In May 2010, Debra and I went on a 13-day cruise to Alaska and British Columbia. We sailed round trip from Los Angeles on the Celebrity Mercury, with port stops in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria. Click HERE to read a short introduction about this exciting cruise.
This story, which is part of a series, is about our day in Juneau.
This story, which is part of a series, is about our day in Juneau.
Juneau, Alaska (May 9, 2010) Debra and I arrived in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, mid-morning, and a cold morning it was, with the temperature in the upper 40s. But the sky was mostly sunny, there was no rain or snow, and we had warm clothes to wear. We were good to go!
Juneau is located on a narrow strip of land along the Gastineau Channel at the base of 3,800-foot-high Mount Roberts. We didn’t have time to do this, but you can take a tram from the cruise port to 1,800 feet up the mountain for an expansive view of the city and channel. The city, by the way, is fairly large – on a comparative basis, almost as large as the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, although with far fewer people (pop. 32,000) than in either state.
Where the river is windin', big nuggets they're finding
North to Alaska - go north, the rush is on
Way up north (north to Alaska)
Way up north (north to Alaska)
North to Alaska - go north, the rush is on
North to Alaska - go north, the rush is on
~ Johnny Horton, North to Alaska
North to Alaska - go north, the rush is on
Way up north (north to Alaska)
Way up north (north to Alaska)
North to Alaska - go north, the rush is on
North to Alaska - go north, the rush is on
~ Johnny Horton, North to Alaska
In October 1880, a Tlingit chief led two prospectors, Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, into the wilderness, where they discovered gold nuggets “as large as beans” at the mouth of a stream they called Gold Creek. This was the first major gold discovery in Alaska. They marked off a 160-acre town site, and soon there was a mining camp, which was recorded as "Harrisburgh" after Richard Harris. The next year, though, the town was renamed Juneau. Why? Well, the story (lore?) was that Joe Juneau bought more drinks for the miners ahead of a new vote on the town’s name than did Richard Harris. Smart guy, this Juneau. He would do well today!
Mendenhall Glacier
Thirteen-mile long Mendenhall Glacier, part of a much larger ice field, was less than 15 miles from Juneau, and this glacier was where we headed to...BY HELICOPTER! I have to tell you: Debra was apprehensive about the flight but, before we left on our cruise, I cajoled her into going and booked a tour with TEMSCO Helicopters.
Our tour started with a short transfer by bus to TEMSCO's helipad, where we donned glacier boots and had a safety briefing before we boarded the helicopter. We were six in total – the pilot and five passengers, including Debra and me. As we neared the helicopter, I quickly staked out the front seats. Debra sat next to the pilot and I sat at the door, a prime spot for taking photos as we flew to the glacier. Debra was wearing her brave smile in this photo, as she still wasn’t sure about the helicopter ride!
Mendenhall Glacier
Thirteen-mile long Mendenhall Glacier, part of a much larger ice field, was less than 15 miles from Juneau, and this glacier was where we headed to...BY HELICOPTER! I have to tell you: Debra was apprehensive about the flight but, before we left on our cruise, I cajoled her into going and booked a tour with TEMSCO Helicopters.
Our tour started with a short transfer by bus to TEMSCO's helipad, where we donned glacier boots and had a safety briefing before we boarded the helicopter. We were six in total – the pilot and five passengers, including Debra and me. As we neared the helicopter, I quickly staked out the front seats. Debra sat next to the pilot and I sat at the door, a prime spot for taking photos as we flew to the glacier. Debra was wearing her brave smile in this photo, as she still wasn’t sure about the helicopter ride!
Once airborne, it took about 15 minutes to get to Mendenhall Glacier, named in honor of American physicist and meteorologist Thomas Corwin Mendenhall. The flight was awesome, from the moment we lifted off to the moment we set down. It must have been a good day for flying, because the flight was smooth. Our pilot told us we were 3,000 to 4,000 feet high and that we flew at 140 miles per hour at one point on the flight there. It was exhilarating, and the sweeping vista of snow-covered terrain and rugged mountains was beautiful! As we flew, Debra got into the experience.
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Soon we caught sight of Mendenhall Glacier, and the view was stunning: a lush alpine ridge leading to Mendenhall Lake, the terminus for the glacier; a great extent of the glacier flow nestled within the snow-capped Coast Mountains; and rocky mountains with sheer drop-offs towards the glacier valley. This was a birds-eye view of arctic beauty at its best!
We touched down on the glacier and walked a few hundred yards to an area where a guide shared how the glacier was formed and what made "blue ice" blue (the formation of the ice causes it to absorb long wavelength light, refracting the shorter wavelength light, which is blue). Our guide also gave us a taste of glacial melt – cold, wet, clean, and refreshing. Now we had free time to walk the glacier, and it was an absolutely amazing experience. We explored the ice, melt-water pools, and crevasses, and saw waterfalls and even a few mountain goats on the cliffs. The landscape of the glacier was truly stunning!
We touched down in Juneau less than two hours after we lifted off, with memories that will last a lifetime. Oh, and by the way…Debra loved the helicopter ride!