Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau & Skagway….

So here it is part 3 of my trip to Alaska. Please bear in mind the photos on this blog were before iphones, digital cameras etc so I’ve actually taken a photo of the original developed photo from an album!  How things have changed.

Next part of my trip we visited the famous Mendenhall glacier, in Juneau. The excursion I took with Princess Cruises,a nature hike, high up into the mountains running alongside the glacier. 

I had my hiking boots on, and a bright yellow poncho on…decided not to upload that picture. Before the hike started we had to do a safety talk, I thought the usual, stay together, keep a steady pace etc….NO a talk on what to do if we saw a grizzly bear on the hike!! I actually laughed and thought the guide was joking, nope she was serious. I was more than slightly concerned about the advice too. So just incase you need the advice, here is what to do….play dead and hope for the best. Yes..if you see a bear on your trip, lie on the ground and play dead. Problem solved.

As it turns out we never saw a bear just a porcupine! It wasn’t disappointing though, Mendenhall Glacier is fascinating, its stunning scenery around there too.  Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier about 12 miles long located in Mendenhall valley, about 12 miles from downtown Juneau. On our way back to ship that afternoon we decided to do the Mt. Roberts Tramway for a heritage tour. You’ll take a six-minute ride from the cruise ship pier to the 1,800-foot level of Mt. Roberts.   At the top, a  restaurant, espresso bar, and gift shop, a Nature Center, wildlife viewing platforms, a self-guided trail marked by Native totemic carvings and access to upper alpine hiking trails. I’m a bit of a coward when it comes to cable cars , but it was worth the 6 minute climb. The views were breathtaking, it also put into perspective the size of the Sea Princess in port.

Tomorrows port is Skagway, my plan was to go in search of gold!  Skagway was the gateway to the gold fields for the thousands who flocked to Alaska and the Yukon with the hope of striking it rich. The gold yield dwindled in 1900, so did the population, today, Skagway has less than 1,000 residents. It still retains the flavor of the gold rush era. I decided to book the Princess excursion called Gold Rush History, where you could relive the color and history of the Yukon Gold Rush. Tour the camps, pan for gold and meet a few costumed characters who’ll show you what life was like during the boom-town days in the 1800s. It was actually good fun, but no….I didn’t find enough gold to retire!  The lady in my photo is now my wife by the way……..so that free trip in the end has cost me a fortune as we’re now  family of 4.   Where has the time gone…….that was 2002!

After that we decided to head into town and visit the famous Red Onion Saloon.  During the Klondike Gold Rush, the Red Onion Saloon was Skagway’s most exclusive bordello. Now this colourful establishment is a bar/restaurant and a National Historic Building.

In my next blog I’ll finish my review of Alaska, if I’ve convinced you to try please get in touch with me at [email protected] or you can call me on 0800 408 6107.