Alaska 2009 – Page 4 – Not Your Average Engineer

October 14, 2009November 15, 2021

Cruise Ships

Juneau is visited by many cruise ships throughout the year. At any one time up to four ships can be found docked and moored in the channel. What many people probably don’t realize is how polluting the ships truly are. A pall of blue smoke hangs over downtown Juneau and drifts down the channel sent up from the exhaust stacks of the ships. Even at dock they idle their engines sending up clouds of oily haze. Here are a couple of photos of the boats and a few of the smoke they produce. And people wonder why the glaciers around Juneau are retreating!

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A ship moored in the channel. They use the life boats to shuttle passengers back and forth to land.

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Two ships at two different docks.

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A small private yacht (say 100 feet…) docked in downtown Juneau.

See the blue haze above the ships? That’s smoke from their stacks.

More blue haze. This is looking from Douglas Island.

A ship heading down the channel after a stay at Juneau.

Blue smoke over downtown Juneau pushing up against Mount Juneau.

Emily with a boat in the background.

All the smoke rising from the ships at sunset.

October 12, 2009November 15, 2021

Around Juneau

Emily and I explored Juneau for five days as part of our Alaskan adventure. The photos below can’t be classified into other areas and have all been lumped together. These are all photos taken around Juneau.

A hanging glacier that is waiting… just waiting for the humans to be lulled into a false sense of security. When we are at our most vulnerable it and its brethren will attack!

A snow-capped peak visible from the deck of Emily’s aunt and uncle’s house where we stayed.

The view directly across from Emily’s aunt and uncle’s house. Cruise ships regularly ply the channel.

Looking at Douglas Island where Emily’s aunt and uncle’s house is located and where she spent much of her life.

Downtown Juneau filled with tourists. It becomes very difficult to drive when the cruise ships are in port.

Alaska’s state capitol building.

A totem pole outside the Juneau history museum.

The governor’s mansion. Sarah Palin never really lived here much. Instead she always maintained her Wasilla residence.

There is a resident population of mountain goats on Mount Juneau. We didn’t see any.

Emily trying on a hat at the state museum.

A float plane getting ready to take off from downtown Juneau.

Another float plane pulled up at the dock.

Emily tries on a tourist hat.

Looking toward Douglas Island.

The Mount Roberts Tram.

Another float plane taking to the skies.

Cooking in the kitchen.

Sunset from Douglas Island.

October 12, 2009November 15, 2021

Flying to Juneau

Luggage check-in at the Gustavus airstrip.

Long-term parking in Gustavus. People leave their cars for many months or years judging by some of the deflated tires.

Saying goodbye.

The gravel pit where we went shooting.

The Fairweathers. The day we flew out was the nicest day of our entire stay in Alaska.

The mountain range that separates Juneau from Gustavus. When we flew to Gustavus we had to go around the mountains because of bad weather. On this day we flew directly over the top.