Fish & Tails

Days 20 – 24, Sitka – Juneau – Petersburg, AK

The Inside Passage portion of our Alaskan journey continued with a return trip on the M/V Chenega from Sitka to Juneau.  (dot.alaska.gov/amhs/)  We are very impressed by the Alaska ferry system, and this boat is particularly nice.  We delighted in seeing a couple of Humpback whales in the distance.

After over-nighting in Juneau we had just a few hours for more sightseeing.  We'd seen beautiful Mendenhall Glacier a few days earlier so despite the drizzle we decided to go up the Mt. Roberts Tramway, probably the number 1 attraction within Juneau.  I think it has everything to do with the location; the cruise ship wharf is right in front of the tram so it is the first thing any visitor sees.  We knew visibility would be very limited because of the weather so the $33/person fare seemed pricey but we decided to make the best of it.  Lunch was good, the gift store normal, and the Alpine Trail great!  We took the short route up and around and enjoyed several viewpoints overlooking Juneau and the Gastineau Channel.  Several of the trees had small totems carved in the bark.

View of Gastineau Channel from Mt. Roberts

Tree Totem

 We decided to re-visit the Sealaska Heritage Institute, a very new museum located in the heart of the city.  Its goal is to preserve and honor the cultures of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people.  The crafts and artwork are beautiful, and the exhibits in the museum are very interesting.  We learned that every other year (even numbers) there is a large cultural celebration in Juneau where over 50 different dance groups perform; maybe there’s another trip in our future?

In the early evening we boarded the M/V Matanuska, one of the oldest and largest ships in the Alaska Marine fleet.  This ferry built in 1963, was refit in 1978, is 408’ long, and holds 499 passengers and approximately 88 vehicles.  One entire deck of the ship is staterooms and cabins.  We have rented a cabin (inside, no window) for the 12-hour overnight journey.  Again, we are very impressed by the ferry.  It is clean, comfortable, smooth, and the crew is friendly.  Our cabin was nice (bunk beds and ¾ bath) but we only spent a few hours sleeping, preferring to sit in the front lounge watching the views down Stephens Passage and Frederick Sound.  The surrounding views of the Boundary Range of the Coastal Mountains, Le Conte Glacier, and Tongass National Forest are spectacular.  The outstanding feature is The Devil’s Thumb, part of the Stikine Icecap at the boundary between BC, Canada and Alaska.

As we approached Petersburg on Mitkof Island, in the early morning hours, we saw many commercial fishing boats coming out for the day.  Petersburg has four separate harbors but none of them are deep-water ports so the large cruise ships do not go there.  However, some smaller cruise ships do stop, and it is a significant stop on the ferry route being halfway between Juneau and Ketchikan, and at the top of the Wrangell Narrows.

Walking around Petersburg, something smells fishy . . . precisely the reason there is a town here!  Petersburg was founded just before the turn of the 20^th C when Peter Buschmann spotted Le Conte Glacier and the calving ice.  He realized this would be the perfect location for a cannery and fish packing facility.  Petersburg is often called “Little Norway” because many Norwegians settled here and worked in the Icy Straits facilities.  Over the years Icy Straits changed hands many times and eventually became Petersburg Fisheries Inc.  Today, PFI is part of Icicle Seafoods Inc., one of the nation’s largest seafood processing plants located in Seattle.  Today there are a handful of major processing and packing facilities in Petersburg providing the economic force of the community.   The town has a permanent population of about 3200 people and probably a third of them are employed in the fishing industry.   Halibut, salmon, rockfish shrimp and crab are the main catches.

One of the cannery facilities

 

Halibut Sculpture

Somber Memorial

The Norwegian heritage is widely respected and honored in Petersburg.  The Sons of Norway Hall is one of the prettiest buildings and also the center of many social activities.  The town hosts a four day Little Norway Festival every May, and you can often hear Norwegian being spoken.

