Juneau

There is no way into, or out of, Juneau except by air or water; there are no roads to Juneau. Which is why we are in Haines, to take a catamaran trip to Juneau, two and a quarter hours away.

Juneau is arguably the most scenic capital in the nation. It hugs the side of Mt. Jueau and Mt. Roberts, is a maze of narrow streets running past a mix of new structures, old storefronts and slanted houses, all held together by a network of staircases. The waterfront is bustling with cruise ships, fishing boats and floatplanes buzzing in and out.

The catamaran Fjordland was our transportation and the woman in the picture above is the owner. Her husband is the Captain and her daughter crewed. The first stop for the catamaran is Skagway, 15 nautical miles away; if you go to Skagway by car it is almost 400 miles. After Skagway the boat comes to Haines then on to Juneau.

The route to Juneau is down Lynn Canal with Captain Chris providing a running commentary. There are, of course, numerous glaciers in the mountains along the way. This one may be Rainbow Glacier.

Haines receding in the distance. Lynn Canal is North Americas longest and deepest fjord. 

Glaciers and pointy mountain peaks.

Along the way, Eldred Rock Lighthouse stands as a picturesque sentinel. 

Crowded downtown streets of Juneau. You might notice that the streets go up steep hills looking, for all the world, like San Francisco.

Another street in historic Juneau.

We choose to walk over to the newly opened, April, State Historical Museum.

Out in the front plaza was Alaska's Earthquake Simulator. Alaska tries to encourage its residents to be prepared for disasters - food supplies, medicines, pet care items, etc. - enough to be self-sufficient for 7 - 10 days. We sat in the simulator and were jolted around for 30 seconds at the equivalent of a magnitude 7 earthquake. The Good Friday earthquake in 1964 was a magnitude 9 and shook for 5 minutes. It was an impressive demonstration.

Eating lunch in front of the new museum.

Our lunch view.

Below are pictures from the museum -

This is a totem pole of Abraham Lincoln, top hat and all.

Contemporary art in the museum.

Next we walked up the hill to the Governor's Mansion - like something out of Gone With the Wind.

This is what the complete picture of the Governor's Mansion looks like.

The side entrance to the Mansion. Notice the Totem Pole on the left.

Climbing more stairs up the streets in Juneau for this city overview.

Looking out to the wharf and two monster cruise ships in port.

The Cathedral in Juneau. Probably the most un-pretentious Cathedral you'll every see!

Next to the Cathedral is St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. Built in 1893 against the backdrop of Mt. Juneau, the onion-domed church is the oldest original one in Alaska. 

Unfortunately, the onion dome was covered for renovations.

After visiting Juneau we were loaded onto a bus and driven to the most famous of Juneau's ice floes, and the city's most popular attraction, Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls to the right of the glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier flows 13 miles from its source, the Juneau Ice Field. Naturalists estimate that within a few years it will retreat onto land and within 20 years retreat out of view entirely from the observation area.

Close-up of the face.

An iceberg in Mendenhall Lake and a Harbor Seal swimming by.