooth and quiet, and we came across several humpback along the way. One of them did a "spy hop" to look at us. leaping up then crashing back down. Of course it's impossible to get this in a digital picture, but it was a lot like the TV commercial for insurance.
We anchored in Snug Cove in Gambier, and decided to spend a second night there. The first night we watched a group of 3 black bears on the shore, but a little later a large brown bear and cub (grizzly) came down to the beach too. We were a long way off and could only watch through the binoculars, so no pictures. The next day we took the dinghy ashore and walked a little. We had hoped the bears would reappear and that we could get closer in the dinghy, but no luck

On the scale of remarkable experiences, today has to rank somewhere near the top. We arranged for a glacier tour with Scott and Julie Hursey, a great couple who have been taking charter guests aboard their boat "Heron" for nearly 20 years. They are now moving toward day boat trips on a smaller boat, and were gracious enough to take just Lynel and I on a trip to the LeConte glacier. The weather was perfect: sunny and mild. It's impossible to fully describe the day, since it was truly one of those "you had to be there" experiences:
* The large and small icebergs throughout the bay. The colors and shapes were remarkable.
* The hundreds of harbor seals on the ice, most with recently born pups. We were able to get close enough to see some of the pups nursing.
* Eagles anxiously sitting on the ice.They are scavengers and feed on the placenta after a pup is born.
* And the face of the glacier itself. This is the southernmost tidewater glacier in Alaska, and one of the most active. We were able to approach the face, staying a safe half mile off. The deep cracking, rumbling, thunder like sound of the ice breaking was incredible. We watched as several huge pieces split off, one producing a "shooter" where the weight of the new iceberg carries it under, then it shoots back up to the surface. This makes a very impressive wave and is accompanied by a remarkable roar.
After well over an hour of watching, we slowly found our way back out through the ice field. And as a bonus, we came across a humpback whale on the way back to Petersburg. Scott and Julie joined us aboard Eos for a glass of wine and a most entetaining visit.
Tomorrow we again head north. It will be several days before we get to Juneau and again have internet

We had a quiet rainy trip through the narrows to Petersburg. Very little boat traffic, and our early departure gave us a favorable current all the way.
Once settled in a slip in the south marina, we visited the town. This is a remarkable place, founded by Norwegians, and still a community of fishermen. The fleet of boats in the harbor is as clean and well maintained as I have ever seen, and the local canneries are owned co-operatively by the fishermen. There is clearly a very high level of community pride.
We had lunch in a Mexican restaurant down the street from the Sons of Norway hall, while listening to an interesting collection of true frontiersmen converse at the bar. Unique

Today we spent the entire day seeing this delightful little town. The museum was very well done, we had an excellent lunch at the Stikine Inn, and we walked to petroglyph beach. This was one of the most fascinating things we've seen so far. The rock carvings apparently date to some time before the Tlinglit people occupied this area (about 5,000 years ago). Some people think the carvings are up to 10,000 years old. The same spiral pattern carved here is seen in Mexico and South America.
Eagles are everywhere, many of them not long out of the nest.
I've posted some pictures in the gallery just to document where we've been. I realize that there is a certain sameness to trees, mountains, and isolated coves, so I'm trying to focus on other things.
We expect to travel to Petersburg tomorrow and will transit Wrangell Narrows early to have a favorable current.