The 'sucker hole'

---

Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago I took my grandson to see the IMAX movie about
Lewis and Clarks's adventure to find a westward passage to the ocean. I had seen it last year in St. Louis with my older grandkids. I had seen it many years ago as a Nat'l Geographic special. I think it is a great movie as it depicts the horrible conditions that they and their men and Sacagewea and her baby went through. Go see it if you have a chance or order it on Netflix.

I thought of this as I flew over the snow capped peaks of the Rockies. I looked down on these massive mountains and thought of the anguish and frustration L&C must have felt. It must have been disheartening and discouraging but what character and strength they had to complete their task. And now today, one can fly across the same distance that took them 2 1/2 years in about 4 1/2 hours.

What a treat awaited Val and I in Juneau. We were greeted at the airport by Cathy, an on line cyber artist buddy of Val's, but whom she had never met. Once Cathy heard we were coming to Juneau she took us under her wing like a mother hen. She dropped us off at our B&B promising to pick us up in an hour or so and bring us to her house for dinner.

The B&B- Right away we learned that Alaska is a different breed of dog. This was no frou-frou, lace curtain. antique canopied bed B&B with matching pillow shams. Our first clue was that we were to pick up our key at the liquor store downstairs from our room. We hauled all our bags up the 20 or so steel steps. Full disclosure: Val hauled her bag up and then the clerk from the liquor store came out and carried mine up. The room was large and comfy complete with a TV ( which we never watched), a phone( which we never called anyone on), a stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator, closet the size of a small room, and a large bathroom with tub but no soap - only a container of liquid soap which we moved between the sink and tub. Really, all the comforts of home.

Cathy picked us up and we had a lovely dinner in her sweet home. She is an artist and her home reflects her eye for design and color. Her husband and she enjoy gardening in the short summer season and their yard is a tribute to their hard work. In one corner was a lovely water garden with a mini water fall. Alas, no coy or carp because the eagles would get them in a few days. Yes, that's right, the eagles. Everywhere we looked there were huge bald eagles swooping around. There were spectacular hanging baskets of fuschias in colors so vivid that at first they appeared to be fake. Begonias, geraniums, and other flowers were in full bloom. Now these are dedicated gardeners! How lucky we were to meet them and be their guests.

Juneau and much of the Inside Passage where we are traveling is in a temperate rain forest. So, basically, when it isn't snowing, it is raining. This makes for spectacularly green grass and forests. It rained the first two days we were here eliminating views of the mountain tops. Nate, Cathy's sweet husband, told us not to fall for 'the sucker hole'. Seems, it is something Alaskans are wise about but visitors, not so much. It goes like this. You look up and see a tiny patch of blue sky in between all the low hanging gray clouds and you think, ah, the cloud cover is clearing. NOT! It's just a sucker hole that you fell for. The rain continues, and continues. Finally, late on Tues. the skies did begin to clear and we saw not only mountains all around us but the Mendenhall Glacier oozing its way almost into town. Ok, we've seen glaciers in Iceland far out in the boonies, and tons of them in Chile, really, really far out, but this one is WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS! Criminy, a little more global warming and this mammoth mass could flow right down Main St.

Finally, a sunny day! Really, and warm, no actually hot! We went to the Alaska State Museum ( which conveniently was right next to our B&B/ liquor store). It was beautifully set up and paid tribute to all the tribes that still make up the people of Alaska. We walked down town amongst all the day trippers- there were 4 HUGE cruise ships docked in town. Passengers get a set amount of time to walk around or maybe sign up for a bus tour to the museum or the glacier and then their ship sails away before sunset.

We, however, has the dynamic duo of Cathy and Nate who had an adventure planned for us. They picked us up and took us to Glacier Gardens. This is a project of love and hard work by some of their friends who have reclaimed land partially destroyed in a landslide. You ride in a golf cart up 600 feet through rain forest that is primeval with firs standing over 100 feet tall. It reminded me so much of the rain forest in Costa Rica with the lush vegetation in vibrant shades of green that I had to keep reminding myself I was in Alaska- on a sunny day! At the very top there is a boardwalk where you can look out for miles and see the jagged snow capped peaks of the mountains that surround Juneau. The owner, Steve, does most of the hard work but has some difficulty getting machines and tractors, etc. to cooperate. He was so frustrated one day he slammed a tree trunk into the ground. It wedged in with its roots high in the air. Hmmm, Steve, thought, I bet I could grow something in those roots. Thus was born the 'upside down trees'. He filled the roots with, netting, soil and plants so they are like multiflowered hanging baskets. Pretty amazing to see.

After a lovely dinner at the Twisted Fish, where we watched one of the '9 story high - longer than a football field ships depart', we again thanked Cathy and Nate for all their kindnesses in making our visit such delight.

" See you at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow", Cathy said as she drove off last night. Ferry for Sitka leaves early!

More to come from Sitka and news of the Alaskan Ferry System,

Carolyn

---