Capital Cities Tour: Discover Juneau, Alaska
Extreme” best describes Alaska, America’s outermost
northern state, one-third of which lies in the Arctic Circle.
Although Alaska is the largest state in the Union, (two and a
half times bigger than Texas), its rough terrain prohibits
intercity travel. As a result, each Alaskan city and town
preserves its unique charm and village-like quality, marked
with ancient totem poles. Towering snow-covered
mountains with menacing jagged peaks preside over
charming little towns of humble, one- and two-story wood
buildings. American Bald Eagles soar over the onion
domes of Russian Orthodox churches, reminiscent of the
time when Alaska belonged to Russia.
Alaska s landscape is primitive, pristine and perilous. Its
exotic blue ice for example, (referring to Alaska
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ice floes that sail passively over a midnight sea), seems as
gentle as deer, yet as deadly on waterways as deer are on
highways. This stunning blue ice floats silently beneath
towering glacier walls called white thunder, so called
because they look like white, foamy tidal waves frozen in
midair.
Although the modern world s cruise ships and airlines
frequently penetrate this massive snow-fortified land, much
of the state remains a vast wilderness that defies man’s
taming or domestication. Alaska is full of awe-inspiring
beauty and deadly danger two extremes of Mother Nature’s
personality. As the state’s unofficial nickname claims, it is
“The Last Frontier.”
STATE TOURIST INFORMATION (907) 929-2200, JUNEAU
Juneau is the only landlocked
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No major roads travel in or out of the city. However, frequent
air and boat service make this hard-to-reach capital a
manageable trek that s worth the effort and expense to get
to. Where else can you find state business being conducted
at the base of a snow-covered mountain, down the street
from a moving glacier, close to a lush rain forest, in a
wilderness where bears roam freely, Bald Eagles soar; a
city where Tlingit totem poles stand, onion dome Russian
Orthodox churches rise, and the remnants of 19th century
gold miners mark their distinctive claim all in one city?
Things to See in Juneau:
Alaska Statehouse
Built in 1931, the Territorial
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the State Capitol in 1959, and has housed the state
legislature, governor’s office and Lt. governor’s office ever
since. Four columns of Tokeen marble from Prince of Wales
Island south of Juneau, embellish the exterior brick-faced
concrete structure. The Alaska State Seal in the lobby, made
of gold nuggets from Alaska s Gold Rush era greets
visitors. The doors to the Senate Chambers have handles of
hand cast brass etched in totemic symbols representing an
eagle, a whale and a bear still commonly found in Juneau
to this day.
Check it out . . . The portrait of former state senator Bettye
Fahrenkamp shows her wearing earrings of native symbols
that mean “in one ear, out
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all Senate sessions.
Check it out . . . The map of Alaska on the third floor is made
from a piece of the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
Alaska State Museum
Founded as a territorial museum in 1900 the Alaska State
Museum today displays Alaska s natural history, native
history, state history, art and culture with exhibits containing
more than 23,000 artifacts and works of art.
Check it out . . . The Alaska Native Gallery includes a
Northwest Coast clan house complete with totems, a 38 ft.
umiak, a whaling boat made from driftwood covered with
walrus skins and the state s unique bentwood hunting hat.
Check it out . . .
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bald eagles in a full-sized nesting tree that includes seven
eagles at various stages of life, from egg to adult.
St. Nicholas Church
St. Nicholas Church, situated above downtown Juneau is
the oldest original Russian Orthodox church in Alaska. A
gilded gold onion dome crowns a humble, thatched roof
cottage of white clapboard trimmed in Nantucket blue. The
bell hanging from a small steepled doorway beckons
visitors inside where solemn, 19th century Russian icons
and liturgical items transport one to Russia s past.
Tip: Weekend services sung in English, Tlingit, and Old
Slavonic are held Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings.
Mendenhall Glacier
One of Alaska’s most popular attractions, Mendenhall
Glacier,
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yet so far from civilization, this primordial mass of ancient
ice stretches 12 miles, spans a width of 1-1/2 miles, and is
400-800 feet deep, depending on where you stand.
Naturalist John Muir considered it “one of the most beautiful
of the coastal glaciers.” An easy trail along Mendenhall Lake
leads to close-up views of this massive chunk of ice and
rock, which is merely one arm of the colossal Juneau Ice
Field, a 1500-square-mile block of ice larger than the state
of Rhode Island.
Tracy Arm Fjord
A natural fence of jagged white mountains surrounds this
narrow, deep waterway. The base of the mountains
descend almost in
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greenish blue water below. Triangular ice floes that look like
huge wedges of aquamarine pie topped with whipped
meringue on a crust of snow sail past boats half their size.
Waterfalls spew out between a fringe of evergreens,
cascading into an awaiting green sea, synchronized like the
well-rehearsed leap of a ballerina into the arms of her
anticipating partner. The wide-winged Bald Eagle
commands the skies overhead as whales, seals, porpoise,
and other wildlife splash and splatter below in their private
swimming hole, protected by glacial stone palisades. The
waterway is like a gigantic moat shimmering past a glorious
ice palace. Glaciers, waterfalls, feathery green pines, and
flirtatious ice floes of translucent blue and
...For those who are avid bird watchers, there are over two hundred different species of birds to observe in their natural habitat. For the botany enthusiast, a Glacier Bay cruise is an incredible experience. From the deck of the ship, ...
make this a wintry fairyland to dazzle the eye and make
one s heart soar with the eagles.
Priscilla Faith Rhodes is the author of DISCOVER AMERICA
DIARIES: 50 STATES, 50 STATES OF MIND, and
co-publisher of the award-winning website, Postcards from
America, [http://www.postcardsfrom.com]http://www.postcardsfrom.com, a edu-travel site
that helps students and families learn about America
through postcards.