Outside of Juneau's downtown is where the real action is. Purported to be 'home to many eagles', we drove 29 miles north to the Eagle Beach Recreation Area, an extensive intertidal mudflat, where we saw ONE eagle perched on a post at the mouth of Eagle Creek amidst thousands of squawking gulls. The view of the Chilkat Peninsula on the western side of the canal makes for a stunning backdrop, … [Read more...]
Juneau's Tacky Tourist Center
Rounding the corner into downtown Juneau, my heart sank. But for the mountain and ocean views visible from the core, it would be hard to distinguish downtown Juneau from any other thriving tourist destination in terms of the throngs of people and places for those crowds to spend their money. When 3 cruise ships are in port, the city's population swells from a modest 5 thousand to a zoo of over … [Read more...]
Alaska: Why Cruise When You Can Ferry?
Everything about our trip from Prince Rupert, B.C. to Juneau Alaska aboard the Alaska Marine Highway's ferry Matanuska was absolutely perfect --- from booking the reservation (and making a change) by phone, to onboard staff, the cabin and the delicious food. The trip northbound from Prince Rupert took 26 hours and cost approximately $1400 US for 2 passengers, one night in a cabin, and a vehicle … [Read more...]
North to Alaska… Again
Summer vacation planning this year became a bit of a bungle when dates and destinations had to be worked first around family needs and then as Highway 20 to Bella Coola was closed due to forest fires, we had to give up plans to visit the Chilcotin. So, we opted to head for Alaska and the Yukon instead and after a few hours of mad-dash route planning and last minute reservations, we were on our … [Read more...]