Juneau, Alaska

August 25th, 2019

Sunday August 25, 2019

The ship slowly moved through the beautiful mountainous Gastineau Channel and arrived in Juneau early in the morning. It was another overcast day with clouds hanging between the cliffs. We took a shuttle bus to the cablecar to go up 3800 feet to see the spectacular view from Mt. Roberts.

Juneau, the capital of Alaska, is unique because there are no roads connecting the city with the mainland due to the rugged mountains surrounding the city. The city hugs the coast at the base of the mountains and all people and goods must arrive and depart by ship or air.

The only things at the top end of the cablecar, besides the views, are a gift shop, restaurant, and a small “nature center.” For us, the best part of the climb was watching a young indigenous carver work on a totem pole.

Juneau is located within the Tongass National Forest which is 16 million acres of “one of the last remaining intact temperate rainforests in the world,” according to the Alaska Wilderness League. The region is the ancestral home of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples.

We rode the cablecar back down to the city and walked to the Alaska State Museum.

It was raining when we left the museum so we walked back along the shore toward the ship. The weather reminded me of the popular description of British weather: “If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes. It’ll change….” And it did!

When we reached Tracy’s King Crab Shack, we saw long lines waiting to get into the restaurant. On the street next to the crowds of people there were huge pots of boiling water filled with crabs!

 

We returned to the ship filled with memories of Juneau.

 

 

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