Day #24: Finally, a Sunny Day

Today was glorious on too many levels. First of all, it is SUNNY, so I am absolutely thrilled to see some peaks around Juneau. Because of this, I was all psyched for my only tour today: a Best of Juneau Tour, which is a whale watching excursion plus a salmon feast out at Orca Point Lodge, and then a few minutes out at the glacier. So I automatically had energy in my favor, but this group was great. They laughed at all of my jokes and absolutely loved me! But I did some things differently today, which I think helped; first of all I tried to make a more personal connection with all of my guests - asked where they were from and then tried my best to remember and remind them that I remembered as I went along. I also let them sit on the edge of their seats the whole tour after I told them I studied voice in college, and I ended the tour with my personal rendition of "So Long, Farewell," from the Sound of Music. Basically it all boiled down to the best day ever: they got to see bubble net feeding (a crazy whale feeding ritual which is not seen by many people), they saw lots of wildlife, the sun was out and it was warm, plus they had the best tour guide of all. :) When they got off the bus at the end of our tour, each one of them gave me a hug, wished me good luck, and told me how much of a blast the tour was. It was easily the best tour I've given and the best group of people I've had. (And I think I've finally figured out some of the great tricks to being an awesome guide!) After they were gone, I was giddy and ecstatic because the energy was contagious - then I counted what I made, and it was TWICE what I've made on my highest paying tour so far. What a GREAT day! I only pray that I didn't get any weird cruise ship illnesses from all the hugs, but that's what washing my hands is for, right?