Juneau

Juneau is a great place to re-provision, fuel up and get some chores done before heading out again for awhile. We stay on the north end of town because there is a bridge too low for Dog Star's mast to go under downtown. It's alright with us, because we can stay out of the way of the gargantuan cruise ships. We often ride the bus to get things done, but having a car really sets you up to see the sights and get to the big grocery stores... and Jerry's...

On the way to Juneau.

We could see the Mendenhall Glacier as we were coming in.

Statter Bay Marina at Auke Bay.

The marina is mostly used by commercial fishing boats, though there is a lot of traffic in and out from charter sport fishing boats and whale watching tour boats, with a few yachts and pleasure boats trying to find a spot. We were lucky to get a spot for a few nights, as the fishing boats were rafting up 4 deep in anticipation of the fishing season opening up. The State of Alaska has specific days that commercial fishing is allowed, and about one day a week when it is not--and often not in the same day.

We had dinner at the Forbidden Peak Brewery across the road from the marina. A burger really hit the spot!

The next day, we picked up our rental car and started in on errands and sight seeing. First we went into town to see what was happening there... a LOT of rain!

Downtown cruise ship terminal.

An everyday photo near a coffee stand on the way to Jerry's. The mountains are a wall of lush green behind the city... when it's not raining.

Raven trying to get out of the rain.

Food court area in downtown Juneau.

Next, we visited the chandlery, called Western Auto, next door to Jerry's. It is like a hardware store/fishing store downstairs and boat supply place upstairs. We spent a couple hours in there. Jerry's Meat and Seafood is a great shop that we visited last time. They have double smoked bacon, smoked salmon and black cod, fresh fish, smoked salmon spread: all nice treats to have along. After grocery shopping, we made a stop at the Alaskan Brewery Tasting Room.

The next day we went to the Mendenhall Glacier National Park. As soon as we got out of the car, we could see a crowd gathered with 3 rangers. There were a small mama black bear and her two cubs munching on grass. The rangers were trying to shape her behavior with words and "hazing." Somehow, I don't think it's like dog training... They eventually meandered away. Everyone from the cruise ship got their money's worth with that sighting!

Steep Creek in Mendenhall National Park. The trail was fenced so bears and people couldn't mingle.

Nugget Falls roaring into Mendenhall Lake.

Mendenhall is a tidewater glacier.

It flows into Mendenhall River, then out through Mendenhall River to Auke Bay over a delta.

Very fresh sockeye salmon from a generous fisherwoman on the dock! She gave us two large fillets! We froze one for later and enjoyed every morsel of the other as well as the one we bought at Jerry's over the next few days.

We took a ride out to the National Shrine of St. Thérese, north of Juneau and Auke Bay. It is a very peaceful Catholic shrine built in the early 1990s. It has a retreat center and cabins that can be rented. It is a beautiful and sacred-feeling place, with flower gardens and trails.

After the Shrine, we drove to the end of the northbound highway from Juneau. We found two raging, milky white rivers on our way. Indeed, they flow from glaciers that have the same names.

Eagle River

Herbert River

More fresh sockeye, steamed spinach and summer corn salad with fresh corn, tomatoes, and basil.