Juneau ~ Rainforest Extraordinaire
Juneau welcomes you with breathtaking scenery and multiple waterfalls cascading down through the trees, offering a glimpse into the rains that keep this area lush yet often soggy. Alaska is known for its rainy weather, especially in the fall, but on this trip, we were fortunate only to encounter a rainstorm in Juneau. We visited this area in 2004 with my parents on a similar cruise vacation. Yep, you guessed it… it was raining cats, dogs, and elephants then too.
Several guests learned their shore excursions would not occur due to inclement weather. For safety reasons, flights and water excursions change at the last minute, and in this case, the decision was the right one as I’ve never seen it rain this hard on any of our trips to Alaska over the past 18 years. Nevertheless, passengers ventured onto shore to shop, dine, and see the local history.
We had been keeping an eye on the weather and opted not to book an excursion which was the right decision for this trip. My husband jokes that I would have made a fantastic meteorologist in another life. So was it a coincidence that I was listening to my favorite female weather enthusiast, Ginger Zee, new book A Little Closer to Home on Audible during our vacation? Not in the least, and I would recommend it as a must-read.
Now, let’s not discount the fact it was raining so hard that it sounded like you were in the shower when onboard. If you turn your volume up, you can hear the rain in the video captured as we relaxed in the Music Hall. We had ventured in to play pool; however, the ship sat at an angle that allowed all the balls to roll to one side. So let me tell you, and I don’t need any help losing another game of billiards to my shark of a husband.
The ship was empty and quiet, so we kicked back with our audiobooks and waited for the break in the storm. It finally came at 11:30 am, so we headed out to grab a bite with umbrellas and sitka rain gear at the ready.
The Red Dog Saloon is a historical venue that draws a crowd of visitors and locals alike. However, it is notorious for being a man-made tourist destination by the Alaska Legislature. The decor comprised taxidermy, a handgun not reclaimed by Wyatt Earp, and miner-signed currency.
The saloon is a must-see, with wagon wheel chandeliers, vintage signs, and a warm aesthetic that transports you back to the days of mining and bars with ragtime music and sawdust-covered floors.
I also was on a search for a Christmas ornament for my hand-painted collection from the Alaska Christmas Store. You may wonder how I knew this small remote city had a holiday store. Well, if you know me well, I live for Christmas. My tree(s) will be up by mid-November. On our last visit to Juneau, we took my mom in the pouring rain to this shop so she could collect an Alaskan Sled Dog figurine for her Snow Babies collection. I would have gone out in a hurricane to make sure she could get it, as I knew it was the one souvenir she wanted from their bucket list trip to Alaska.
After walking downtown and waterfront shopping in a few stores, we headed to the Alaskan Brewing Co. outpost as the showers began returning to the area.
While waiting for our order of creamy, hot homemade clam chowder with a chilled draft beer, we couldn’t help but start a friendly game of “guess how much the wall cost.” Similar to the game of guessing the number of “marbles” in the jar. However, we will never know who was closest, but I wonder if we emptied our piggy banks could we make a copper backsplash too?
After lunch was complete and the chill was gone, we returned to the ship as the rain showers increased to a “wet and soggy” afternoon. Perfect for grabbing a Keoke coffee onboard to warm up and dry out.