Our last day in Sitka dawned cloudy and showery, which was not what we wanted as we were flying to Juneau on Alaskan Seaplanes and were hoping for a clear sunny day so that we could enjoy the view on the way up the coastline. This was not to be as, although it was clear when we left and clear when we arrived, the middle part of the journey was above the clouds. 
In 1906 gold rush pioneer John Olds built one of the grandest homes in all of Juneau, high on the hillside, overlooking the bustling waterfront.
Now the Alaskan Capital Inn, this was our destination for our stay in Juneau. The Innkeepers, Linda Wendeborn and Mark Thorson, have preserved the early memories of this pioneer’s historic home in the décor and memorabilia offering a glimpse into another era.
After we had checked in and partaken of tea and coffee and some of the freshly baked biscuits and muffins (which were among the snacks and fruit left out for guest consumption and constantly replenished), we unpacked and headed down to the waterfront for Tracy’s Crab Shack and lunch.
The waterfront was now completely unrecognizable with the rather ramshackle docks replaced by boardwalks and restaurants. 
Tracey’s was no longer a shack but a large custom designed building housing one of her four restaurants. The boilers were still going flat out but (maybe it was just our imagination) the crabs didn’t seem so fresh and the crab chowder was much more spicy.
Still there was only one cruise ship in and the boardwalk was uncrowded and it was pleasant to stroll in the midday sun and take in the sights. Our crabs were still good and we greedily consumed a bucket washed down by some local beer.
After eating our fill, and more, we headed for the Mount Roberts Tramway, which is an aerial tramway that makes a six-minute ascent from the docks to a height of about 1,800 feet up Mt Roberts. A restaurant, theater, nature center and retail shops are located at the top of the tramway, as well as connections to trails leading both up and down the mountain. The view from the top is spectacular and we spent some time admiring it before heading into the retail section and purchasing a couple of short sleeve ‘souvenir’ t-shirts. The weather had been unseasonably hot and we were sweltering in our long sleeve shirts. 
On the way out we called into a gallery displaying native art and were particularly taken by Richard Shorty’s work. A self taught artist, he was born in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and belongs to the Northern Tuchone Tribe. Richard is one of the most sought after Native artists, with works in many galleries. He is very versatile, working on drums, paddles, masks, rattles in addition to his paintings and his pieces are collected internationally. Though we were restrained at this time we later purchased a print of his called ‘Cycle of Life’.
Up early the next morning we headed down the hill stairs to board the “Outward Bound” for our trip up the Tracey Arm Fjord and a visit to the Tracey Arm Glacier. We had done this trip previously and had thoroughly enjoyed it so were looking forward to doing it again. Being earlier in the season the boat was more crowded than previously but the crew were still friendly and efficient and the scenery still stunningly beautiful.
We passed the floating icebergs and waterfalls until eventually reaching the glacier. 
.There were plenty of fur seals watching us as we wended our way through the ice flows to get closer to the glacier. It had receded quite a bit since we were there last, but obligingly calved for us sending a wave of water towards the boat. We spent about half an hour there and about the same amount of time manoeuvring our way out before heading back.
On our return we had a bite to eat at one of the numerous restaurants lining the waterfront. During our absence another couple of cruise ships had joined the one already there and most places to eat were crowded. We climbed the steep hill back to the Alaska Capital Inn passing the lovely bear sculpture and the houses of parliament.
The Alaska Capital Inn is a true bed and breakfast experience. The aroma of fresh roasted coffee announced breakfast, which was served in the formal dining room with the table set with the finest china. Breakfast is a multi course affair. Our entrée was fresh local raspberries and cream with homemade granola, the main course was Oeufs en Cocotte served on a bed of potatoes with thick cut smoked ham and home baked rolls whilst the dessert was freshly baked cinnamon scrolls. You are encouraged to linger afterwards and enjoy coffee and conversation in an unrushed atmosphere, sharing plans with Linda and the other guests or recounting your previous days adventures.
We had decided to fly out that night to Seattle rather than catch an extremely early morning flight so I spent the morning lazing around the Inn catching up with paperwork and reshuffling my bags whilst Edgar went down the stairs again and had a look at the very fine Alaskan Museum. We had been there the last time we were in Juneau and found it very interesting but I balked at descending the hundreds of stairs to get there.
Our last meal in Juneau had to be Alaskan Crab and as Tracey owned a number of trawlers, hers were still considered the best. We headed for the smaller quieter venue with it’s outdoor tables and, what looked like, the original shack. It was situated away from the cruise ship docks. Unfortunately for us it was closed on a Sunday so we had to walk downtown to the other one. We had been warned that another cruise ship had come, there were now five in port and the docks were bedlam. 
The tour operators’ tents were everywhere and in every spare space there were spruikers trying to sell tours and experiences. We had to push our way through, fending them off, until we reached Tracey’s. There, despite it being after 2pm, there was a long line reaching out the door. We went to another bar and had a drink and waited for things to quieten down. When we went back there was no line but every table was full. We decided that, seeing as we were there, we would have a couple of crab cakes and legs and eat them at the bar before leaving. 
We did manage to get a table and enjoyed our meal but knew that we would not be coming back to this part of Alaska again. Whilst we were on the Outward Bound we had sat with a very pleasant Indian couple and their children. He worked for one of the companies owned by the cruise ships and spent his time divided between Alaska and the Caribbean and told us proudly that this was an expanding market. We had been told in Sitka that there was a strong push to put in bigger docks to cater for more and larger cruise ships.
If we had not been there before it became so popular, maybe we would have been more tolerant of the crowds and the hassle and the hard sell. Looking into the future, we will have to go further afield to find what we are looking for. One of the smaller Alaskan Marine Ferries, MV Tustumena, does a monthly run in the summer to Kodiak Island and out the Aleutian Chain, which might suit us better.
So it was farewell to Juneau and off to Toronto and to Andrew and Christine.