Day #1: A Tour of the City

Today was beautiful! It was beautiful and sunny in Juneau, and the sun just set here at 10:30. We got a chance to take a bus out this afternoon and see some of the drop spots for the tours, including all the docks and tour places like the Mendenhall Glacier, the Dog Sled drops, and Allen Marine where the whale watching excursions leave from. All of the locations are tight and turning around is complicated and difficult in a 42 foot motorcoach, but I'm sure it will all get easier with practice. The uniforms really do it for me though; I feel so official. I even get a fancy name tag.

Tomorrow Alyssa and I get a motorcoach for the morning to drive wherever we want in town, to get a feel for the area and all the drop zones. In the afternoon we will do some ride-alongs with the drivers who have been here for a while to see what the tours are like. And word on the street is that Saturday we will start helping with some of the basic shuttle runs to get our feet wet, since Saturdays are kind of hectic (though they don't compare to Monday-Wednesday). I'm really, really excited to be comfortable behind the wheel, get some of my own tours and just have a normal day, but it might be a few days before that happens...

Everyone here is really nice. We are staying at the Baranof Hotel in downtown Juneau with about 20 other Holland America/Princess employees and about 10 Alaska Cruise Tours employees, so we got invited out to play some ultimate frisbee and have a bonfire out on the beach. Everyone genuinely wants to know your name, where you are from, and what you do - and it seems that the community of cool young people is not limited to HAP employees but extends to the all the companies in town who run the excursions like TEMSCO (helicopter tours), Allen Marine, and Glacier Gardens. I've already met more people than I can remember and every single one of them is so happy to be here that the energy is contagious.

Tomorrow we have to be at work at 8am, and it's a half an hour walk to base, so I'm going to catch some sleep and catch up with you all tomorrow. I miss my family, my good friends, and of course my sweetheart, but I can already tell that this summer will be over before I know it and I'll be missing the long Alaskan days from the comfort of home. I'm sending my love to you all!