Our visit to Petersburg included renting a car for a day so we could explore Mitkof Island, and what is commonly called “out the road” or the 32 miles to the south end of the island.  The Petersburg Visitor Center was very helpful and suggested many stops of scenic or historic interest along the road.  It was a beautiful morning for a drive and we enjoyed the sites.  In the afternoon we drove a few miles inland to the Three Lakes Trails and hiked across the muskeg (a bog-like marshy environment in the Northern climates) on a boardwalk to Crane Lake.  It must have take a tremendous amount of work to lay the boardwalk across the muskeg, and I walked it waving my bear bell just in case a bear was enjoying lunch on the berries.

Blind Slough

Boardwalk steps

Crane Lake

Muskeg

 

Bob and I both agreed that Petersburg is at one of the most scenic locations we have visited on this Alaskan journey.  It’s a hard working fishing village that welcomes tourists.  There are many options for the sport fisherman to take a charter or for whale watching.  Frederick Sound is home to a summer feeding group of Humpback Whales on their migration between the Alaskan waters and Maui, Hawaii.

Lucky Bob does not get seasick, or rarely anyway!  So I encouraged him to sign up for a whale-watching cruise.  To continue in Bob’s words . . . I chose Whale Song Cruises and at first I choked at the cost of a whale watching tour ($350/person) but it was worth every penny . . . a full day of cruising, looking for humpbacks, and we saw a total of 21 whales!  The boat was a 14-passenger jet boat designed to go up the white water rapids in the Snake River (ID) and was well suited for whale watching.  The ride was pretty rough going full speed (30 knots), but otherwise I appreciated the pace of travel. 

Frederick Sound is one of the best locations in the world to see Humpback whales.  They spend their winters in Hawaii, and their summers in SE Alaska . . . sounds like a pretty good life to me.  Approximately 1500-2500 Humpbacks travel here in the summers to feed on krill and herring in the Frederick Sound area.  During feeding they dive between 5 - 30 minutes before re-surfacing.  The trick to spotting whales is to look for the water spray/steam when they first surface and “blow” or exhale.

We almost ran over the first whale we saw, as we were cruising at 30 knots and he surfaced about 300 yards in front of the boat.  After that we saw two humpbacks together, then a mother and calf which was very special.  The calves are born in the warm waters of Hawaii and stay with their mothers for the next year during the migration to Alaska and back to HI.  

The boat proceeded north from Petersburg, traveling about a mile off the coastline of Kupreanoff Island.  After the first 5 whales we did not see any more until we were past the village of Kake, about 45 miles from Petersburg.  Around Sail Island we saw a couple more singles, but they spent most of their time in deep diving.  Then we spotted some big splashing going on about ¾ mile away, so we took off to investigate. 

When we got closer, we started seeing not one, but groupings of 2 and 4 whales together, for a total of 8-10 whales in the area.  They were all surface feeding or “lunge-feeding” with huge open mouths, and doing tail splashes.  This was such a super photo-op, and I shot over 100 photos using the continuous shutter setting on the camera.  I only wish I had a larger telephoto lens; mine was only 135mm.  Still, I ended up with a dozen pretty good shots.  One whale came within 10 feet of the boat, just slowly rolling and waving his flipper.  We also saw a full breach in the distance, but of course no one got a shot of this.

Needless to say, this was the highlight of the day and afterwards we started back to Petersburg, seeing only 3 more whales on the way back.  Insight into this experience . . . I’m pretty small when up close and personal with a Humpback whale!  The sea lions laying around are pretty cute too.

Our only criticism of Petersburg is that it seems a bit “restaurant challenged.”  There are not many places to eat and certainly nothing that would be called “fine dining.”  The menus at the few cafes are limited and there’s only one bar in town.  I suspect that after working long shifts in the seafood processing plants, or for days out on a fishing boat, all you want to do is go home . . . and Petersburg would be a nice place to call home.

Five Fingers Lighthouse

Next up . . . another ride on the Matanuska to Ketchikan!  Thanks for joining us!
 

Outside the Inside Passage

Days 16 – 19, Juneau – Sitka – Juneau, AK

Once again we were boarding a ferry, this time to sail from Juneau to Sitka.  The M/V Chenega is one of a new class of ships, called “a fast ferry” because it takes a direct route from Juneau to Sitka but also because it is a different type of ship.  This ferry is a catamaran, powered by water jets as well as diesel engines.  The interior of the boat is nicely done with spacious lounges and comfortable seating.  There’s a children’s play area and plenty of room for people to throw down a sleeping bag if desired.  The boat traveled at about 32 knots/hr (36.8mph) on open water, slowing of course through the narrow parts of the straits.  The trip took about 4 ½ hours.

