Holland America MS Amsterdam Travelogue #4 Juneau, Alaska May 31, 2011

Holland America MS Amsterdam Travelogue #4

Juneau, Alaska
May 31, 2011

Once again we woke to clear, blue skies and felt so lucky and blessed to be able to enjoy Juneau on such a gorgeous day. We cruised down the Gastineau Channel towards Juneau and arrived there about 7:00 a.m. Our hot coffee was delivered to the room by 7:30 a.m., and we began getting ready for a very special day. We had no idea how truly incredible the day would be; but as it greeted us, we welcomed it with arms wide open!

It is not often that I actually get to meet my clients. Because most of my clients come from the internet, they live all over the world! Today, however, was different. I had arranged a custom trip to Alaska for Rick & Mary from Minnesota – and as luck would have it, they arrived in Juneau to begin their Alaska adventure yesterday – and when Jim & I got off the Amsterdam this morning, we met them! Rick & Mary and their son Matt met us in front of the Red Dog Saloon and after hugs all around, we wandered over to the Paradise Café for a little breakfast.
We discovered Paradise Café with Mark and Debbie last year on our Cruise West Inside Passage cruise from Juneau to Seattle. They served delicious food then and they did not disappoint this year either! I enjoyed a delicious and light homemade frittata while others had breakfast burritos or quiche. Rick bough “breakfast dessert” – a heavenly piece of berry cobbler. While that was passed around the table so we could all indulge, we sat and talked for quite awhile and enjoyed getting to know each other. Then we took off on our adventure in Juneau.

As we walked up Franklin Street (the main street for souvenir shops), we passed an old building marked Juneau Laundry. It was concrete and 1917 was stamped into the front face of the building. Franklin Street has quite a dramatic incline. Our destination was up to 5th Street and St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. As many times as we have been to Juneau, neither of us could ever recall visiting this church. It is a small white octagon shape building with a sky blue roof and painted gold trim and cross on top. She faces downtown Juneau from her perch on the hill and has a beautiful view. The church holds 75 standing parishioners on Sunday mornings.

After visiting St. Nicholas, our next destination was the Alaska State Capital building. It is a mighty building of solid granite and also stands near St. Nicholas Church facing downtown Juneau and the Gastineau Channel. We went into the lobby briefly and saw two handsome wooden carvings on both sides of the entrance on the walls. They depicted life during the Gold Rush era. About half a block away in front of another government building, is an enormous bronze statue of a bear.

We met up again with Rick & Mary and Matt for lunch at the Twisted Fish Restaurant near the tramway building for Mount Roberts. While we enjoyed our lunch, the conversation and company was better; and before we knew it, it was time for Rick, Mary and Matt to be picked up for their Photo Safari by Land & Sea of Juneau. Meeting my clients and actually getting to know them and spend a little time with them on the trip that I had put together for them was an incredibly special thing for me. Thank you Mittelstadts for giving me the opportunity to help you with your Alaskan adventure!

Our afternoon continued with our river float on the Mendenhall River. A motor coach picked us up near our ship at 4:00 p.m. and we were taken out to Mendenhall Glacier Lake which is about 15 miles north of downtown Juneau. Mendenhall Glacier is part of the Juneau Ice Field – the fifth largest ice field in the U.S.

After putting on our yellow, rubber overalls and knee high rubber boots and life jackets, we were all assigned to our raft and guide. After the 10 of us climbed into the rubber raft, our guide, Kevin shoved us offshore and away we went. The wind was blowing strongly; there were white caps on Mendenhall Lake ¬ and for the life of me, I do not understand why they put the rafts in the water on the far side of the lake making it necessary for the guides to paddle backwards to cross the lake and enter Mendenhall River! Crossing the lake in these conditions took about 45 minutes; and we never got to see the face of the glacier!

Once we reached the head of Mendenhall River, the four guides waited for all to catch up and begin the journey down. The glacial waters were now calm and the river was quite peaceful. There are homes all along the river with large decks and spectacular views. Many people were out in their yards today and waved as we floated by. There were a couple of places on the rover with Class 1 rapids, but nothing large or dangerous.

The highlight of our river float was one of the people in the front raft spotting a bear cub in the water along the river’s edge. It was a brown bear with a spot of beige on the chest. The cub scurried up the embankment and disappeared too soon for us to get any really good pictures. But! The mama bear was nearby, and came meandering through the brush along the river and followed the edge to a clearing about 25-30 feet away from our rafts. She stopped when she got to the clearing, almost as if she was posing for us and saying she gave her approval to take her picture! We floated by all too quickly; but I guarantee you that those cameras were clicking away as fast as those shutters would let us click them! Not too much farther down river, someone else spotted a bald eagle resting on a piece of driftwood right along the river embankment. He had his back to the river and so the pictures I got did not show the handsome face of this majestic bird.

At the end of our 5 mile river float, we landed in a clearing under the bridge of the highway. We took off our rain gear and were treated to some reindeer sausage and salmon dip with crackers and hot cider to warm us up. The motor coach took us all back to the Amsterdam around 9:00 p.m.

Jim and I had dinner that night in the Canaletto Italian restaurant onboard the Amsterdam because the Lido buffet was already closed. He enjoyed Chicken Marsala while I indulged in some bowtie pasta with fresh seafood in a light olive oil and garlic sauce with freshly grated Parmesano cheese on top. I somehow feel obligated to have the fresh seafood while I am in Alaska. It was delicious!

The Amsterdam left Juneau after 10:00 p.m. while the sun was just setting in the west. The lights of the city were just starting to come on and twinkle in the twilight. We had a spectacular day from beginning to end!