As mentioned in the previous post, we began our long postponed trip to Alaska on July 27. It began with our flight on Alaska Airlines from DFW to Juneau: four hours from DFW to SEA, 2.5 hours from SEA to JNU, with a two hour layover in Seattle.
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| Waiting at DFW, The picture was taken by a very friendly and interesting fellow--retired bush pilot--from Alaska. |
Will our luggage make it? We were more than a little apprehensive after all kinds of horror stories this year about lost luggage and cancelled flights as the airlines try to get back up to speed after the pandemic. Bringing everything as carry-on luggage was not an option since we were bringing so many bulky items such as calf-high rubber boots for the anticipated wet landings off the skiff, hiking boots, and multiple layers of cold weather and rain gear.
Carry-on electronics. That doesn't begin to address the electronics we were also hauling. All of the electronics, since most of it runs on lithium batteries which can not be checked, was carry-on. The electronics included two full-sized cameras, lenses, rain protection for the cameras, portable hard drives to back up pictures, GoPro camera and accessories, camera gps and handheld gps, multiple battery chargers for the many different types of batteries,and about a billion different cables. Of course we also had our cell phones (which are also cameras, so we had waterproof pouches with neck lanyards for them for wet adventures when we did not want to use full-sized cameras) and our iPads. I think the astronauts going to the moon would have been jealous!
A big splurge. To improve our chances of getting overhead bin space for the camera gear, we decided to splurge for first class tickets. That was definitely a huge plus for this trip, especially since we were flying Alaska Airlines. Thankfully we got the tickets before the recent huge increase in price. We had much easier boarding, extra "free" checked bags, plenty of overhead bin space, real food on the plane, and -- possibly best of all -- a purchased first class ticket on Alaska Airlines provides access to their airport lounge. We had extremely easy flight connections in Seattle, with all flights either starting or ending in the north satellite terminal. However that terminal was crazy -- jam-packed with people and incredibly chaotic. The Alaska Airlines lounge in the north satellite terminal was not particularly posh, but it was spacious, relaxing, and had huge windows overlooking the airport. It made the trips going and coming so much better. One additional perk, since Alaska Airlines is now part of Oneworld Alliance, we claimed the mileage on our AAdvantage accounts. I am now a big fan of Alaska Airlines!
We arrived in Juneau about 3 pm Alaska time. It was overcast but thankfully not raining. We collected our luggage (yes, it all made it!) and drug it out to the taxi stand. We had already determined before leaving home that rental cars were either not available in Juneau or ungodly expensive, apparently still a result of the pandemic issues. We crowded into a van along with some other arriving folks and took a mini-tour as the driver dropped each of us off. We took the driver's card and contacted him multiple times during our time in Juneau. Although he was a good old boy from Montana, he was a seasonal worker who returned home to the Philippines each winter to be with his wife and kids. He seemed representative of so many of the folks we met in Alaska.
Checking out the waterfront. After checking into the hotel,we decided to check out the waterfront area nearby. We couldn't believe the ravens. They were everywhere! Definitely a surprise discovery.
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| Some of the many ravens arguing over trash in the parking lot. |
We ate dinner (early by Alaska standards, late by our tummies' standards) of halibut and chips at the fish and chips place on the wharf--check #1 off my list.
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| Dinner at the fish and chips restaurant on the wharf. One of the large cruise ships is in the background. |
There were lots of interesting things to see along the dock, including a statue of Patsy Ann, the official greeter of Juneau.
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| Patsy Ann, the official greeter of Juneau |
We got the picture and info we needed for an Alaska geocache--check #2 off my list.
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| A tribute to the gold miners and gold mining, what caused Juneau to be founded here in 1881. |
We also got up close and personal with several of the large cruise ships. (Maybe moderate-sized by their stands, since they "only" had 3000 or so passengers each.) After seeing them in person it reaffirmed our belief that we NEVER want to take a cruise on one of the large cruise ships. That is in contrast to the fabulous time we had on our UnCruise cruise. We loved it and have already put money down on a future UnCruise cruise--but again I am getting ahead of myself.
We wandered through town and back to the hotel. Of course it was still light. Sunset was at 9:37 pm. Nor were we worried about darkness in the morning. Sunrise was 4:31 am. Lots of light to squeeze in all of our activities!
Day 1 down--a great success.
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