Ja know? Aka Juneau

Steve thinks it is hilarious to say "Joo know" like "do you know" and then some funny fact or question about the Capitol of Alaska. Like the fact that this island Capitol has been threatened several times by other cities wanting to move the Capitol north. But the cost of moving exceeds $6 million so this little island remains the hub of the state.

True to form, it rained while we were in Juneau. We really can't complain because the weather has been so wonderful. And being seattlelites, we donned our rain gear and trudged a mile down the road to the Alaska state museum. So it felt like 3 miles in the rain, do we complain? No, we just keep trekking on. Eventually we got to the museum, which held several exhibits ranging from the attack on the Alaskan islands during world war II and an intricate longhouse exhibit with totem poles. The upstairs had a satirical collection of paintings that had all of us laughing. The highlight for Grady was coloring his own native hat and then wearing it.

The rain lightened up and we set out exploring the city. After a stop at a great local bagel place, we tucked in and out of several stores along the main drag. By more accident than intention we ended up having lunch at the Red Onion Saloon, one of the oldest eating establishments in Juneau. The food was ok but the atmosphere and beer were memorable. The floor is sawdust and every inch of the ceiling and walls are covered in wacky signs, strange and funny taxidermy and notes carved and written by guests over the years. A piano player entertained us the entire time we ate. Grady was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the room but Colby loved every minute of it. We had to sit separately because tables only held 4 but it looked like everyone had fun.

After some more shopping we boarded the tram to the to of Mt. Roberts, a high peak overlooking the harbor. It was still foggy and drizzled so we didn't get the whole view but the partial one we had was breathtaking. Once we made it to the top, some of us continued on a little mile hike around the upper part of the mountain. We saw a fat marmot and heard him whistling at us while we trudged up the hill. At the top is a large wooden cross put there by the Jesuit priest who created the trail system on the mountain.

After a few more shops and some ice cream we headed back the ship, which was bellied up against the boardwalk. Getting on and off is incredibly easy when it is docked.

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