 

M/V Chenega

Inlay on Ferry Chenega

Beautiful snow-capped mountains

Outlying islands

Sitka was named from the Tlingit word Sheet’ká, or a seaside village on Baranof Island.  Sitka, located on the eastern shore of Baranof Island is the only village in SE Alaska on the sea side, or “outside” of the barrier islands along the coast of Canada that comprise the Alaskan Inside Passage.  All the other main towns are “inside” the Passage.  The Tlingit people have occupied Sitka for over 10,000 years.

We all learned about Seward’s Folly when we were in secondary school.  We’ve talked a lot about it on this trip . . . why did Russia sell Alaska?  Why didn’t Canada try to get Alaska?  Why did the US want Alaska?  Some of the answers became apparent during our visit to Sitka.

The Russian-American Company occupied Old Sitka in 1799, calling it Redoubt St. Michael.  The Russian trading company controlled what they called “the colonies”, areas of Alaska where they exploited the Natives mostly for fur.  In retaliation in 1802, the Tlingit destroyed the original settlement and killed most of the Russians.  Alexander Baranov, the governor of the Russian-American Company then returned in 1804 and after multiple tries he succeeded in gaining control of the settlement.  At that point the original settlement was renamed New Archangel.  Ultimately Sitka became the capital of Russia America, with Baranov designated as governor.  He had long before established his residency and seat of power at what is now called Castle Hill.

The people of Sitka want their town to be remembered as a “real” town, not just a place the tourists go.  It is a working town with a population of about 9,000 with schools, services, hospitals, airport, ferry and cruise ship harbors, and mostly commercial fishing.  Someone said Sitka is a “quaint little town with a big fishing problem” and it was meant with the utmost respect for this very dangerous profession, where fishing for salmon, halibut, and lingcod is predominant.  About 20% of the population makes a living by fishing or involvement with the greater seafood production industry; the port is one of the busiest and most valuable (terms of seafood value) in the US.

The ferry ride was very smooth and the time went by quickly.  Once we entered the narrows we started spotting bald eagles and counted seven in a very short distance.  The ferry terminal is a short distance from town so we took the Sitka Tours bus into our hotel and dropped our luggage.  Off we went in search of lunch, and found a food truck offering ling cod sandwiches and chowder.  Yummy!

Local food truck

One of Sitka’s main tourist attractions, and a holdover from Sitka’s Russian history, is St. Michael’s cathedral.  Originally built in 1848 this church suffered a devastating fire in 1966 but the town rushed to save many of the beautiful artifacts, which are on display today.  Bishop Innocent was well respected in Sitka and his home served as a school.  Today, the original Russian Bishop’s House is under renovation by the National Park Service.

St. Michael's Cathedral

St. Michael's Cathedral

Russian Bishop's House

We wandered around town and came to Totem Square.  On the hill above is the Alaskan Pioneer Home, one of six AK assisted living facilities offering continuity of care and run by the state.  We spotted the stairs to Castle Hill and climbed up for a beautiful view of Sitka Sound and the distant island mountains.  This is the spot where Russia turned over Alaska to the US. 

 

Castle Hill Commemoration Display

Pano view from Castle Hill

Historically, Russia was experiencing turmoil with the British Empire.  Canada was not yet a country and was a part of the British Empire.   Russia perceived selling Alaska to the US as a lesser threat than if the British Empire gained control of it.  Also, the US wanted to gain control of the continental coastline and increase its potential for trans-Pacific trade.  Ultimately, Russia offered to sell Alaska to the US and the transfer of power occurred in 1867 at a cost of $7.2 million ($0.02 per acre).

While under Russian rule Sitka was a busy seaport but soon after the transfer to the US, steamships began bringing tourists.  Now tourism is a major contributor to the local economy.  We enjoyed dinner watching fishing vessels head out for the evening, going under the cable bridge which connects Baranof Island with Japonski Island.  The expansion of Sitka across the strait happened when the Tlingit settled there after losing the battle with Russia, and now the US Coast Guard, the airport, hospital, and the University of Alaska SE are all important installations on the west side of the strait.

