Juneau and Sitka

The Alaska State Museum in Juneau was a great way to spend a rainy morning. The Tlingit and Haidas are the 2 major Indian people in Southeast Alaska and it was interesting to compare their way of life with the northern groups.  The museum is a wealth of information about Alaska’s involvement in World War ll and the Russian-America days.

We took a tour of the Capitol building which is one of the few capitols in the U.S. that does not have a dome.

We visited the Mendenhall Glacier 3 times, partly for the beauty and partly for bear viewing.  The Mendenhall Glacier’s terminal moraine is at the Mendenhall Lake so there are icebergs floating in the lake. The 377 foot Nugget waterfall empties into the lake nearby providing spectacular views of waterfall, lake, icebergs, glacier and mountains.

The U.S. Forest Service visitor center at the glacier area has the most rangers we have ever seen in one area and we learned that is because of the bears.  An elevated bear viewing walkway provides opportunity to see black bears fishing if your timing is right.  We saw 2 moms, 3 cubs and a large number of spawning red salmon.

The Shrine of St. Therese of Lisieux is situated on Shrine Island accessed by a causeway for foot traffic only.  On the island is a chapel which was built in the late 1930‘s using beach stone from the island and there is a Stations of the Cross trail too. St. Therese is the Patron Saint of Alaska.

Did you know that Juneau has only 40-50 miles of main roads?

 It is a 5 hour ferry ride from Juneau to Sitka located on Baranof Island. Sitka has ~14 miles of main roadway.  It rains 60-70% of the time here producing a lush rainforest.  

When the Russians came to Baranof Island the Tlingit people fought them, winning the first time but when the Russians returned 2 years later the Tlingits lost the battle and retreated.  The Russians profited from hunting sea otters but when the sea otter was near extinction Russia lost it’s interest in AK and sold it to the U.S. with a transfer ceremony in Sitka in 1867.  Castle Hill is where the Russian flag was lowered and the American flag was raised and this hill has several plaques describing the events that occurred there.

This area is rich with history of the Russian American period. The Russian Bishop’s House, a part of the Sitka National Historical Park, is furnished in the Russian colonial era and well worth taking a tour through both floors.  Bishop Innocent studied the language and customs of the Tlingit people and promoted their education, the lower floor of his house was a school.  The Historical Park also includes a collection of 18 totem poles collected in 1901-1903, some originals and others are copies of originals. 

St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral located in the center of town continues to hold services several times weekly.  

Brown bears, linked genetically to polar bears, are on Baranof Island but we did not see any.  

Did you know that Alaska has the only state capital, Juneau, not accessible by road?(unless you live in Juneau and then you can drive to it)