Day 4: Wednesday, September 3

Juneau's frontier-like shopping district.

Wednesday's low clouds and temperatures in the high 40s were not enough to stop most of the ship's 1,800 passengers from leaving to stretch their legs. Participants were given the chance to enjoy the lush Tongass National Forestland, ride a tramway, fish, visit a salmon hatchery, dogsled, view the massive Mendenhall Glacier, feast at a salmon bake, search for humpback and killer whales, and/or shop in colorful frontier-replicated shops dotting Juneau's main streets.

Chilly temperatures and steady raindrops made hooded sweatshirts, baseball caps, umbrellas, rain ponchos, and fleece-lined jackets popular purchases. Favorite souvenirs tended to be postcards, key rings, mugs decorated with Alaskan scenery, Alaska T-shirts, Alaska "Gold Rush" coins, native ivory carvings, whale-tailed pendants, bear and wolf magnets, polar bear salt and pepper shakers, and totem poles.

Joelle and Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Today we head to Sitka, once a Russian settlement. Options will include dry suit snorkeling, bird watching, a tour of the Alaska Raptor Bald Eagle Center, and wildlife viewing in hopes of seeing sea otters, whales, sea lions, porpoise, harbor seals, brown bears, black-tailed deer, bald eagles, and a variety of marine birds.