Our next day in Sitka was filled with sightseeing.  People we had met on the ferry from Skagway to Juneau recommended a visit to the Alaska Raptor Center, a rehabilitation, research and educational center on the outskirts of Sitka.  It was an easy mile walk to it and located in a beautiful setting surrounded by the Tongass National Forest.  The presentations were interesting and the ability to see raptors, especially eagles, up close was worthwhile.

  

Across the road is the Sitka National Historic Park.  This is a beautiful forested park, managed by the National Park Service.  The walking trails are pleasant and Tlingit and Haida totem poles are scattered throughout.  Each totem has an interpretative display and the visitor’s center is filled with information about the totems and other Native artifacts.  The visitor center also had two native carvers doing demos – one carving a canoe paddle, and one making a bentwood box.  It was very interesting to listen to these artists explain their craft and the associated intricacies. This park is historically significant as the site where the Russians battled the Tlingit.

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Local carver & Tlingit story teller

Another opportunity for a pleasant walk was to visit the Russian Cemetery, located on a hillside above downtown Sitka.  The graves are now 200 years old and with few exceptions have become very neglected.  The headstones have fallen over and are covered with moss; some of the graves have tilted and the forest is taking over.  It is sacred territory and a reminder of the strong influence of Russian history in this community.

Russian Cemetery

Russian Cemetery

We had an interesting conversation with the desk clerk at our motel.  She hoped we were going to be able to watch the Native dancers later in the morning; five of her grandchildren would be dancing wearing their ceremonial regalia.  Apparently the performances are held on Wednesday and Thursday during cruise ship season.  Sadly, we are leaving Sitka before the first dance.

On the return trip to Juneau we saw a number of fishing vessels going out for their catch.  I can’t help but think about the danger of commercial fishing.  The boats seem so small and the passage waters are so wide, deep, and cold.  The mountainous islands forming the straits are snow-capped and a few have glaciers hanging.  We saw two whales off in the distance, blowing their horns!  Our insight for today was that we humans are pretty insignificant in this big wide world.  There is a lot of wild country out there.

It's All About the Gold!

Days 10 – 15, Whitehorse, Yukon to Skagway, AK to Juneau, AK

In August, 1896 George Carmack and his two Native American guides, Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie, discovered gold on Bonanza Creek (formerly Rabbit Creek) near present day Dawson City, Yukon.  This sparked the greatest gold rush in history (the Klondike).  As word spread more than 100,000 hopeful miners set out to strike it rich.  They took a myriad of long, difficult routes from Seattle north along the Canadian coastline and up the Inside Passage of Alaska.  Their destination was Dyea, where they attempted the arduous Chilkoot Trail and its infamous 1500 Golden Stairs over the pass to follow the Tlingit Nation’s trade route to the Yukon River and the Klondike gold fields. Only 30,000 successfully made it to the Klondike.

Around the bend from Dyea is Skagway, which had a better port and soon became an alternate route to the interior by following the White Pass Trail, which was ten miles longer.  By 1898 it was obvious a new path was needed through the mountains to access the interior.  Thus, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was built and running in just over two years.  But by then the gold rush was over.  The WP&YR went from Skagway over the pass to Bennett Lake and on to the frontier town of Whitehorse.  The railroad put the town on the map; it was a busy stopover before miners headed downriver on the Yukon to Dawson City.   With the start of the railroad, Dyea and the Chilkoot Trail died off, Skagway “the Gateway to the Klondike” became more of a permanent town with saloons, breweries, brothels, and other supply businesses.

Whitehorse, Yukon was a respite town for the miners, and it was for us as well.  We’d had long days of driving and were ready to relax for a couple days before heading south to Skagway.   We liked Whitehorse; it’s a town of about 28,000 and lies beside the mighty Yukon River.  The city has developed its waterfront with a walking trail and a trolley, and a wonderful visitors’ center.  We checked out the old paddle wheeler SS Klondike (built long after gold rush days) and the world’s longest wooden fish ladder at the Whitehorse Dam.  Both were interesting and neither took much time. 

