Alaska’s capital greeted us with sunny skies and 60’s degree temperatures. Perfection.
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A sobering reminder down by the waterfront |
As always, we are starting our visit with a historic trolley tour.
Zane, our Green Trolley driver had the most droll delivery and jokes. Too much fun! He barely looked old enough to drive.
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| This man reminded us of our friend Ike and his George Carlin quote on the board behind him made me truly laugh out loud!!! |
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| You can see Douglas Island behind Taiku, male humpback whale
Douglas Island is in the inlet where most of the lumber came from to build Juneau. It's 17 miles long by 8 miles wide with lots of coastline. Its second growth forest makes it look lush again. They found lots of gold on this island too. On Douglas Island there is a ski resort that starts up in Sept. and didn’t shut until April thanks to all the snow this year.Tide changes can be 17-28 feet, some of the largest in the world.
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| Taiku, is the average size of a male, but the females can be twice as large. |
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| The artist/teacher in me is always curious how they create something this monumental |
Juneau’s named after two prospectors, Richard Harris, and Joe Juneau. They came for looking for gold and discovered the local Tglinkit natives were using gold for bullets. They soon discovered their source and the Gold Rush was on... Gold mining lasted from 1880-1924. Roberts Mountain has over 40 miles of gold mines. The mines were shutdown during WWII when they didn’t have workers. The Alaskan Hotel built in 1912 is the oldest state hotel. It’s said to be haunted. The downtown from the port is one narrow one way street and another coming back. Red Dog Saloon, one of the oldest eating and drinking establishment with a sawdust floor...Sorry, we missed it!
Lots of shops, restaurants and such...Huge winds here in the winter called Taku that can range up to 80 mph or more...You can see the results on YouTube.
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| From their website https://www.reddogsaloon.com/ |
Their State Capital is still incomplete and has no dome, not to mention its really utilitarian looking...as in ugly.
The Governor's Mansion is where the governor stays when the state is in session and again it's really not much to look at.
Many of the small, clapboard style houses clinging to the hillsides were built in the 1880’s for miners. About 32,000 people live here year round, making it one of the smallest state capitals. Mt Juneau is about 3500 ft tall. (In the summer there is usually lots of mountain goats with their kids hanging out on it ,but we didn't see them.)
The Governor's Mansion is where the governor stays when the state is in session and again it's really not much to look at.
I couldn't get any good photos myself, but this one gives you an idea
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| People make money in all kinds of creative ways |
Highway 7 dead ends in 40 miles one way and 7 the other way. Most goods come in by barge. Vehicle/people ferries are used to get between cities and islands. There are lots of salmon hatcheries here. One of the bigger one, Dipac gives tours and hosts the
“Golden North World Famous Salmon Derby”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_North_Salmon_Derby
“Golden North World Famous Salmon Derby”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_North_Salmon_Derby
Super Trivia info:
Skunk cabbage is a favorite of black bears for getting their intestines moving again. In the fall they eat moss and gravel to stop themselves up before going into hibernation. WOW. Who knew?
Skunk cabbage is a favorite of black bears for getting their intestines moving again. In the fall they eat moss and gravel to stop themselves up before going into hibernation. WOW. Who knew?
Usually the most snow accumulation in town is around 2 feet, but up by the Glacier can be as much as 100 feet.
The Glacier was named after Mendenhall, who was a OSU (Go Buckeyes) physics professor there who helped survey up here. Mendenhall Glacier is considered a major Glacier. It’s 13 miles long by 2000 feet deep of ice. Tongass National Forest Park, is where the Mendenhall Glacier is located. This Glacier will be gone by 2045 thanks to climate change. The blue looking parts are due to the compressed ice and only the blue is reflected back. Juneau is in a rain forest, but it has no lightening or thunder because of the cold glacier because of this fact, the most popular footwear are rubber boots.
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| Mendenhall Glacier, what a gorgeous sight on this beautiful day! |
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Suiting up so we didn't get quite so soaked!!! Captain Sage back in a boat again and the best part, he didn't have to be in charge  What a wonderful memory!!!  It was a excellent adventure!!!   |
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Our way of seeing the Glacier up close with our latest NJ friends Jackie, our darling guide   It doesn't get much better than this day...
Brotherhood Bridge over the Mendenhall River has a beautiful view of the Glacier
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In the 1980’s the Juneau Airport reported a collision between a salmon and a plane. The salmon was dropped by an eagle & the pilot was afraid of damage to the fuselage, so he had to return to the airport
Forget Me Knot is the tiny blue star flower that's the state flower.
Their aerial tram ride is one of the favorite attractions.
Their aerial tram ride is one of the favorite attractions.
That's our Golden Princess waiting for our return
The carving, are as so well designed and executed
Mike enjoying his latest IPA from up here...
As we are discovering each town as it's own unique character and ambiance...being up here was the perfect ending to an already incredibly perfect day
Loving your stories Deby!
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