Juneau Walk and Glaciers - Tues., July 31, 2018

Today is all about scheduling our time. We opt to do a 5k Volksmarch to the state capitol and have a serious discussion about what else we can do today. We have to be back on the ship at 1:00 p.m. For that, we need to take into account catching a shuttle bus from town one mile back to the ship. That means, be at the shuttle by 12:30 p.m.

Looking at the weather forecast before we left the ship, I decided not to take a windbreaker because temps are supposed to be in the 80s. However, we got out to the shuttle buses and I was freezing. There was a stiff, cold wind and I knew I had to have my jacket. So, we got back on the ship, picked up my jacket, and then went back to get in line for a shuttle to town. 

From the shuttle bus, we started our walk down Franklin St. and soon passed the Red Dog Saloon. We wound back and forth throughout the downtown area.

Red Dog Saloon

Senate Building and mountain scenery

An interesting mural about many things apparently.

Below is the historic B. M. Behrends Bank Building (1891-1914). Currently, it is a Wells Fargo bank. By the time we got here, it was very warm and the windbreaker came off!

Historic B. M. Behrends Bank (now Wells Fargo)

Bob heads to the Alaska Capitol.

Bob in front of the Capitol

When we were walking through the Capitol, one of the employees stated, "Of the 50 state capitols, Alaska's is the 50th prettiest." LOL. Of the capitols we've seen so far, I'd have to agree with him. (Although, the skyscraper capitol buildings aren't that great--Baton Rouge, Bismarck, Tallahassee, and Lincoln.)

The Alaska Capitol's lobby is pictured below. The marble used in the lobby and throughout the building is Tokeen and Gravina marble. The marble came from Prince of Wales Island, located south of Juneau near Ketchikan.

Juneau's capitol lobby.

One of two stone-fired clay murals,
"Harvest of the Sea,"
by Joan Bugbee Jackson, 1981

The next few photos are also from inside the capitol. Alaska natives from Haines created the hand-carved black birch door. The carvings depict Alaska's major industries: mining, hunting and trapping, and oil & gas. A second carved door (not pictured) shows tourism, fishing and processing, and wood products.

Metal from the Alaska pipeline was used to make this.

A former state senator, Bettye Fahrenkamp, used to wear earrings to Senate floor sessions that said "In" and "Out." She said that meant "in one ear and out the other." Below is a photo of her, and her earrings are below the photo.

"In" and "Out" earrings under photo.

In the room used by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (and the meeting room for the House Majority), there is a beautiful, hand-stenciled ceiling from the 1930s.

Hand-stenciled ceiling from the 1930s.

When we finished our self-guided tour of the capital, we continued on our 5k walk. Again, we had a hilly route.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church,
established 1894

"Four Story Totem," by John Wallace
1940

Governor's Mansion

Side view of Governor's Mansion.

After walking by the Governor's Mansion and through a bit of the neighborhood, it was time to take a long flight of stairs back down to the main street.

Looking up the staircase.

Memorial to Alaska Native
Veterans Southeast.

A patriotic paint job on this truck.

Here's the Bliss at the pier in Juneau.

We walked back along the waterfront. When we got closer to the ships, there were tour booths set up where you could go on just about any tour you wanted. Bob wanted to go to Mendenhall Glacier on a tour bus. I didn't think we had time. I wanted to go to the top of the mountain in the gondola. 

Bob and I in Juneau, Alaska.

So near and yet so far.

We had a lengthy discussion about which place we should choose. There wasn't a bad decision. We just had too many things we wanted to do with a very limited amount of time left. We chose the Mendenhall Glacier/Nugget Falls tour.

The bus would take 1/2 hour to get there, then we'd have to hike to the falls, hike back to the bus pick-up point, and then catch a shuttle back to the ship by 12:30 p.m. We were cutting it really close!

It was a 15-minute wait for our school bus to depart. We had a tour guide who told terrible jokes on the 12-mile drive to the glacier. He did point out many bald eagles on the tidal flats next to the river. Wow!

When we got to the shuttle stop at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, it was a zoo. I needed to use the facilities and, of course, the line for the women's restroom was out the door and onto the sidewalk. Once I was out, we made tracks to the waterfall. It was a one-mile hike. Thankfully, it was pretty level and the path was paved. Bob said I set a pace of a 16-minute mile. I told him I wasn't going to miss the bus back.

The area was gorgeous! I'm happy we went. Did I mention it was crowded?

Mendenhall Glacier (taken from the trail to
Nugget Falls).

Plaque to Romeo, a friendly black wolf that
frequented the area.

Nugget Falls (we made it).

Close-up of the Mendenhall Glacier from Nugget Falls.

Me and Bob at Nugget Falls...

...with 50 of our closest friends.

Mendenhall Glacier and small icebergs.

We zipped back to the Visitor Center area. Bob wanted to go to the Visitor Center to buy postcards for his Aunt Sally. I told him I'd go wait in line for the tour bus to take us back to Juneau, 'cuz I didn't want to miss it. 

Bob had time to buy postcards and he also got a national park stamp for me for my National Parks Passport Book. He is so sweet to think of that! And he made it in time to catch the tour bus back!

Once we returned to Juneau, I got in the long line of people waiting to get back on shuttles to the ship. The line was so long, Bob had time to run (literally) to the Alaska Fudge Company to get treats, and I think he got more postcards. He made it back just before it was time for us to get on the shuttle. Whew! What a time crunch. We ended up walking 9 miles today on shore, plus the walking we did on the ship.

The reason our ship left Juneau so early was to give us time to cruise up the Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier. It would take us three hours to get there and we'd spend a few hours in the Endicott Arm Fjord. 

With the extra time on the ship, we had lunch in the Garden Cafe Buffet and then we went to see Britain's Finest in the Bliss theater. Those guys put on such a good show. I think we saw them four or five times while we were on the cruise.

Dawes Glacier is a tidewater glacier, meaning it comes right down to the salt water. Once again, we had spectacular scenery.

The captain opened the bow of the ship for us.

Iceberg that looks like a stylized fish.

Hanging glacier.

Valley carved by a glacier.

 A very tall waterfall.

Dawes Glacier from The Bliss.

Close-up of Dawes Glacier.

The Observation Lounge (viewing the glacier)

Bob saw some ice calve off here. It is now
an iceberg in the front of the glacier.

A small tour boat took some people who paid
for a tour up close to the glacier face.

Me and Bob and the Dawes Glacier.

Rock wall pattern carved by the glacier.

Impressive waterfall coming off of
a hanging glacier.

The top of the waterfall above.

Many waterfalls coming off this hanging glacier.

Pretty iceberg.

We headed out of Endicott Arm on our way to Skagway. Because we're getting farther north, the sunsets last a long time! See below. Bob said, "You've got to see this sunset." Then he went to bed. I read for a while, then went out on the balcony again. The sunset was just as pretty over an hour later!

Sunset at 10:15 p.m.

Sunset at 11:30 p.m.

Tomorrow is Skagway. Good night.