The government buildings overlook an historic park. Artifacts tell stories of native people (left), whalers and other settlers.

Along Peril Strait we encountered many whales - seem mostly by their plume (right).

On the way to Juneau we observed humpback whales (left) "bubblenetting." Bubblenetting is the most amazing cooperative behavior of a pod of whales. They get together and blow bubbles around a school of fish and bring the fish into a column like a net. Then one of the whales is chosen to swim up the middle of the fish with their mouth open. The others follow suit and there's a lot of eating and frolicking! When that's over they all dive down and net in the fish with another bubble net and another whale comes up through the middle, etc. It's awesome to actually see this behavior. We must have seen this pod do this about five times!

This carving represents an octopus (right). Once you start looking at these First Nations' depictions you become intrigued and fascinated at the interpretations of people who have lived intimately with their natural surroundings. Their representations can be amusing and enlightening - seeing something more than what meets the eye.

It looks like we never go ashore, but you see, we occasionally do! One of the most remarkable things about visiting Alaska (in the summer time!) is the long days and the lush vegetation. People and plants know that the winter is very long, so when summer comes it comes in a big way. The flower gardens and planters are gorgeous in this area.

Sailing around these glaciers and icebergs was an adventure! (right) Imagine this: Scott's in the dinghy taking the photos and he's directing me to "get a little closer to this big iceberg so I can get a better picture." Fortunately we didn't actually hit the berg as I do know that ice is as hard as a rock!

Harmon's job (left) was to procure ice every evening for our evening's enjoyment. One of the few amenities Quest does not have is an ice maker. However, we have often said that we have friends that have an ice maker! In this case, we have friends who are very resourceful! Seeing as how glacier ice is very dense freshwater, it's perfect for our needs. By the way, as long as Harmon was on board we didn't miss an evening without ice.

Debbie has prepared a feast for us this evening! (right) I love to have friends on board who "love to cook on boats." I, too, love to cook on my boat. Visitors notice that my galley is the heart and soul of the Quest!

One of the great things about Alaska is that you can actually live off the sea without too much skill (a fishing license is, however, recommended). Many evenings we were able to deploy our crab pot right off our stern. You must be anchored in the correct depth and location for this to be a successful strategy! We also found that crabs aren't too picky about their diet, but chicken wings seemed to work great!

Even after removing females and undersized crabs we were happy with our catch! (right) Perhaps you're thinking that food, libations and scenery are the main focus of cruisers. You're not far from right!

Anchoring off a glacier (left) is like putting your boat in an ice box. Visiting Glacier Bay and Alaska is well worth the trip. Much of it is indescribable!

Our intrepid captain dodges the ice bergs!

Where there's salmon running, there's bound to be bears! This is Alaska: lush vegetation, salmon running up stream, bears getting ready for their winter hibernation (that means eating salmon!), and mama bear showing baby bear the ropes (left).

It's probably not a good idea to get between a bear and his salmon. (right) We walked from Anan Bay and through the woods to get to where these bears were feeding. It was truly a feeding frenzy. They were to the point where they were getting picky about their diet! They would scoop up a salmon and eat only the brains and the eggs leaving the rest for an eager flock of seagulls.

Annie (left) is intent on bringing fresh fish to our dinner table!

This abandoned cannery (right) makes a intriguing setting for our evening meal. Guess what we were having? Salmon on the grill!