Joseph's Grand Adventures

We have some special guest bloggers to tell you about their Juneau Adventure!! 

A Perspective on Juneau, Alaska, from Guest Bloggers, Dad and Mom
Our introduction to southeast Alaska was seeing the Northern Lights as we flew
up the Gastineau Channel to Juneau. The pilot was kind enough to circle the
airport so that all on the plane would be able to view the golden amber Lights. I
am overwhelmed that we have been blessed to see the Northern Lights multiple
times both at home and in Alaska this year.
When in Juneau, be like a local! When the weather is nice, get outdoors and do
things which is exactly what we did on the two sunny days of our 13 day AK visit. I
want to clarify as I begin, that Juneau is a rain forest area and that being said it
rains a lot! Now that rain has varying degrees from mist, drizzle, sprinkles to
pouring and blowing sideways. Being there, one learns to adapt and go and do
what needs to be done regardless of the weather but sunny days are celebrated.
Joseph took us to the “end of the road” both to the north and south of Juneau. I
recall thinking what could there be to see? Each end was very interesting in that
the road literally just stops. It is not a gradual process of the road getting narrow,
not as well maintained or anything. There is a warning sign and the road abruptly
ends and where you think the road should continue, is just undeveloped
terrain—weeds, tall grass, etc. We visited the Mendenhall Glacier located in the
Tongass National Forest. This glacier happens to be one of the few glaciers
reachable by car. We drove out, parked the car and hiked to enjoy one great
view! To think, this is almost in Joseph’s backyard! Joseph has often mentioned
the Auk Rec area where he has hiked, had cookouts, did his polar plunge, etc.
Was so enjoyable to see this beautiful recreational area with Auk Lake and Auk
Bay nearby and know what he is talking about. The Glacier Garden Adventure
Tour on Thunder Mountain (another portion of Tongass National Forest) by golf
cart was amazing. Besides seeing the many native plants and the beautiful flower
towers
(a result of a landslide that uprooted and buried so many trees upside down that
creative landscapers used the roots to create places for plants throughout the
garden), we were able to view the Mendenhall Valley and the Chilkat Mountains

from the observation area—another amazing view—and definitely worth putting
up with the bumpy ride up the mountain path.
We met a co-worker of Joseph’s and his family to eat at a local eatery (Deckhand
Dave’s) before going on the Goldbelt Tram 1800 ft. up Mt. Roberts. The view of
the city, the Gastineau Channel and the mountains is breathtaking from the
observation area as well as the changing landscape as we ascended the mountain.
The opportunity to shop native merchandise and the chance to view Seeing
Daylight, a film of the history and culture of the Native American Tlingit people,
was a further introduction to the area guiding us to a better appreciation of all
things Alaskan.
The harbor was amazing to a Midwesterner and learning that the cruise ship
docks could accommodate 5 ships at one time was further intriguing not to
mention that ships come in S, M, L and XL sizes. Wow, was just something to see
especially appreciating the enormity of the vessels. Having never been to a
hatchery, the fish hatchery was very interesting. Even though it was end of
season, seeing all the salmon, imagine the volume that could be viewed earlier
and mulling over all the salmon recipes could enjoy, was amazing.
Learned that Alaskans are known for their Xtratuf boots (a waterproof, durable
boot that fits the environment very well) which makes a “local” easy to spot.
Taking the time to blend in, makes the Juneau experience even more fun.
Shopkeepers are so much more friendly and fun to chat with if pull of the “local”
look. While the boys had guy time, I got to experience the city like a local by
adventuring to the quaint shops in the heart of town (away from the cruise ship
docks), partaking of food trucks and then viewing Downton Abbey: The Grand
Finale film with the wife of one of Joseph’s co-workers was another highlight of
the Juneau adventure for me.
We enjoyed a guided tour of APFC and meeting many of Joseph’s co-workers. It
was so nice to actually see and chat with his cohorts—now we can visualize and
share in what he discusses. Seeing the capitol building and getting to enjoy the

Friday noon time pipe organ concert (played on a 1924 Kimball instrument) in the
atrium of the state office building was a treat. The sound of the instrument and
the musical selections from patriotic to hymns to show tunes would brighten
anyone’s day!
The opportunity to sample several local eateries: The Hanger on the Wharf,
Island Pub, Alaskan Crepe Escape (a personal favorite), and Pucker Wilson’s was
so much fun. Each was a unique individual experience. In addition to meeting
the peacocks and becoming familiar with the area, just enjoying the many
changing weather conditions and thus the views proved to be such a grand
experience. Joseph had his “to do” list to keep us busy while he was at work.
Fred Meyers became my friend for needed supplies for some of the organizing
and arranging on the list. We also spent family time cooking meals together,
watching movies and playing card games. It was a very enjoyable time shared
with each other and one we will recall for years to come.
My take away of Juneau is: Though it is the capitol city, it has a small town feel, it
is easy to navigate around and the can do/make do creativity is enlightening and
endearing with all of this taking place in the beautiful mountains and waterways
making one feel like they are inside a screen saver!


Juneau, Alaska …..Dad’s View
I have been to Alaska many times over the years, but not to Juneau. Mostly visited the interior
of central Alaska.
Juneau is very much different from Anchorage or Fairbanks or Denali. In all of Alaska you are
right up on the mountain terrain unlike the long space from peak to peak such as the Rocky
Mountain views. This item is interesting given Alaska being soooo big. While watching a plane
(737-fairly large) approaching for landing, I noticed that with the mountain background the
plane looked like a toy, very surprising.
I found that it was easy to tell we were in Alaska by observing the vegetation. The trees were
mostly the Sitka and Black Spruce variety and the long daylight hours in the summer made
things grow large. The weather in Juneau is very wet and the temps aren’t that much different
than SI. I saw a very interesting construction project which would not work well in SI. This crew
was framing a two story building and had tyvec around the first floor with no second floor or
roof trusses as yet, usually not a problem except it was pouring rain, not a good thing for wood.
It seemed they had It under control, because two days later we went passed the site and they
had the second floor constructed and wrapped in tyvec and they were putting on the roof
except it was raining harder than the previous time. That is a formula for some bad
consequences in SI, but seems SOP in Alaska.
As far as the sightseeing and visiting with Joseph’s co-workers I don’t have a lot to add to what
Mom offered in her observances. While we were there a ship came in that took up 4 docking
slots and someone said it had about 4,000 passengers on board. We found some kindred spirits
in one of Joseph’s co-workers and his wife which is always a pleasant experience.
The two sunny days we experienced were picture perfect where ever we went and the temps
were in that area we call the comfort range. All-IN-ALL Juneau was great place to visit and in a
lot of ways a good place to live.