Featuring Juneau

As I am traveling (in Atlanta) today and tomorrow, I will just post a few interesting facts about our first port of call, Juneau.

Population: 31,193

Location: Located on the mainland of Southeast Alaska, opposite Douglas Island, Juneau was built at the heart of the Inside Passage along the Gastineau Channel. It lies 900 air miles northwest of Seattle and 577 air miles southeast of Anchorage.

Few cities in the U.S. are as beautiful as Juneau. Not only is Juneau the capital of Alaska, residents claim it is the most scenic capital in the country and it is often referred to as a 'little San Francisco.'

Overhead are the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Roberts and Mt. Juneau, which provide just a small part of the superb hiking in the area.

The State Capitol, built in 1929-31 as the territorial Federal Building, houses the legislative chamber and the governor's office, as well as offices for the hundreds of staff members who arrive in Juneau each session. Free 30-minute tours of the building are offered every half hour daily during summer.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, possibly the most photographed structure in Juneau, was built in 1894 and has the distinction of being the oldest church built in the Inside Passage. The octagon-shaped building has exhibits of Russian icons, original vestments and religious relics. Services are held on Sunday and visitors are welcome to attend. The congregation stands throughout the service, which can last 2 hours or longer.

Juneau is known as the 'Gateway to the Glaciers.' Among 42 glaciers within a 1,500-square-mile radius, Mendenhall Glacier is perhaps Alaska's most famous drive-in glacier. The ice floe is 13 miles from the city center at the end of Glacier Spur Road. The glacier flows 12 miles from its source, the Juneau Icefield and has a 1.5-mile face. On a sunny day it is beautiful with blue skies and snow-capped mountains in the background.