FRIDAY, JULY 5

FRIDAY, JULY 5:   

     Woke up to dry ground, for the first time since we’ve been here.  But still cool (these days the high is upper 50’s to low 60’s) and very cloudy.  Typical for Juneau. 

     Drove into town.  But first made a stop at the Forest Service office just down the road.  We wanted some info and advice on bear-watching trips at Pack Creek.  We knew that we could go with a guide outfit, who would take care of everything – arranging the short flight over to Admiralty Island, where Pack Creek is located, obtaining the  U.S. Forest Service permits (this area is managed by the Forest Service, meaning, in part, that only a certain number of visitors are allowed per day during peak season), even lunch.  But all that convenience is pricey - $650 per person.  We thought that we might be able to take care of the logistics ourselves, and save a lot of $$.  Both the gal at the front desk and the ranger who came out later were extremely helpful –told us exactly how to use the website to obtain permits, gave us a list of floatplane charters, and told us a lot about what to expect at Pack Creek, what “habituation” means (bears, who under normal circumstances in the wild, would flee from humans, have gotten use to their presence at places like Pack Creek, and as long as the humans behave themselves, the bears see no threat and just go about their business), etc.   Well worth the stop!

     Continued on into town in time to catch an organ concert in the State Office Building.  Every Friday at noon, a guest gives a free concert on an old theater organ.  The organ was built in the 1920’s for a theater in Juneau, was neglected for many years, was refurbished in Seattle, and found a permanent home in this building.  The concert was a lot of f un – he played upbeat music, including some patriotic songs and all of the theme songs of the various military branches.

 

      The building has a small snack bar down the hall from where the organ is located, so we grabbed some lunch there to munch on as we enjoyed the music.  And – once again – a view to die for.  The building itself, like almost all of the downtown government buildings, is  nondescript – but what a view!  Is there any other state capitol where you can take a break from your bureaucratic labors and look out at the water, snow-capped mountains, and cruise ships?!

 

 

                                                                    On State Office bldg patio

Not to mention an 1880 original totem pole.                                                    

 

     We strolled on towards the waterfront and the historic district.  Lots of late 19^th century Victorian storefronts, which sprang up during the gold rush days. 

.  Now, of course, they’re filled with tourist shops.  Very much like Ketchikan in that respect – lots of cheap imported stuff.  And most not even owned by locals, but by the cruise ships companies, who close them up after the last ship has gone in September and move all the generic merchandise down to their Caribbean shops for the winter season.  But occasionally you’ll come across a locally-owned shop, which proudly announces that, and carries items crafted by Alaskans (as well as ubiquitous T-shirts, etc.)  We found a nice burl bowl that we liked, and a glazed dish resembling a salmon that will be nice remembrances for us.

     We went into a small local photo/camera shop for Bill to ask a question, and were there for the better part of an hour!  The owner told us story after story, about how he came here from New Jersey when a young man, joined a fishing crew, and the boat’s owner “turned a boy into a man.”  He lamented the sorry state of local & state politics, how he never thought he’d wish for Sarah Palin to be back – that’s how bad he thinks this current governor is – totally in the pocket of big oil, big cruise ship corporations, any big entity with $$.  He was a bright, articulate, entertaining guy.  He’s hung on to his small business for 25 years, and we hope he’s able to do it for as long as he wants!  Bill ended up buying a polaroid lens from him, even though he knew he could get it at a big box store for less. 

     Saw all that we wanted of downtown.  If it’s a nice sunny day, we might come down again and enjoy the harbor views. 

     Came back, relaxed, and grilled bar-b-que’d ribs for dinner.  Yum.  Seems to be getting dark much earlier – although that’s probably just due to the heavy cloud cover.