07 – Juneau – Auke Bay, Eagle Point, Treadwell Mine and the Mendenhall Glacier

Juneau is a larger and more prosperous city than Sitka. All manner of modern conveniences are here and one feels like they are truly back in the USA although it does still have that smaller city feel about it. The cars and housing are of a higher standard. I didn’t see an electric car in Sitka but there are some in Juneau. Availability is driven very much by the fact that all consumables and most food has to be transported in by air or by sea. There is little food production locally beyond the fishing industry and most industrial activity is centred around marine maintenance and support.

It was a busy day in port today, with 5 large cruise ships cruise ships docked. There appeared to be only five deep water ports available. As soon as one left another was waiting to take its place.

Five cruise ships in Juneau harbour seems to be the norm

Our AirBNB hosted by Laura was wonderful. Called Cedar House, guess what, it’s made of Cedar. Normally we would cook every other night but being here for just two nights we took the easy route of dining out in Juneau.

Cedar House off Fritz Cove Road – a fashionable Juneau neighbourhood

Auke Bay

I’ve never seen such plentiful mussels growing everywhere like Auke Bay. We were surprised to learn that the locals don’t eat them due to “Paralytic Shellfish Toxin” which is a naturally occurring issue here. Here is a link to the State of Alaska Food Safety and Sanitation page explaining this phenomenon. A local guide told us a story of how back in the early 1800s when the area was under Russian control the local Tlingit Indians lured their captors into eating a load of them. The location is known as Murder Bay.

Eagle Bay

About 15 miles beyond Auke Bay we came to Eagle Bay which is where the confluence of two rivers runs into the sea. This wide open vista gave us views of dozens of eagles, otters and of course gulls. It’s a most spectacular place with distant snow capped peaks visible in most directions. Of the places we have visited in Alaska so far this one stands out for being memorable.

Flock of seagulls at Eagle Beach

Panorama – Zoom in with pinch and stretch

There were many dead salmon in various levels of decay that have spawned, died and been washed back down the river. They are called Zombie Fish by the locals.

Mendenhall Glacier

No trip to Juneau is complete without a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier. The visitor center was well equipped and I was able to buy my “America the Beautiful” lifetime pass. This incredible deal allows me to visit any national park with up to three guests for the rest of my life. It’s only eligible to those over 62.

Mendenhall Glacier – not our pic, I’m afraid

Nugget Falls

Treadwell Mining Trail on Douglas

Remains of the Treadwell Mine salt water pumping station. This hauntingly bizarre structure stands alone about three hundred yards from the shoreline.

Treadwell Mining was the world’s largest hard rock gold mine. It began operating in the early 1880s and was producing gold up till 1922. It was so successful that Juneau across the harbour became Alaska’s new capital replacing Sitka in 1906.

The main office survives in a manner of speaking. The preservation work is of a high standard as its well painted and has a nice roof.

The site was enormous and employed up to two thousand at the turn of the last century. In the space of about 30 years this area went from having just a handful of people to being a vibrant and technologically advanced industrial area.