Paddle Wheeler Klondike

Salmon display

Fish Ladder @ Whitehorse Dam

The MacBride Museum, right down on the waterfront, was a treasure trove of gold rush history as well as very informative about the First Nations culture.  The recently built Kwanlin Dün Cultural Center offers informative displays and museum exhibits honoring the Kwanlin people.  We got very lucky at this center because the docent was a young Kwanlin woman who shared the depth of her extensive knowledge and history of her people.

Kwanlin Dun Beading

Kwanlin Dun Masks

Kwanlin Dun Dugout Canoe

If there is a hot spring around, we will go, so off to Takhini Hot Pools just a short distance from town! 

Takhini Hot Pools

It was a relaxing soak but what might have been the real delight of the afternoon was a break at the Bean North Coffee Roasting Company, next door to the hot springs.  The owners’ story is quite interesting; I’m fascinated that they can be a popular destination for Whitehorse locals even though they are located half an hour from town. (www.beannorth.com)

Great coffee!

Bean North patio & gardens

No visit to Canada is complete without a stop at Tim Horton’s . . . we made ourselves do it!

Love the TimBits!

Leaving Whitehorse, we headed south over the Klondike Highway toward Skagway.  The mountains are beautiful, there are long glacial lakes, and the drive on this nice highway (no evidence of permafrost upheaval) made us think again about the gold rush of 1898.  We were driving over White Pass and in places we crossed the Chilkoot and the White Pass trails where miners had trekked before us in search of gold.  The highway is generally across the valley from the WP&YR train and our conversation was peppered with “how did they do it?”  And of course, many did not make it and many more arrived in the gold fields too late as all the claims had been filed and the gold mined.

Emerald Lake

Tagish Lake

Tutshi Lake

We took a break in Carcross, a town that now caters to tourists but had been an important stop during the early days.  Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie are both buried in the town cemetery.  Originally named Caribou Crossing, Carcross was a stop along the WP&YR until 1982 but now it is used seasonally for the tourists traveling the railroad.  One interesting natural phenomenon at Carcoss is the world’s smallest desert, once the bottom of a large glacial lake.  (www.canadacool.com/location/yukon-carcrossdesert/)  We particularly enjoyed a visit to Matthew Watson’s General Store, where in addition to curios and things for tourists to buy there are many historical artifacts and displays.

Carcross Crossing

Carcross Totem

Fun Store

Just like 1898!

Leaving Carcross, we crossed from the Yukon into British Columbia and the terrain was peppered with glacial lakes, high peaks, and exposed granite outcroppings.  The US/Canadian border is of course defined but Canadian Customs is about 10 miles before the border at the nearby hamlet of Fraser, BC.  US Customs is about ten miles south of the border on the downward stretch of the highway after reaching the summit.  Therefore, it’s a bit of no man’s land in between however we learned that both the US and Canada cooperate with keeping the highway, particularly at the summit of White Pass, open all year long.

We reached the Dyea/Skagway junction and decided to go explore Dyea and the Chilkoot Trail before going into Skagway where we would be leaving our rental car.  Dyea is an abandoned town site, now part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.  The Chilkoot Trail is marked along the Taiya River.  The Trail is 33 miles long, mostly uphill from the Dyea town site to Bennett Lake, the headwaters of the Yukon River.  Canada had jurisdiction over the original trail, and they implemented a regulation that every miner who went over either Chilkoot or White Pass trails had to have enough food and supplies to last a year, about a ton.  This meant that the miners and their packers had to make multiple trips up and down the tortuous last quarter mile, 1000 vertical feet, and dubbed the Golden Stairs for the 1500 stairs that had been carved in the ice. 
 

Bob thinking about the miners of 1898

Taiya River @ Dyea

After exploring the Dyea area, we drove on to Skagway.  From a distance out of town there was a clear view of the deep-water harbor and the cruise ships that were in port. 

Skagway Harbor

 Skagway is not large, only 4 blocks wide by 22 blocks long.  We were surprised by the constant wind but then learned that the name actually comes from the Tinglit word Skagua, which means “windy place.”  It’s very easy to explore Skagway on foot; there are plenty of restaurants, shops and we counted 26 jewelry stores in a 5-block stretch, trying to get tourists to spend money.  We enjoyed eating at the historic Red Onion, once a brothel, and today and busy pub where the girls continue to dress as if it were 1898.





