Family Visit

Several hints in my last post about family visiting, and then nothing for months.  I've been busy, and lazy, and overall just unmotivated to write.  I started to write a different post (which will be coming right after this one), and then remembered I should make good on my previous promises first.
Earlier this summer, my mom and brother decided to fly up and visit while we were still in Juneau.  We filled the time with the usual touristy things, went to the Mendenhall glacier, went out on a whale watch tour, rode the tram, went to the hatchery, visited the city museum, ate at all the decent restaurants, drove out the road to look at the wildlife.  The days were packed with activities beyond just chasing a toddler around.
Their timing was good for salmon watching, the fish ladder and holding pens at the hatchery were filled with salmon and it made for some great viewing.  we really took advantage of the tour company I was working for.  We tried to go on a beach safari trip that they offer, but unfortunately had mechanical issues and had to turn back.  We did get in a good whale watch trip, with lots of humpback activity including a mom and calf doing simultaneous breaching.  My brother and I also got to go on a hovercraft tour to a nearby glacier, a very interesting experience giving a different perspective on our surroundings.
Some of the highlights that are shown in the photos included a great show by the humpback whales on our tour (photo by my brother), an up close visit from a bear while we were taking pictures out the road, and a panoramic shot from the hovercraft trip.
Even though we had seen my family recently when we stopped in MN on our way to AK, it's always nice to have folks put in the effort to come see you, especially when you are a moving target like we are and tend to stop in pretty remote locations.