It's all downhill from here!!

Click on the map to see it better....a general idea of our routeing from Sitka, via Peril Strait, with stops in Tenakee, Hoonah, Glacier Bay, Juneau.







We've been having a fantastic time in Juneau, thanks mostly to cousin Barb's generosity. In addition to showers and laundry, she's organized some great trips for us. With three bikes and the loan of her car, we drove up the highway to a biking/hiking trail which leads to the Herbert Glacier. It took us about an hour of biking in the 5 miles, then hiking the moraine and boulders below the glacier before we decided we couldn't get much farther.







On the bike trail










We were treated to absolutely stunning views, as well as having much-needed exercise.









Hiking along the river below the Herbert Glacier









Following the hike/bike trip, Barb provided us with nice hot showers and laundry, and a wonderful dinner of tacos with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
The following day (Monday), required a bit of work before the play. We changed the engine and transmission oil on the boat, replaced the furling line to the jib, which was showing some wear, and did some battery maintenance. Then it was time to play again - thanks again to Barb, we had the use of her room-mate's truck and three kayaks, which we took to Mendenhall Lake (below the Mendenhall Glacier), and paddled up to the glacier. That took us a very scenic and enjoyable 4 hours, and we discovered a few new (or at least dis-used) muscles.







Kayaking below the Mendenhall Glacier










On the way back to drop off the kayaks we managed to load up the truck with enough food to restock the boat for awhile.
The original plan was to leave this morning, southbound toward Taku and Tracy Arm. In fact, from here, it will be all southbound (downhill) all the way to home.....not enough time to continue north for Haines or Skagway. We decided to spend one more day here in Juneau, as we still hadn't seen the downtown area yet. So at the moment, I sit at the local waffle restaurant (with free wi-fi), getting the blog updated as I feed my face. Then it's off to downtown, and then we will take Barb out for dinner before retiring for the night on our last night in Juneau.
You may think we've had enough of glaciers by now, but Tracy Arm, 2 days south of here, is reputed to have one of the most scenic glaciers of all......so of course we will have to check that out on our way back.