Alaska: Did Juneau? I Did Not!

 

 

Our first stop was Juneau, the capital city of Alaska. Fun fact: It is the only state capital in the entire country that cannot be accessed by road. You can only reach Juneau by airplane or by boat. On the agenda for this stop was a helicopter ride to a glacier, and some time to explore. We had a couple of hours to kill before we met our tour operator, so we walked around downtown Juneau. We also left our binoculars at home, so the hunt was on to find more. After procuring a pair, we were all set.

The shops in Juneau are very nice. We were surprised by all the upscale jewelry stores. Why there is a need for multiple shops that can sell you a preowned Rolex in a state that is separated from the contiguous 48 states is beyond me. We also staked out the park in downtown, which was next to the water and also the large cruise ship dock. The park featured two Filipino food vendors and a man singing absolutely delightful opera music.

The weather was your typical springtime Alaska weather...a little cold and a little rainy. We decided to warm up by getting coffee at Heritage Coffee Roasting Company. It was fantastic.

The weather cleared up as we made our way to meet our tour operator at the bottom of Mount Roberts. The company we'd chosen was Coastal Helicopters. After a quick check-in, we were whisked away in a van to the local airport. The orientation was very simple and within 20 minutes, we were stepping outside on the tarmac to our awaiting sky chariot. The chariot for this trip was the Airbus AS350 B2. I didn’t realize six travelers could fit, but we did. Four in the back. Two in the front, plus the pilot. And we were off.

I had over 500 hours of flying for my job, and have taken numerous flights for work and personal travel. I have also flown in a helicopter before. However, this trip would be different. As we took off from the airport and flew over nearby neighborhoods, our pilot informed us that he would need to bring the chopper up to 5,000 feet in altitude to fly over the mountain pass that we were approaching. We felt every bit of the mountain pass and the altitude. 

Juneau is home to a large mass of about 140 glaciers called the Juneau Icefield. For most standard cruise ships that visit, the usual glacier that is offered for an excursion is Mendenhall Glacier. We saw that one as we flew by. We landed on Herbert Glacier, which is a bit more remote. I was told that Coastal Helicopters is the only operator in town that has a permit to land on Herbert. It was a special treat. As we bumped our way through the pass and over Mendenhall, Herbert came into view. 

Our pilot lowered us and took us on a fun circle overhead to find a good landing spot, and after an exciting couple of minutes, we landed. Shortly afterwards, our feet touched a remarkable piece of nature.

I can try to describe what I saw. Quite frankly, my words could in no way do it justice. In fact, there isn't a single photo that could do the job either. It was a phenomenal field of white and blue. Mountain stone surrounded us on nearly all sides. I think had it been during the winter months, I have no doubt I would have had an even greater risk of snow blindness, but it being spring, the risk was slightly reduced. We could go play. We ran around like excited children. We drank glacier water from a running stream. It was the freshest water I have ever had in my life. 

After some time, we noticed that precipitation was closing in. A helicopter can ride through it, but for the uninitiated it may be a little uncomfortable. This would be our situation on the return trip. It was bumpy, but we made it. When we returned, we were all so grateful for such a glorious experience.

When we returned to town, lunch was next on the agenda...right as the rain began falling again. This time, there was more than before the glacier trip. It did not stop for quite a while, either. In Alaska, you can recognize that there are lots of iconic places to eat crab (especially when you are on a cruise around SE Alaska) or you can try something unexpected. Remember the Filipino food tents that I mentioned earlier? That's right...that's where we had lunch. Turns out there is a large Filipino presence in Juneau that has been there for decades.

This place had it all: great smells, meat being charred on a grill, and a longer line than the other place. We had to do it. Throw in a little Wayang Sweet Soy Sauce, and we were all good. 

The fact that this was a food stall in the outdoors made no difference to us. We ate our Filipino food in the rain. It was delicious. 

When we were done, we did our souvenir shopping. Sadly, we could not find the capitol. After a couple of hours, our traipse of Juneau was complete. It is well worth exploring if you have the chance.