Rocky Goes to Alaska

Day 85, 18 August 2015

Haines to Juneau (by ferry named LeConte)

Not a great day to travel, if you want to see the scenery. It rained. It was quite foggy. It was chilly. And the ferry had mechanical problems – the bow thruster was not working. But after an hour delay for repairs, we were able to load. Visibility was not great, but you could see enough of the mountains and islands that you knew it would be really scenic if the sun were shining and the seas were calm. We were told that this is more normal weather around here and that we have been really lucky to experience the prior week’s sunshine. We did meet some nice folks from Canada – Marjorie, from Windsor, ON, and her daughter Nicole, an environmental impact assessor in Dawson City, YT. Downtown Juneau is about a 20 min. drive from the ferry terminal in Auke Bay. As we approached the town, we were surprised to find five huge cruise ships at the piers. I mean HUGE – each much larger than any building in town. That meant we were about to explore Juneau along with about 15,000 other tourists. Rather than strolling through the gift shops in the rain, we headed right for the Red Dog Saloon – a “must see” in Juneau. Sawdust on the floor, cool signage, good entertainment, and we had the pleasure of dining and drinking with our new Canadian friends.

Jeep in Ferry line

Rainy day at the ferry

Playing cards inside the ferry

View from Ferry

Juneau

Huge cruise ship in Juneau

More cruise ships

Good entertainment at Red Dog Saloon

Having a drink and dinner with Marjorie and Nicole

ITSALAWNCHAIR!

Day 86, 19 August 2015

Juneau

Breakfast at the Sandpiper Café was delicious. It was next door to our hotel, and it was rated as one of the best breakfast spots in Juneau. We drove around town to explore a bit, then to the Mendenhall Glacier and, when there was a little break in the rain, wandered around some of the nearby trails. The trail to Nugget Falls was closed due to flooding from all the rain, but we could get a nice view of the falls from the glacier overlook. The Alaskan Brewery did not give tours through their operations, but their tasting room was open for samples, and we took advantage of that. The Island Pub in Douglas, across the channel from Juneau, was recommended by our bartender, so we enjoyed a gourmet pizza dinner at a waterfront table with, of course, an Alaskan beer.

Beautiful Mendenhall Glacier

Nugget Falls

Glacier and Falls

State Capitol building in Juneau

Beer Tasting

Day 87, 20 August 2015

Juneau to Sitka (by ferry named Chenega)

Had to wake at “O dark 30” to make the 5 AM ferry check in. The boat was very nice, though - similar to the Fairweather we took to Valdez from Whittier. The captain said it was 235 ft long, held 250 passengers and 35 vehicles, and traveled at 32 knots. The sea was relatively calm today, unlike the white caps on our way to Juneau. Despite the rain and fog, we were anxious to see the beautiful islands we were told about, but the fog just seemed to get worse. It was a pleasant trip, nonetheless. We even bumped into Nancy, an epidemiologist who we met at the Haines Brewery and who lives in Sitka, so we felt at home. Unfortunately Sitka is dealing with a tragedy – three died and four were missing from a mud slide two days ago, caused by drenching rain – over two inches in as many hours. Nancy knew them. Apparently, the trees grow out of a thin layer of soil over volcanic rock, and the roots don’t grow deep enough to hold tight, so mudslides are not uncommon. But this was the first time lives were lost in a slide.

It stopped raining about two thirds of the way to Sitka. The fog was slowly lifting, and occasionally some blue sky peeked out from the heavy cloud cover. Sunlight came through the skylight. Then the sky cleared, and it was beautiful for the rest of the day. The ferry navigated through narrow channels and around islands. Sometimes the red and green buoys were separated just enough for the boat to get through.

“Sitka” is an abbreviation of “Shee-Atika” (People on the side of the Shee), the expression the original Tlingit Indian inhabitants used to describe their location on the western side of what is now Baranof Island. Russian Count Alexander Baranof occupied the site in 1804 until the sale of Alaska on 18 October 1867 (Alaska Day). This is a very walkable town, and we found some neat places doing just that. Homeport Eatery is a great place for lunch. St Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral is filled with sacred icons, many of which were sent from Russia by wealthy patrons when the cathedral was first built in 1844. The Sitka National Historical Park (locally known as “Totem Park”) is Alaska’s smallest – and oldest – national park. Nice trails, a nice beach, with lots of totem poles carved by natives. We saw a Tlinget artist working on two of them in a shelter built for him by the park service. And from the footbridge over the Indian River, one can see hundreds of salmon spawning. We sampled some craft beers at the Baranov Brewing Company’s tasting room. A short climb up the Baranof Castle Hill gives a nice view of town and a historical account of the Tlinget/Russian/American ownership of the area. And the best restaurant in town for dinner is Ludwig’s Bistro. Not fancy from the outside, very small inside, a little pricey, but a real culinary treat.