Alaska Part 1: Juneau

Thurs, 7/3

The trip starts out with the usual indignities of air travel - shoe removal, swabs for explosives, waiting like cattle as the more privileged classes of travelers board. The first really amusing thing is a shop in the Sea-Tac airport selling grunge rock paraphernalia, apparently an airport branch of a famous Seattle record store. Glisteningly clean, well-lit shelves full of Nirvana records - in LP format as well as CDs, of course - boxed sets of the best of 1990's anti-establishment music, with a smattering of selections from other Washington-rooted rockers including Jimi Hendrix and Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart.  The place was staffed by hipsters of a clean-cut sort (no creepy beardie weirdies). The store was exactly what I envision a Disney version of Seattle would be.

A genuine nice touch at Sea-Tac is a big lounge area with a giant window wall looking out over the tarmac and runways. Rocking chairs. Live folk music, which provided the setting for a surprisingly relaxing half hour of plane watching while waiting for the flight to Juneau to board.

On both flights V & I both booked aisle seats - sitting together across the aisle rather than either of us squeezing into a middle seat. On the DC to Seattle leg V sat next to a chatty 40-something gay couple and gave them the full litany: stories of Teddy and David (our GAY son), pictures of our lizards, etc., etc., etc. On the Seattle to Juneau flight it was my turn to get the talkative neighbors. In the window seat was an 80-something former Navy pilot, still doing pilot style chic in a vintage leather flight jacket and khakis, who was heading to Juneau to charter a boat to do some fishing. Into the middle seat squeezed a goofy Christian manufacturer's rep for a boat building company on his way to make some dealer visits (I only know of the Christian part based on his reading material - fortunately he did not raise it as a topic of conversation). The good news is that the two of them conked out not long into the flight, leaving me to my own devices.

V & I shared a cab to the hotel with a British couple who were taking a cruise on the same line, departing Saturday. We checked into the Baranof Hotel, a vintage hotel more shopworn than charming, though serviceable. We took a stroll through downtown, taking advantage of the (apparently unusual) lack of drizzle. Downtown Juneau was dominated by a number of towering mega-cruise ships which were in port, and many of the downtown shops clearly catered to cruise ship tourists ashore for the day. we came to realize as we stayed there for a few days that the rhythm of Juneau is driven by the arrival and departure of these mega ships. Yes, it's the state capital and so there's a lit of government business and yes, there's a population of locals, fishermen, layabouts, and the like - but the real industry is servicing the cruise ships. I suspect this is the case for all of the coastal port call towns.

Despite the dominance of cheap tchotchkes in the downtown shops we mentally bookmarked some stores for later browsing. We also stopped in at the Tourist Information Center where V exchanged life stories with the woman behind the counter (originally from New Jersey, moved to Anchorage when her husband was stationed there during Vietnam, has been in Alaska ever since ...). At this point we had been on the road for sixteen hours; however it was still only 6 PM. We wanted to see the midnight July 4th fireworks, so after dinner at a Japanese restaurant (local salmon teriyaki!) we went back to the hotel and napped. 

Juneau Fireworks

The Info Center woman had warned us that on the night of a holiday "all hell breaks loose" downtown and when we emerged from our hotel at around 11 PM it was indeed a chaotic and drunken scene, though of course on a much smaller scale than, say, Times Square on New Year's Eve. It truly felt like Saturday night in a frontier town. It didn't feel dangerous, but it's been a while since I've been somewhere with such a high percentage of inebriated people in the streets. We made our way down to the Gastineau ship channel, which was also crowded with revelers. The day's cruise ships had departed, leaving a clear view of the water and the mountains across the way. There were also some interesting Alaskan touches - like a commercial fishing boat cruising back and forth with a brass band on deck. The fireworks display itself was nice and when it was done we headed off to bed.

V Watching the Fireworks

Fri, 7/4

I woke up feeling pretty stiff and sore and spent some time stretching while drinking a cup of the hotel room coffee. Do you know what happens to coffee beans that are rejected from regular commercial sale? They get inspected again and if they fail the second inspection as well they get packaged up for use in the complimentary coffee makers in hotel rooms - at least that's what it seems like based on the uniformly weak and bitter brews I've experienced from these devices. Still, bad coffee is better than no coffee at all and after a cup, stretching and a shower I felt a lot better.

