On our most recent trip to Alaska we started out in Juneau, a city that we had never visited. The small capital city is famous for cruise ships, Mendenhall Glacier, quartz gold, and rain (2/3 of the time). There are two ways to arrive in Juneau--by air or by water. We flew in, rented a car, and did not have any trouble driving most of the roads in the area. The "end of the road" highway goes 40 miles to the north. Thane Road goes 5 miles to the south. Our first 2 days were rain soaked and we wondered if fly collecting was going to be possible. Fortunately our last 3 days were beautiful--bright and sunny and collecting was very good.
Chum salmon were thick in the rivers and creeks. Most Alaskans spurn them, preferring to call them dog salmon because in the past they were mainly used for dog food. Now days they are sold to Japan and the "lower 48" where they are readily eaten.
This black bear cub was in the tree outside our apartment. The mother was just off the lawn eating blueberries. We stood on the deck and watched her for quite a while.
The Mendenhall River flooded while we were there. An ice dam somewhere in the glacier broke and released a lake that was backed up behind it. The water was high for a couple of days and then returned to normal.
Beautiful scenery, delicious halibut fish and chips,
Xtra Tuff boots, and productive collecting. We enjoyed Juneau.
