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Published: September 26th 2022
Juneau Harbour
Early-morning serenityThis morning when we parted our curtains, the calm expanse of
Juneau harbor greeted our eyes. The water was as still as a mirror. A few quiet boats parted the serene surface. We soaked-in the blue scenery as we relaxed through breakfast.
What a contrast off the ship! From dock to town, tourist traps pressed against the crowded sidewalks. At least four cruise ships dominated the waterfront, all with passengers eager to buy. We jostled our way through the crowds, only stopping to buy a lanyard for Ruth (more on this later).
A few blocks back from the harbor, a quietly charming town revealed itself. With the mild climate and long light into the nights, flowers bloomed profusely. Climbing one of the steep streets, we saw a house with virtually no land, but adorned with flower baskets dangling from every corner and hook. Almost the last street in town took us to the verdant yard of the historic
St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church , built in 1894, and the oldest in Alaska. After taking pictures, we entered, where a priest related the history of the church and its icons. The building was octagonal, the size of a small restaurant, and built of clapboards. Half
St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
Still functioning in the community the interior was empty, presumably for worshippers, and half was devoted to the altar and principal icons. On the walls were lesser icons and other religious items. This was still a functioning church, and I learned later that Russian Orthodox is still the largest denomination in Alaska, although the priest told us they are governed in the US, not from Russia.
We strolled down-hill in the warm sunshine. Several buildings were distinctive. This is the capital of Alaska, although there were no roads from other places and the town was small, hemmed in by mountains. The guide told us later that it was thought to be too expensive to move the capital to Anchorage.
We returned to the ship to grab a fast lunch at the buffet. (I again enjoyed the excellent vegetable curry and rice, with a delicious bit of roast lamb.) In our room we quickly prepared for our afternoon of sea-kayaking. Our principal concern was to affix our single-use cameras to our clothing, to avoid dropping them in the sea (the reason we were not taking our expensive cameras). The cameras had nothing resembling a loop, so we improvised. Ruth had hair scrunchies that wound
tightly around the body of the camera. I found a string in a small accessories bag and used that for a tie. Ruth used the purchased souvenir lanyard. Off we went!
The guides were young and as full of enthusiasm as the tourists. At the bay in front of the Mendenhall Glacier, they outfitted us in flotation vests and kayak aprons. (You step into the apron, bring it up to your waist, and, sitting the in kayak, you pull on the elasticized edge to cover up the hole.) About ten minutes of instructions were given: primarily, “Don’t stand up in the kayak!”. In all other respects, the kayaks were so wide as to be virtually un-tip-able. Ruth spoke up first about who would sit in the back and steer, so she got to! We picked up our kayak, walked it down the shingle beach, got in as instructed, and pushed off into clear, still water.
Surprisingly, the paddling action was not hard on the shoulder or arm muscles. We followed our leader like ducklings, slightly wayward and slow, but not intentionally. Ruth was very glad that the water was erasing the line she was “steering” across the bay.
St Nicholas Orthodox Church
Historic quaint place of worship “Any cop would have thrown me in the clink for DWI!” Steering was accomplished by pushing pedals inside the kayak. Between the current and the problem that one foot seemed to have more effect on the rudder than the other, we probably paddled twice as far as our progress showed. At least we never actually went aground.
The blue and green shades of light added to the serenity of such a quiet, almost natural way of admiring the wide, white glacier. Although we paddled for about an hour, the Mendenhall Glacier seemed just as distant as it looked from the shore. We saw a number of seals – heads only. They would pop up from some distance to check out what the crazy humans were up to. Probably they were laughing themselves silly. Often, we looked skyward to watch the bald eagles enjoying the upper wind currents. Much of the time, well out in the bay, we let ourselves drift.
Paddling back to shore, we found the tide had almost uncovered some sand banks; we did have to navigate a bit around the under-water obstructions. At the beach, we were to reverse the order of launch. Get out,
St Nicholas Orthodox Church
Russian orthodoxy, pre-dating the revolution carry the kayak, take off the gear. Except – we suddenly proved to be middle-aged ladies! Our exhausted arm muscles could not cope with the kayak’s weight. Step, step, fumble! After a few bumps up the beach, two hefty young guides came to our rescue, picking up the kayak as if it were a bit of flotsam.
The tour bus dropped us off in town to finish our sightseeing. We asked a friendly couple from the tour if they wanted to join us in drinking the ritual beer. They did. We enjoyed the well-earned beverage in an historic bar with rustic furnishings. The waiter was most obliging in seeking out some Alaska coasters for Ruth – leather ones, no less!
We continued on our way, admiring sweaters designed for fall coastal weather and checking out more artwork. Vendors and artists here were very much aware of the value of their work, so nothing fit our budgets. At the side of central plaza, resplendent with flowers, I spied the library, previously pointed out by our guide. It was the fourth floor of a car park, with its own elevator. We went up and saw a modern interior, quite similar
to the design of Calgary’s newer libraries.
View map of locations to date.
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Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
I'm glad to see that you had ideal kayaking conditions - calm seas and blue skies - especially considering this was ocean kayaking, albeit in a harbor. A worthwhile excursion. For my money, kayaking is just the right height above the water, and far easier than canoeing. (It seems to me that I remember you doing some paddling on another trip, but the specifics are now foggy.) Your beer-in-every-port tradition was a good one, and a good reminder that our pleasures don't have to be super expensive or complicated.