V and I headed straight to our #1 breakfast destination of choice, Silverbow Bagel Bakery. We had become aware of this place while researching the trip: a reputedly good quality bagel shop owned by expat New Yorkers, one of whom is a SUNY Binghamton alum. We both ordered sesame bagels with local salmon lox. The bagels, coffee and hot chocolate were all really good. We asked after the owners but they weren't around; alas, a missed opportunity for Binghamton reminiscences.   After breakfast we browsed the few local shops which were open (it was only 9 AM and it was July 4th) including a vintage knickknack shop (the proprietor was sitting outside dressed as Uncle Sam) and a local book shop. The woman in the book shop (originally from Hoboken via Texas) was very nice and gave us some local tips after V, of course, exchanged life stories with her.

From there we headed to the Juneau July 4th parade, which was a nice small town parade with some Alaskan twists. In addition to the Boy Scout troops, politicians and pipe bands you see everywhere there were participants like the mine safety patrol, representatives of Tligit and Filipino groups (Juneau has a large Filipino population), local fishermen and supporters of some ballot proposition regarding oil drilling profits.  After the parade we browsed a few shops and had lunch at a local bar. Who would have expected felafel at an Alaskan saloon? There was a sign above the door saying the place had been established in 1881. While the feeling inside was modern dive bar, I still wouldn't have been surprised had a prospector with a big beard and suspenders hitched up his mule outside and trundled in for a shot of whiskey. We also came to realize that in addition to cruise ships, another dominant feature of Juneau is alcohol. The town has an impressively large number of bars, which seem to be among the first businesses to open in the morning. There's also a considerable wino population hanging out in the streets; Again, not hostile or threatening, but just there as befits a remote town with months of darkness and little economy outside of the government offices and seasonal tourism.

Native Dancers, July 4th Parade

I've already mentioned that we shared the streets with a lot of cruise ship passengers on port call for the day. Locals in the shops would ask us what ship we were on, and always seemed to warm up a little bit when we told them we weren't from a ship (though we did always 'fess up to being in town to get on a small ship cruise).

We had hoped to take the tram to the top of Mt. Roberts, but the day was drizzly and foggy so instead we went back to the hotel and relaxed - read and napped. Downtown Juneau doesn't have a lot of restaurants (you have some more options if you have a car) and so after some time online searching for a restaurant that had good reviews, wasn't too touristy, and didn't feature seafood (we don't eat shellfish) we settled on a pizza place. The pizza there was almost more of a flatbread, but it had good flavor and the accompanying salad was fresh and tasty. The walk to the restaurant also took us past a spot further down the ship channel and we took the opportunity to spend some time gazing at the view out over the water to the mountains. While we stood there and gazed a bald eagle swooped in and nabbed a fish from the water, then soared off into the mountains.

We had thought about going to a local art house movie theater for evening entertainment but ultimately wound up going back to the hotel and watching a slight, though entertaining TV movie (all-star cast, TV movie script).

Sat 7/5

I am increasingly in awe of my colleagues who jet back and forth "back home" to various South and East Asian countries and show up for work all chipper with very little recovery time. Day two into a mere four hour time change and my rhythms are still bolloxed up. In addition to napping for an hour and a half yesterday afternoon I conked out for half an hour or so during the TV movie we watched last night, went to bed at midnight and popped awake at 5:30 AM. Just like yesterday, I stretched while downing a cup of the vaguely coffee-like liquid the room's coffee maker produces (shame on me for forgetting to pack my supply of Via Brew instant coffee packets!), then headed over to Silverbow for an egg & cheese on a bagel and a real cup of coffee. A good breakfast was in order since I had a morning kayaking trip to the Mendenhall glacier on tap. while I munched my bagel I overheard two local guys debating whether to go for a run or stay and watch the World Cup soccer game. I wound up striking up a conversation with them about running (one was an ultra-marathoner who had run a 100 mile race in the mountains around Juneau the previous week), paddling, and general Juneau sight-seeing. Unfortunately I had to cut our conversation short since I knew the kayak outfitter was due to pick me up soon. It was a good thing I didn't linger since the van arrived ten minutes early, piloted by a young woman named Hannah who turned out to be very knowledgable about the flora, fauna, geography and weather of the area. It was about a 20-30 minute ride out to Auke Bay including picking up a family at the Travelodge along the way. We stopped to pick up gear and boats at the "kayak shop", which was really just a shed serving as an office and a tent full of gear. The boats were already loaded onto a trailer, which Hannah hitched to the van. As we headed out I noticed a bald eagle sitting on a piling by the public boat ramp. Mendenhall is not far from Auke Bay and so we were there in about ten minutes.

