Our time in port in Juneau was shorter as we were back sailing by 3:30 in the afternoon. Since we'd been here two times before and had no major things we wanted to see (and it was raining), we decided to stay on the ship and just enjoy the amenities available to us. There was a movie showing that Ken wanted to see: Bridge of Spies, and I was eager to meet and see the pictures that Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod was showing while we were in port.
Libby won back in the 80's at the age of 28. She competed many more times but never again won it but has remained actively involved in the race community and continues to raise sled dogs. She told us a bit about the physical strength needed to do the race as well as the tenacity and need for perseverance. She told us the story of her first day of racing to demonstrate the need to never give up as well as demonstrate what a tight community the racers were. Mid way on that day she stopped for a rest but did not make a proper tie up of her sled. While trying to undo her knot, the dogs took off and she grabbed a branch attached to the rope but fell flat on her face and was dragged for four miles before having to let go while the dogs continued on. Luckily another sledder was able to stop them and tie them up assuming the driver would eventually show up. She was offered a ride by another competitor after running and walking some of the distance. From there she once again was off eventually winning!!!! Her photos and videos were beautiful and certainly reenforced the ruggedness of the route and demands on the bodies of both the racer and the dogs.
At 3:30 when the ship left port there was a Pop Choir rehearsal. Another chance to interact with Miranda (who was from Sarnia, Ontario where my grandmother lived) and the other members of the group as we worked some more on the words, tune and motions for our performance that will be on Friday.
After our dinner, we attended the production show: Motor City, in the Princess Theater. We've seen it before but still loved seeing it again. The energy of the dancers and singers and the neat scenery make it a super show. The very first act they have a convertible on stage in a service garage setting.
And as always there was enjoyable time to spend on our balcony just enjoying the beautiful scenery while searching for signs of wildlife. This is the port area of Juneau as seen from our balcony once the rain quit and the sun came out. The ship was another Princess ship that was there with us along with two others not seen in this picture (another reason for not just getting out and wandering around - thousands of visitors would have been milling around with us)
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