The ABCs of Juneau (Apple cider, Bergie bits, and a Canoe trip).

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Juneau May 16

Once clear of Yakutat Bay, Diamond Princess set South Easterly through the Gulf of Alaska towards Cape Spencer where we entered the North Inian Passage and passed trough the Icy Strait before entering the Lynn Canal. After rounding Lincoln Island, various courses were set through Stephens Passage and the Gastineau Channel as we made our final approach towards Juneau.

Juneau was our second to last port and the only Alaskan port that my sister and I booked an excursion together. Our excursion was a canoe trip to Mendenhall Glacier. A shuttle picked up us and our fellow Holland American adventurists and proceeded on a fifteen minute drive to the glacier. Once outfitted into our wet-wear clothes provided by the company, we paddled off through the milky teal coloured water of Mendenhall lake. Passing bergie bits, we took a long moment to glaze upon the mighty spectacle of Mendenhall Glacier before making our way to the Nugget Falls where we beached for a wee break and ate reindeer sausage, salmon dip, pepper cheese and crackers and drank the most tastiest apple cider I've ever had. A few mountain goats decided to gaze down upon us from their perch between the glacier and Nugget Falls. Our guide Coco was friendly, knowledgeable and a great guide.

Take a red dog and a bottle of beer, put them together, and you get the Red Dog Saloon. Sit at the bar and try a beer from one America's most decorated breweries, the Alaskan Brewing Company, while taking in the historic artifacts that adorn this historic establishment. Look carefully and you will see Wyatt Earp’s gun hanging right over the bar. Legend has it that the outlaw lost it in a poker game. It was checked into the Marshall’s office in Juneau on June 27, 1900 and was never claimed.

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Photos

Juneau a pretty town.
Juneau from the aft deck of the Diamond Princess. The ship is a Holland American ship.

Patsy Ann
“The Official Greeter of Juneau, Alaska” is a charming sculpture of “Patsy Ann” an English bull terrier that arrived in Juneau in 1929. The pooch quickly became a fixture in town. Born deaf, Patsy Ann had an uncanny ability to “hear” the steamships approaching Gastineau Channel and never failed to greet them with a friendly hello on the dock. Patsy Ann greets visitors at the downtown dock boardwalk to ensure that they carry the blessing of friendship throughout life’s joyney.

Juneau Resident
Juneau's population is 31 000 humans and a lot of furry friends! Balck bears are common not only in the forests around Juneau but around the city, too and on a rare occasion, one ambles into town.

On the canoe
With Mendenhall Glacier behind, we are the hardy canoers.

Mendenhall Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier flows 12 miles from its cource and has a half-mile-wide face. Formed during the “Little Ice Age,: which began about 3000 years ago, the glacier is fed from an ice field high above Juneau.
Sustained by the geography and unique climate of the area Mendenhall Glacier has been able to survive much longer than other glaciers in North America. There are many was to enjoy this breathtaking natural landmark. Canoeing brings you up close to icebergs, river rafting tours float through dramatic valleys and trhilling helicopter tours make glacier landings. From the canoe the people on the glacier looked like dust specks.

My favourite "Bergie Bit" photo
Bergie Bits are the wee ice bergs calved off the glacier.

Blue view
Glaciers emit a magical blue glow caused by the ice’s absorption and reflection of light.

Nugget Falls
There are many ways to make a cheesey tourist photo and, alas, this one did not quite turn out (the effect was supposed to be me looking like I'm drinking up the waterfall). But I liked the photo nevertheless and share it with you.