Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Day 11: May 24
th
, Juneau
After an uneventful negotiation of the Gulf of Alaska (no one who has ever been on a
boat south of Middleton Island is going to believe that, but oh well) and the Gastineau
Channel we docked in Juneau. The usual fourteen shore excursions line up in front of the
gangway for departure, and the authors headed up to the Juneau High School, where we
were scheduled to talk to a group of students. I was never that well-behaved when I was in
high school. This is the last group event we would do with John, who with Jan was jump-
ing ship here to go home to Sitka. Brad, Sue and I were in mourning. We discussed the
possibility of taking turns pretending to be him, but since no one else can write a decent
haiku we decided against it.
Back to the ship in good time for a 3 p.m. departure and, coincidentally, the return of
the sun. Botanist Ellen Rosenberg, UBC, gave a lecture in the Mid-Ocean Lounge at 3
p.m. on Forests of Rain (what were then sailing past). “You know the primeval feeling
you get from walking into these forests?” Ellen said. “There's a reason for that,” and went
on to explain how 200 million years ago all the forests were coniferous evergreens. Then
the flowering plants began to evolve, outperformed the conifers in matters of reproduc-
tion, and now there are 250,000 flowering plants to only 700 conifers. She tangented a
little on the sex life of slugs—“You know I can't resist this stuff.” You don't want to
know.
Day 12: May 25
th
, Wrangell
“While it is true that it rains a lot in Wrangell,” begins The Wrangell Guide. No, it's
not, it's not true at all. In fact, on empirical evidence recently experienced it never rains in
the whole of southeastern Alaska, ever, it's just a big lie they're telling to keep the rest of
us from moving there. Yes, another glorious day. There were walks through the rain
forest, to the petroglyph beach, bike rides to Rainbow Falls, and kayaking in the harbor.
Or you could have come up to the Wrangell Public Library where Kay Jabusch and Co.
was hosting us to a Q&A session with yet more adoring fans, both local and from the ship,
and a spread of delicacies the likes of which has not been seen even on board the SS Uni-
verse Explorer. Between the double chocolate cookies and the sun I was ready to move
there.
