Juneau - Unique Capital City

I thought about other state or provincial capital cities as we sat on our balcony during the approach to Juneau – St. Paul, Sacramento, St. John’s, Quebec City, Toronto, Victoria … all ports, but so different from Juneau. It is the one state capital accessible only by air or water, and residents seem to be proud of its remoteness and isolation. Juneau looked like a small maritime town, plunked expectantly in the middle of nowhere, dependent on government and tourist dollars for its survival.

The morning was cold, foggy and wet, so I packed my shore bag accordingly. We docked right on schedule at 2:00 PM, after the sister ship Norwegian Sun pulled away. There were two other cruise ships in port, the Diamond Princess and a Celebrity Cruiselines vessel. By the time we got off the ship, the sky had cleared and we were told that the weather had not been this good for a month … so we felt very fortunate.

Our bus driver, Mark, had a dry sense of humor that included a reference to John McCain as Governor Sarah Palin’s running mate. According to Mark, Governor Palin is the most popular governor in the history of Alaska, with approval ratings in the 90s. I haven’t verified this statistic yet. We weaved through the town on a very old bus that was too large to get to the top of the hill, where I would have seen the Capitol. If the rain hadn’t started to come down, and with a little more time, I would have walked there. Because of the fog, we passed on the Mount Roberts Tramway ride up the mountain. All air excursions were cancelled, so there was no opportunity to visit the Juneau Icefield by air.

The first stop was Macauley Salmon Hatchery, where the main amusement was provided by a pair of harbor seals fishing for salmon. They looked like big puppies working as a team, diving and surfacing in tandem, very aware of their audience. They had done this before!

The main attraction was the Mendenhall Glacier, a spectacular mountain of ice breaking off and melting into the lake at its base. Big blue chunks of the glacier float in the lake. The fall colors I had been hoping for were somewhat in evidence, but the main color is from evergreen forests, accentuated by blotches of gold and brown and brilliant red berries. The grey sky and veil of mist painted a haze over the scene, adding to its beauty.

The U.S. Forest Service ranger, Doug Jones, answered questions about the glacier, now receding at an ever accelerating rate. A film, not too long at 11 minutes, gave an overview of the history of the icefields in Alaska, and the Mendenhall Glacier in particular. The impact of global warming, and the role played by human activities, was suggested, not preached.

After the bus tour, we made the requisite stop at the Red Dog Saloon, where we spent a very pleasant hour with a British couple on another ship, the diamond Princess. They were on a long voyage to Anchorage, Vladivostok and Beijing, one of many cruises they have experienced all over the world. Enjoyed a couple of pints of Alaskan Amber brew, and headed back to the ship on a shuttle bus. By now, the rain was pelting down and we were happy to board the Pearl.

The martini tasted even better than expected, as did our light dinner. We sailed before our scheduled departure time of 10 PM, so quietly that we missed watching the ship pull away from the dock.