Surprise – well, not really, with the storms out there on the Alaskan coast, we figured we wouldn’t be going to Seward, but we actually figured we’d go straight to across to Japan. Not so – we’re heading to Juneau to stay inside the passage and protected by the islands on either side of the straits.  We are up early, watching a gorgeous sunrise, then off to the gym and our morning routine.  We aren’t arriving until noon, so we just get ourselves organized, go to the Port talk, then have lunch while we wait to dock in Juneau.

Since this is such an oddly timed port call – noon to 8p – and so last minute, we figure we will just walk around town, grab a beer and maybe a snack, then hit the grocery store for supplies.  We’ve been here before and while it is really fun to rent a car and drive to the end of the road, we decided we’d rather just have a leisurely day and do some walking before the rains set in.  Which is exactly what we do! 

We’re off the ship as quickly as we can, heading to the Alaskan Brewery Brewpub right on the dock.  But alas, they are closed for the season, as are most of the shops around.  Which is sort of weird since we know that NCL will be here for the next 2 weeks and probably other ships.  Oh well, Plan B, we’ll go to the Red Dog Saloon, where we’ve definitely been before, for the “real” Alaskan experience – as much as anything in this state on the water can be called “real.”  But it is fun, amidst the sawdust on the floor and the old nostalgic décor and wait staff dressed up like the old west.  The beer and wine are great – and cheap!  My wine was $6.50 for a really good pour – cheaper than home! Crazy!  And we also snacked on an excellent smoked chowder.  A nice little interlude.

Next stop the grocery store, but on the way we pass by the Alaska State Museum and decide, what the heck?  Great diversion!  Tons of interesting information about the indigenous tribes in Alaska, the Athabascan, who were the original inhabitants here; how they survived, hunted, harvested, etc. Lots of artifacts, including some really creepy headdresses, including the bird feather one.  Eek.  A waterproof clothing display with an entire coat made of puffin skins, trimmed with embroidery of caribou hair.  Double Eek.  Tons and tons of history about Russian territory and how the US came to acquire the whole of Alaska (Seward’s Folly).  Also odd tidbits, like the totem with Abe Lincoln on it – entitled “The First White Man.”

There was a working studio of an artist who builds replicas of the original Southern Inupiaq Qayaq – he wasn’t there yet, but you could see how he worked, the tools, shreds of sawdust left over from his carving. 

And then a more contemporary display of facemasks from the COVID years that fit over N95 masks and promoted indigenous pride and tradition.  Masks in the shape of animal warriors/spirits, as well as woven masks by a Lingit weaver. 

There is just so much here – too much to chronicle it all, but an excellent history and overview of Alaska, their maritime industries, mining, oil and timber, all the different Alaskan natives – culture and ways of life – and of course the Russian colony and influence before becoming a US colony.

Nice little respite from the cold and wind, now we are on our way to the IGA to grab whatever supplies we can (i.e., crackers and chips).  The store is pretty picked over, but we manage to grab a few things that don’t break the bank (this is Juneau after all, known as the “island city” because there is no connection with the rest of Alaska or the US – everything has to be flown or sailed in here), then reverse course and head back to the ship, passing the cool whale tail sculptures that line the Juneau seawalk. 

Settling back in on the ship, our only disappointment is that we didn’t see any Bald Eagles.  Juneau has the largest concentration of Bald Eagles with an estimated 15 to 30,000 Eagles in and around the city.  (The population here is only 30,000, meaning a 1 to 1 ratio people to eagles here in Juneau!) we head for the coffee café, snap some gorgeous scenery surrounding the city and prepare for our now 7 straight days at sea.