The view even from the put-in at Mendenhall Lake is spectacular, offering a vista across the lake encompassing both the glacier and Nugget Falls in the distance. I was grinning from ear to ear before we even got the boats off the trailer. Mendenhall is apparently receding fairly quickly. It wasn't that long ago that there was no Mendenhall Lake; it was part of the area covered by the glacier.  We got a quick safety briefing from Hannah, including how far to stay from the glacier and a description of how to do paddle float and assisted rescues that would have been incomprehensible to anyone who didn't already know how to do these things, not to mention the fact that the 36 degree water would have made it hard to keep your wits about you and manual dexterity long enough to do any kind of rescue. Hannah gave us each a water bottle and a snack bag comprising a couple of granola bars and some Halloween style mini candies, loaded us into our boats and sent us on our way.

About that water: back home I would never, ever got out in water that cold without my full cold water regalia - dry suit and insulating layers, thermos of warm liquid, warm gloves, and neoprene hood. The folks here, on the other hand, seemed utterly unconcerned about sending people with unknown kayaking experience out into the cold - a risk that admittedly was mitigated by the warm air temperature, glassy smoothness of the lake and the use of wide, stable kayaks (Perception Carolina 14's). Still, it was unsettling for me to be paddling nearly freezing water in street clothes. I launched and hung around for a bit, figuring the six of us (family of four in two doubles, plus Eddie from Washington state in a single) might hang together for safety. I soon realized that Eddie had headed off across the lake on his own and the family was going to be moving slowly, so I started paddling around the perimeter of the lake towards the glacier.

Kayaking Mendenhall Glacier

As I've mentioned, the glacier is partially visible even from the launch site but when I rounded a point and it came fully into view it was truly breath-taking. A giant wall of blueish ice, larger than you could imagine, sandwiched in a valley between two mountains. Eddie and I got to the entry to the glacier area at about the same time and we paused to both gawk at the glacier and exchange cameras to take pictures of each other. Then we continued in closer to the glacier. Hannah had given us information about how close we could get (the risk is that the glacier would calve and we could get sucked under by the shifting ice). In addition, we were given maps that also showed the line. Being a safety-oriented person I followed the rules, but Eddie and at least one of the doubles, as well as other people on the lake, paddled much closer in. One thing of interest is that glaciers create wind. The giant mass of ice cools the air around it and the cooler, denser air flows down into the less dense air around it, creating a glacial, or katabatic wind. The wind was clearly in evidence as we approached the glacier and I was glad to have worn some layers.

After gawking at the glacier for quite a while and snapping a zillion photos I headed around past Nugget Falls and then beached my kayak to climb out and have a look. I wasn't sure if this was permitted either by the outfitter or the park, but I figured, what the heck. I was the only kayaker there and I got some strange looks as I walked around in my PFD and spray skirt - one guy even asked me what the heck was up with the gear. Nugget Falls would be worth a visit by itself, though of course it is second fiddle to the glacier. The falls are 377 feet high, tumbling down directly into the lake, and you can walk up pretty much right to the base of it. I'm glad I got a chance to see it up close. From there I wended my way through the ice strewn lake (another warning - don't get too close to the icebergs) back to the put-in, where Hannah soon arrived and whisked us back to Juneau.

During the time I'd been kayaking V browsed the downtown shops. We met back up at the room. The staff arrived to make up the room a few minutes later so we went downstairs and shared some peanut butter crackers, since neither of us had eaten lunch, then sat and read for a bit. V went upstairs to relax and I went out for a walk. First I browsed a couple of shops - the outdoorsy shop across the street and the bookstore up the block. Then I got coffee and a snack. As I was ordering my coffee I got the brilliant idea to go geocaching. I'm not that active a cacher anymore but I really wanted to log at least one geocache find in Alaska. Coffee in hand I headed out to look for caches. After brief attempts at two Nano caches (teeny tiny caches usually used in urban locations - often very frustrating to find) I found a nicely hidden cache in the garden of the historic Russian Orthodox Church (the Russian Orthodox won over a lot of the natives by offering services in Tlingit language, while the American missionaries insisted on English). While I was there I finished my coffee and took some pictures.The church is in a cute residential neighborhood a little outside the hustle and bustle of downtown and so I decided to continue exploring and strolled up the mountainside through this funky neighborhood. When I got tired of walking uphill I decided to try for another geocache and headed down out of the neighborhood. This whole time I was carrying my empty coffee cup. It's hard to find places to throw things out; because of the large bear population in the area people keep their trash locked up tight. Even the trash cans in the downtown area use bear resistant lids. As I'd see firsthand the next day, this concern about bears in downtown is not an idle one.