 

Good food & fun!

The Girls

The Skagway Brewing Company dating back to 1897, was also enjoyable and is popular with the locals. (www.skagwaybrewing.com)  No visit to Alaska is complete without trying a Duck Fart - that is the official AK State Drink (Kahlua, Crown Royal, & Bailey's) or maybe you'd prefer a Reindeer Fart (Kahlua, Crown Royal & Peppermint Schnapps).   It's interesting to note that Prohibition hit Alaska early with its "Bone Dry Law" in 1916.

Alaska Drinks!

Enjoying a Duck Fart!

Skagway does have a permanent population of about 900 that drops to 700 in the winter months and surges to 2000 in the summer when all the seasonal workers come for the cruise ship months, mid-May to mid-September.  Most of the shops close off-season.  We were staying at Sgt. Preston’s Lodge, a very simple motel that does stay open year-around housing construction workers who come in the winter to do maintenance and building during the off-season.

The National Historic Park district does an excellent job of preserving the past and providing information and walking tours to explore the gold rush history of Skagway.  We also enjoyed a visit to the Skagway Museum, located in City Hall.  One of Skagway’s more famous stories is that of Jefferson (Soapy) Smith, a Colorado con man who was just a bit too slippery for Skagway and was shot and killed by city surveyor Frank Reid.  Both are buried in the local cemetery.

Skagway Museum & City Hall

Visitor Center

The highlight of our visit to Skagway was to ride the WP&YR from Skagway up to its White Pass summit and return to Skagway.  The views from this narrow gauge train route were beautiful and you come to appreciate the miners who climbed the route before the railroad and also the engineering and construction challenges encountered in building the railroad.  It is a steep grade and has many hairpin turns, two tunnels and many trestles.  The railroad was built for the gold rush but for years it served the needs of corporations shipping ore to the harbor.  During WWII the railroad moved materials for the US Army’s construction of the Alcan Highway.  Now it is a worthy tourist attraction and scenic journey. (wpyr.com/)

Looking back at the train

Looking ahead at the train

Original Trestle

Snow grinder on train

Lesson learned about riding the rails . . . we booked our tickets online and thought we were set.  While in Whitehorse we stopped in the depot to check our reservation only to find we didn't have one.  It seems we had overlooked the e-mail advising us to telephone the WP&YR to confirm our credit card.  After a few days of the reservation being held it expired.  We were lucky because space was still available on the train, time and date we wanted.  Had we not double checked we probably would have missed out on the experience.

Alaska US/BC Canada border from the train

The weather in Skagway had been windy and drizzly.  We were hoping for a break as we boarded the M/V Le Conte (LEC) ferry, part of Alaska’s Marine Highway system, bound for Juneau.  (www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/)  The ferry follows the Inside Passage and we had looked very forward to this and the following ferry rides from Juneau to Sitka to Petersburg to Ketchikan.  It was the idea of taking the ferry to or from Alaska that had initially sparked our interest in making another trip to AK.  We have never taken a cruise and the thought of being on a large ship didn’t appeal to us.  Living in the Pacific NW we are very familiar with ferry travel, though the longest ferry ride we have been on is across the Strait of San Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC, a journey slightly less than two hours.  (www.cohoferry.com/)  The first leg of our ferry trip from Skagway to Juneau would be 4 hours and with the long hours of daylight we expected to see the coastline of Alaska and the outer islands.

Drizzly ferry ride

 We boarded in fog and drizzle and we never got out of it, though the sky did lift a bit about an hour from Juneau.  The LEC was built in 1974, 235’ long, 57’ beam, with a capacity of 300 passengers, and approximately 40 vehicles.  All ferries have solariums or observation lounges, food and beverage service, and some have cabins though the LEC does not.  We found seats on the port side of the ship, around a table with seating for 8 people.  Our first tablemates were a young couple from Germany traveling with their year old son who slept through the journey’s first leg to Haines.  It was fascinating to talk with them and also to help a bit with their unplanned trip through Eastern AK and Western Yukon.  They were attending a wedding in Dawson City and used the occasion as a trip to explore.  They had rented a small RV and were quite taken with the concept of “government camps.”  I had so much respect and admiration for this couple who spent an hour speaking English, rarely faltering, and I could not say a single word in German!  They departed in Haines and were making their way to a “government camp” for the night.  We wished them safe travels and knew our ferry trip had been enriched by our interaction with them.

