Juneau

Previously on the Juneau junket: Alaska Marine Highway

We stayed at The Breakwater Inn right near downtown. The room was large with a king-size bed, a table and chairs, a desk, a television inside a cabinet, an easy chair, matching nightstands, and a full-size bathroom. The walk-out balcony provided a view out across one of the boat harbors. Rooms on the other side of the hotel lacked balconies and looked back into the residential areas and beyond to the numerous streams of water running straight down the sides of the hills.

Several blocks away on the other side of downtown the cruise ships were docked. That was also the main tourist area of the city. We didn't explore that area, not because we weren't tourists, but because we ran out of time.

The city had many large buildings, comparable in size to those in some suburbs of Chicago, but most appeared to be older 1950s-style construction. With the glacier over ten miles from downtown, the city has a sense of suburban sprawl. Malls and major big-box retailers are spread out along the route between those two focal points.

The portion of the city we saw lacked the charm of Sitka. And the scale of Sitka is more appealing.

Before we arrived, The Breakwater Inn did not respond to any of our emails inquiring about shuttle service to and from the ferry terminal. As it turned out they do offer this service, by appointment only -- if either of our two readers decide to stay there in the future, call ahead and make an appointment. You will save a lot of time, money, and frustration.

The newspaper in Sitka prints all the calls that come in to the local police department every day. Recently half of those calls have been about bears. We had not seen any bears in the wild, which was disappointing, though good for our safety. But in Juneau we saw an interesting sign that seemed to confirm the bears were out there: Bear Xing.



Next on the Juneau junket: Mendenhall Glacier

Alaska Marine Highway

Previously on the Juneau junket: Transportation Terror


Route 66 may have nostalgia, but the Alaska Marine Highway beats it for sights and the sheer joy of travel. The highway system has been in operation since 1963 and provides safe, reliable, and efficient transportation of people, goods, and vehicles among thirty Alaska communities, Canada, and the Lower 48.

Our trip to Juneau began just after midnight on the MV Taku. The vessel was built in 1963 and renovated in 1981. It had three passenger decks -- cabin, boat, and sun -- and one vehicle deck. We hung out on the boat deck, that had a recliner lounge, writing lounge, cafeteria, and a viewing area. While riding through the darkness, we curled up on the floor and tried to sleep. Once the sun started to appear, we sat in the viewing area to take in the sights. The sunrise was partially hidden by clouds, but the colors were wonderful. After breakfast at 7:00am, we sat back to relax.



After a while we began to see the evidence of whales -- spraying and spouting of water in the distance. Watching closely, we could see the backside of several. They would alternate several times, spraying and then showing their backs, and at the end we would see the tail as it dove back down. In a stretch of ten minutes we saw about ten whales, and the spouting of many more. Never knowing when or where they would appear made photographing difficult. Later one appeared almost directly in front of the vessel and we saw it close along the side.



As we approached Juneau, the first thing we noticed was the Mendenhall Glacier nestled among the mountains in the background. The photograph doesn't really do justice to the view, especially the color, even in overcast skies. The ice is directly in the center of this image. We docked after a nine-hour journey, about thirty minutes ahead of schedule.



The next morning we rode the FVF Fairweather back to Sitka. This vessel was built in 2004. Though it was smaller, with only one vehicle deck and one passenger deck, it offered more modern conveniences. A playroom for children also showed movies. Seating was arranged in areas with tables, bistro-style settings around the food nook, and airline-style seats in the viewing area. Throughout the deck a series of screens showed a map of our journey with accompanying information and statistics.




Again we were able to spot the evidence of many whales spouting in the distance, but only saw the backs of two up close. But what was in the dark on the leg out we could now see: lots of pretty views through the tight straights and channels. We crossed lots of other leisure and fishing vessels, as well as passing one barge. At one point the mountains and islands parted and the highway opened directly to the Pacific Ocean.


It was pleasing to us to see that there are still a lot
of wild places that man hasn't yet conquered with concrete. And it was great to be back to our own little home away from home in Alaska.

Next on the Juneau junket: Juneau.

Transportation Terror

We are going to recap our Juneau junket in parts. The first part will cover the disappointments.

Warning: Terror Alert for this blog story is Red. The likelihood of a terrible experience is guaranteed.

As the ferry pulled into the dock, we spotted numerous busses pulling in and out of another dock just up the road. The map had shown the bus terminal to be near, but not at, the ferry terminal. We walked there and discovered it was a private dock for tours. We kept walking up the road. When we are walking, everything in Alaska seems to be just around the bend.

The bus terminal was probably about a mile away. We had to wait thirty minutes. The express bus, which went directly downtown, was supposed to arrive two minutes before the normal bus. We boarded the first bus, and then found out it was not the express. So we tried to enjoy the ride, and all the stops along the way.

The first thing about the stops is that they are not all marked on the route map or the schedule. The second thing is that, unlike the community ride in Sitka, the driver doesn't stop if no one is waiting to board, unless a rider rings the bell. The third thing about the stops is our young lady driver really enjoyed using the gas and brake to their fullest extent. All the violent starting and stopping churned our stomach and made us sick.

The stop nearest our hotel was about half a mile away. We missed the stop right in front of our hotel, because it was not indicated on the map or schedule. We had to walk back to the hotel, even passing an additional stop along the way.

Once we were settled, the task of reaching our destination began. The cab fare from hotel to ice was $35. The bus fare to the nearest stop was $1.50. So, experienced walker that we had already become, we boarded the bus. It was crowded outbound from downtown. At each stop along the way it became more crowded, until all the seats were filled and the aisle was unpassable with people standing. In order for others to get off, people in the aisles had to get off and then back on. Finally, at the transfer stop at one of the malls, the bus decongested. We continued our ride and then got off at the stop on the map that was closest to the ice. Of course, as we walked the rest of the way, we found that two more stops -- not indicated on the map or schedule -- were much closer to where we wanted to go.

On the way back from the ice, we had to run the last half-mile to the bus, because at that time of day the next service did not come for another three hours. We successfully navigated our way back to the hotel.

Our search for dinner began. We skipped the hotel restaurant to find another establishment we had seen earlier in the day. We walked into town where we thought it was, and didn't find it. We asked, and followed directions downtown for several more blocks, and didn't find it. We circled around and found no places to eat. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a local sandwich shop. It was closed. We returned to the hotel tireder and hungrier than before. We settled for the restaurant after all, which had good food at a relatively inexpensive price.

At the hotel, we discovered they offered shuttle service to the ferry terminal, but only by appointment. We immediately made an appointment for the next morning. We were glad not to have to ride the bus again. We were even more thankful we don't have to rely on mass transit in our daily lives.

We had been up at midnight to catch the ferry, and it was now after 10:00pm. So ended our longest Tuesday ever.

Next on the Juneau junket: Alaska Marine Highway.