I did successfully find the second geocache, chatted briefly with a guy working on an old 1960's vintage Jaguar "saloon", then headed down one of the incredibly long flights of alleyway stairs in this mountainside town, back down to Franklin Street and our hotel.

We have a long tradition of eating Chinese food wherever we go in the world and so for dinner we chose to go to the closest Juneau had to offer, a multi-Asian restaurant with a menu that included Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes, which in itself should have been a warning. The New York Times in its,"Thirty six hours in Juneau " write-up remarked that Juneau is not a place for five star dining. Well Let me tell you, this place deserved negative stars. It was the worst restaurant meal I've had in a long time. The food was like the packaged Chung King Chinese dinners we'd eat as kids. Egg drop soup that I'm pretty sure was Campbell's chicken soup with eggs added. Ketchupy, gloppy Pad Thai. The Chinese dish we ordered, tofu and vegetables, was marginally better, but still frozen dinner quality. Juneau just isn't a restaurant town.

After dinner we went to a local theater production, a two-man show based on the book The Blue Bear, about the friendship that develops between two men as they search for the elusive Alaskan blue bear. The story takes place locally, and the author had lived in the area (the bookstore owner had recommended the production). It was surprisingly well done and we really enjoyed it. Then, it was back out into the 10 PM light, and back to the hotel and bed.

Sun 7/6

The folks at the information center had recommended a restaurant called the Sandpiper for breakfast. After our mixed experiences with Juneau restaurants we were suspicious but decided to forego a last day of bagels at the Silverbow and give it a try. During our walk over I looked across the street and saw a black bear in someone's yard! It was quite a tableau: the bear on the front lawn, a woman (who I assume walked out of her house to find a bear there) cowering behind her van, and three lauabouts hanging out in front of an office building across the street laughing and getting the biggest kick out of the whole thing. V and I scrambled for our cameras but by the time we got them the bear had disappeared.

The Sandpiper itself was smaller and more of a typical diner than I had expected (from the description I expected a breakfast heaven) but the food was, in fact good - even if the service was typically Juneau indifferent. We had a good breakfast of french toast, augmented with Yukon Gold (of course) hash browns and (for V) bacon.

From there we went up the tram up to the top of Mt. Roberts - a spectacular view of Juneau and its harbor. I convinced V to go on a half mile hike up at the top. A half mile doesn't sound like much but there was quite a bit of elevation change along the way. The hike provided us with yet lots of vistas to ooh and ahh at. I kept putting my camera away thinking I had snapped enough pictures of snow-capped vistas, only to pull it out again around the next bend. Truly a beautiful place. We of course browsed the gift shop and we also watched the demo of a native carver working on a totem pole. He was carving a big trunk of western red cedar and was a little surprised when I said, "oh, that's the same wood I use to carve Inuit kayak paddles." When we got back down to town we grabbed lunch at an out of the way sandwich shop called Grumpy's, which turned out to be a surprisingly good meal.

Juneau from Mt. Roberts. Out ship is one of the two teeny ones tied up next to each other near the center of the photo

In the late afternoon, after yet some more browsing, we headed for a meeting room at the Baranof, the gathering place for the group heading out that day aboard the Safari Endeavour. We started chatting with some of the folks who were going to be our boat-mates for the week. As always, we found ourselves in a baby boomer crowd, that is, most of the people were older than we were, though there were a few couples our age and here and there some younger folks. One of the first people we got to talking to was David, a dentist from Connecticut. As we talked V, who has the skills of a top-notch police interrogator, slowly dropped bait into the conversation until she was able to hook him and reel in the fact that he and his wife were Jewish. Aha! Not the only ones on the boat. 

We got a warm welcome from the crew as we boarded the ship and our evening was spent in a whirlwind of unpacking, socializing, briefings, life boat drills, more briefings, a beautiful sunset, dinner (choice of prime rib, salmon, or a vegetarian dish), cocktails and more cocktails, and meeting more people. We told one woman we spoke with that the trip was for our 25th anniversary, to which she responded, "Mazel Tov!" Her Jew detecting technique lacked V's subtlety, but I have to admire her bluntness; we confirmed that this was indeed an appropriate choice of words. 

Our cabin

Our tribal bonding completed for the day, we moved on to dinner, which was quite tasty, and the service was very attentive, though there was a minor glitch in that they forgot to serve us dessert - a minor oversight which turned out to be typical of the attentive but imperfect service on-board. We turned in at around midnight, looking forward to our first full day on the ship.

Sunset, Day 1