The weather had not lifted at all, and another couple joined us for the remaining three-hour journey to Juneau.  They were a retired couple currently living in La Ventana, Mexico on the Baja Peninsula, and traveled most summers to Canada and Alaska.  They had been gone from home for six weeks and planned to continue traveling for another six weeks.   In addition to their shared passion for fishing, they were avid travelers, and we enjoyed our time with them.  After exchanging e-mail addresses, we may be able to continue the acquaintances and perhaps see them in Mexico someday!  Travel is not just about the physical journeys but it is always about the people you meet along the way!

The weather did lift a bit just before reaching Juneau.  We were lucky to spot two orcas (killer whales) close to the boat just north of Juneau.  The days here are shorter than in Skagway so it was fairly dark by the time we got to our motel around 11:00pm.  Daylight came about 4:30 but we had a good night’s sleep and were ready to head to town to explore.

Juneau was also a gold mining town and in fact its mining history began earlier than the Gold Rush of 1898.  Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, two gold seekers who were aided in their search by Tlingit Chief Kowee, founded Juneau in 1880.  Juneau and Douglas (across the channel) were home to three of the world’s largest gold mines during the prime mining years.  By the time WWII broke out, all three of them had been closed.  Today you can take tours of the AJ Mine/ Gastineau Mill.

Juneau is Alaska’s state capital and also a major stop for cruise ships and tourists.  One of the major draws is the Mendenhall Glacier, just outside town.  We took the Glacier Shuttle out to view it; there are several shuttle options available at the cruise ship harbor.  The glacier is beautiful and so accessible for anyone to view from a number of overlooks and photo opportunities.  The Tongass National Forest surrounds the area so the USFS has jurisdiction over the glacier.  The visitor center is very well done with informative exhibits and displays and an interesting film.  I’d say visiting Mendenhall Glacier is the “must see” attraction of the Juneau area.  Unfortunately, it was drizzling rain all day when we visited.  Still impressive.

Ice blocks floating in glacial lake

Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier

We also enjoyed and appreciated seeing the State Capitol building and the city of Juneau’s museum.  The Capitol building is under extensive renovation and seismic reinforcement; one of the things that struck us was the building does not have a dome unlike other state capitols.

 

Bob and bear!

Alaska State Capitol

Downtown Juneau

Our fun for the day was going to the infamous Red Dog Saloon . . . what a hoot!  The floor is covered in sawdust, the piano player engages everyone in singing, and Wyatt Earp’s pistol is mounted above the bar.  The Red Dog is definitely another “must see” attraction in Juneau. 

Infamous Red Dog Saloon

Be sure to look up!

Wyatt Earp's pistol

The Native American art and crafts at the SEALASKA are top notch; we were very impressed with some of the glasswork by Preston Singletary and other Tlingit artists.

Sealaska

Beautiful glass art

Near the cruise harbor is a great lunch spot, popular with tourists and locals.  It's Tracy's King Crab Shack.  They have a good system for handling the crowd.  We enjoyed sharing a crab roll and a cold Alaskan Amber.  Enjoy!

 

Crab roll

Yummy!

Juneau tide markers

 If you’ve been following our blog you may remember that Bob’s background is in mining. (Flexibility - The Key to Multiple Careers)  I think following the gold rush of 1898 had a great deal of meaning for Bob; he definitely gained a lot of insight into the determination of miners in search of their future.  It’s rather ironic because as I write this blog post, the price of gold has fallen to its five-year low of $1106/ounce.  When Juneau’s three gold mines were at the peak of their production, the price of gold was between $20 - $35/ounce. 

Next up on this Alaskan journey is a series of ferry rides down the Inside Passage and exploring the small towns along the way.  Thanks for sailing with us!