One morning on the cruise ship I woke up, looked out my window, and there was Juneau.

The area is beautiful. Juneau sits on a small harbor, surrounded by tall mountains which are densely wooded. High above the city are numerous waterfalls which come off of the snowpack up above and cascade down the steep mountainsides. From the distance they look rather small, but using a pair of binocualrs you can see that these are raging torrents that come down the mountainside.

There is plenty to do in Juneau. We ascended the Mount Roberts Tramway and went whale watching out of Auke’s Bay. Both were wonderful experiences. We also wandered around and explored the city.

Juneau reminded me somewhat of Park City, UT or Jackson Hole, WY, where the center of the city caters to tourists with old fashioned buildings, lots of gift and souvenir shops, numerous shops that sell works produced by local artists, restaurants, and a handful of saloons.

I would have enjoyed a longer stay in Juneau to have had enough time to visit the Mendenhall Glacier and to explore more of the city as well.