We’re still in Juneau for today’s article. And, once again, photos for this week’s Juneau experience were taken either during Voyage 1 (26 September 2021) or Voyage 2 (4 October 2021). The easy way to tell which day is which is to look at the sky. Voyage 1 we encountered clouds and intermittent drizzle, while Voyage 2 gave us bright, sunny skies. The image above was taken shortly after 2:00 p.m. on the 26th, shortly after our late arrival into Juneau. Here’s Ovation later that afternoon, as we headed back aboard to prepare for dinner:
Ovation of the Seas later that afternoond
After disembarking I spent a little time on the dock composing some fun waterside photos of the colorful buildings dotting the Juneau landscape:
Colorful Juneau
As far as 4 October being the sunnier of our two visits during the fall of this year, there was one exception. As I mentioned on Monday, we did encounter a bit of fog during our morning sail through Stephens Passage heading into Juneau. But the fog gave a nice contrast to the show topped mountains along the way:
Transiting Stephens Passage — morning of 4 October 2021
A couple of sights I didn’t show you on Monday, starting with this dedication to the Filipino community of Juneau. It’s a bust of Dr. José Rizal, a hero of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial control who was executed by firing squad in 1896 at the young age of 35:
Honoring Juneau’s Filipino community with a bust dedicated to Dr. José Rizal
Now for a photo gallery and slide show of some of the sights and colors along South Franklin Street:
Last week I ran a three-part series on Cruising in the Age of Covid-19. That review detailed onboard experiences on recent back-to-back voyages aboard Royal Caribbean‘s huge ship Ovation of the Seas. Beginning today I will present to you the sights we encountered on these voyages beginning with Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
Ovation of the Seas in Juneau — 26 September 2021
On Voyage 1 we arrived in port on 26 September in the afternoon. It was our first port of call on this voyage. As our itinerary for Voyage 2 was altered, substituting Ketchikan for Sitka because of weather, Juneau became our second port. That arrival was early morning on 4 October. The photos you’ll see this week are selection from both visits at eight days apart.
Dockside in Juneau — 26 September 2021
Our first visit to Juneau the weather was not exactly cooperative. The skies were cloudy, and we had intermittent light sprinkles throughout our stay. Nothing uncomfortable, mind you. We didn’t even need to break out the umbrellas, although Ursula briefly donned a rain poncho.
Juneau Public Library alongside the cruise pier
Juneau is an interesting town, and it’s particularly fun to walk the many shops along South Franklin Street. Here you’ll find everything from high-end jewelry, to expensive furs, to a store specializing in Russian items (including some cool Soviet-era hats), to bars, and, of course, Tracy’s King Crab Shack, which was unfortunately closed for the season. The image below of Tracy’s was taken on the sunnier of the two days we visited Juneau — 4 October — with an earlier morning arrival.
Tracy’s King Crab Shack
Not far from Tracy’s, also on South Franklin, is the Mount Roberts Tramway. I’ve included a photo of it, also taken on 4 October. For an article on what that’s like, see my article from an earlier visit: Mount Roberts Tramway.
Mount Roberts Tramway, Juneau
One of these day’s I really am going to have to step inside those rustic swinging doors leading into the historic Red Dog Saloon. This place has been beckoning to me for decades now, as it calls out to me every time we visit Juneau:
Red Dog Saloon
So, what else is on South Franklin? Well, as you leave the cruise ship, below is the view to the right (south). That’s the direction for Tracy’s, the tramway, and some of the more seasonal shops:
Looking south along South Franklin Street
Heading north on South Franklin, which means departing the cruise ship dock and hanging a left past the Red Dog, brings you to an area that caters a bit more to locals. So here is where you’ll find most of the dockside year-round shopping. That’s not to say you’re out of the touristy shop area, as there are still plenty of jewelry and kitschy shops here as well:
Heading north on South Franklin
Head up that way for bars and restaurants more geared to the locals. Indeed, this charming crepe-centric place looked as if it might be fun to sample, and right next to it was a coffee and s’mores shop:
Crepe Escape and Captain’s S’Mores and Brew
As I mentioned earlier in today’s article, our 4 October arrival afforded us better weather. And the morning sunlight gave us some great approach views heading into Stephens Passage. The lead picture in today’s article was taken as we sailed toward Juneau that morning. But this next photo was even more striking, as we approached a dense fogbank heading into port:
Stephens Passage fogbank heading into Juneau — 4 October 2021
Today I present my longest (10:45) and most ambitious video to date. In order you’ll see:
0:20 Mark — Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay, includes:
An impressive ice calving event at the 1:50 mark and another at 2:02
2:15 Mark — Images of the Norwegian Sun transiting Glacier Bay with additional glaciers
3:42 Mark — Norwegian Sun’s sunset transit past the majestic mountains of Wrangell – St. Elias National Park with stunning images of snow-capped mountains bathed in the reddish glow of a setting sun
4:22 Mark — Hubbard Glacier, includes:
A column of ice probably close to 200 feet/60 meters tall breaking off from the glacier and crashing into Disenchantment Bay at 6:18
8:20 Mark — Portage Glacier
Beginning next week I’ll return to our Chile-to-Los Angeles cruise. You’ll recall we got sidetracked with Alaska following my presentation of the Costa Rican jungle. We’ll take up with our next stop on that voyage — Nicaragua.
As for this week’s remaining blog post, it’s a Fun Firearm Friday with a look at another historic firearm.
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
R. Doug Wicker — Author 