Did Juneau Izzy Was Here?

 Our slow meander down the Lynn Canal to Juneau got cut short due to generator problems. Our second morning anchored at William Henry Bay we noticed a burning smell and things like the dehumidifier were loosing power. Finally the generator shut down all together. So the decision was made for us we would head into Juneau a day early in order to get this issue worked on a.s.a.p. It rained the entire day and the last leg before rounding the bend into Juneau was kind rough but finally we arrived in Aurora Harbor in downtown Juneau. A little disenfranchised we stayed in, watched the rain and made dinner. 

Gloomy Day in Juneau

The next day Jeff fortunately found a mechanic who came over and looked at the generator. The entire generator side (as opposed to the engine side) of the generator was shot. We would need a new one. The mechanic told us he would make some calls to the manufacturer and try and locate another generator. We were bummed but glad we found a mechanic so quickly. The rest of the day we spent picking up our mail from the post office and seeing downtown Juneau. Jeff got some fudge at the Alaskan Fudge Company and we went to the Red Dog Saloon and The Devils Club Brewing Company. 

View From Boat

Docked in Juneau

Downtown Juneau

Downtown

Red Dog Saloon 

The next couple of days we spent doing boat chores and projects and getting ready for our upcoming trip to Ohio for cousin Joel's wedding. This would be our first time flying and we were both a little anxious. 

Barge Going By

View From Boat - Juneau Harbor

Crowded Airport

As the days went on the generator saga continued. The mechanic said the manufacturer didn't have our generator but there was one in Florida that was a rebuild and we could pay to have it shipped here and then installed. Since this was our only option we told him to go ahead with it and we would be back from Ohio in a couple of days. 

The Ohio trip was quick just four days but well worth the effort. The wedding was beautiful and it was great seeing the family and being together again. 

Cousin Joel

The Dornicks

The Happy Couple 

As luck would have it on our way back to Juneau our flight was delayed and we missed our connection in Seattle so we got to pay for a hotel room and spend the night and fly out a day later. We were both so tired and worn out and decided a nice dinner and some drinks were in order. So we had our first Seattle indoor dining experience at the Hilton Airport Hotel. We laughed about it and joked how we spent 6 months here during the winter making lists of great restaurants we wanted to try as soon as covid was over and here we were at the airport hotel restaurant. 

Seattle Airport Hilton

Well rested and ready to get home we caught our 8a.m. flight and landed in Juneau with just hours to spare before Izzy arrived. We cabbed it back to the boat and I quickly got the laundry started at Jeff cleared out the forward bedroom of our lifesaving devices. We headed to the market for the weeks supplies and after waiting 20 minutes for a cab and then being told it would be another 45 minutes we decided to push the shopping carts back to the boat ourselves. I sware it wasn't 5 minutes after getting everything unloaded that Izzy was making his way down the gangway. We were all so excited! We had drinks and snacks outside and Jeff bbq'd a nice fish (and tofu) dinner for us all. 

Walking Provisions Back to Boat

Izzy Arrives in Juneau

Beautiful Day

Dinner with Izzy

Sunset

Eight days later and the generator problem still wasn't solved. Since talking with the mechanic and ordering the generator from Florida we learned that  a worker at the shipping company refused to sign for it and it got sent back to the company. When we tried to reship it we were told that it was still sitting on the truck and days later still hadn't been returned yet. Finally back at the shop they told us it would be shipped the next day but there was no room on any upcoming flights for two days. After that the generator was bumped from the flight it was due to be on and would now go out on Monday. WTF?! We tried to remain calm and just enjoy our time with Izzy which was now being disrupted because without the generator we couldn't take him out to anchor. The mechanic decided to remove the old generator so when the new one arrived they would be ready to work right away and get it in quicker. That took most of the morning. 

After the generator was removed we decided to walk into town and show Izzy the sites. We went by the capital building then the boys had fish and chips for lunch. We had a drink at the Hanger and The Red Dog Saloon where the boys had the famous duck fart shot. And then we lucked out and stumbled upon a band playing outside and sat around having drinks and listening to them. Finally we made our way home and watched a beautiful sunset. 

Generator Removed

Generator Taken Apart

Drinks at Dockhand Daves

Capital Building

The Hanger

Duck Farts at The Red Dog Saloon 

Rainbow on Walk Home

Gorgeous Sunset

Sunset

The next morning Izzy took Jeff on a fishing expedition for his birthday. They went out for four hours while I held the fort down. Unfortunately they didn't catch anything but had a good time together. Everyone was tired from the previous night so we just spent the rest of the day relaxing on the boat and I made dinner. 

Boys Fishing Trip

Izzy Fishing 

Overcast Day

Once again we woke up to the generator getting held up and Florida and this sealed the deal that we wouldn't be going anywhere while Izzy was here. Now we would worry about making our Glacier Bay reservation the day after Izzy leaves. 

Izzy wanted to get good crab legs while he was here so the three of us set out for Tracy's Crab Shack and the boys had a crab feast - crab legs, crab chowder and crab cakes. I just watched in bewilderment. Afterwards we walked to a nice walk through the woods above town. We came back, took naps and I made dinner. 

Walking up the Ramp

Crab Feast

Walking Town

View from Walk

Marina View

We decided to do a few more touristy things the next day. First we went to the Alaska State Museum which turned out to be very interesting. We learned all about how Alaska was acquired from Russia and about the native tribes who were here. I think I enjoyed it the most. From there we decided to ride the tram up to the top of the mountain which gave us spectacular views of Juneau. We took a little walk around the top through snow and to a gorgeous overhand where we just sat and took in the view. 

Jeff decided that he should have a birthday party while Izzy was here so after the tram ride down we meandered into a few more bars. We ran into a bartender we had met the previous night and he told us about some live music that was happening at this outdoor venue so we all went together. We met new people listened to good music and just enjoyed being all together. 

Waiting for Tram

View From Tram

Snow on Top of Mountain 

View From Top

Taking in the View

Juneau

Looking Down 

Juneau

Jerrick the Bartender and Izzy

Outdoor Concert

Sunset at Outdoor Concert

The next day we were all sleepy from the big birthday bash so we just laid around the boat and watched a movie and ordered pizza. It would be Izzy's last day and we all had so much fun together and were sad it was coming to an end. 

He left the next morning at 4a.m. and we got word that our generator was on a flight to Seattle and will be here in Juneau in the morning. From there the mechanic will pick it up, bring it to us and get it installed. 16 days later and hopefully we can be on our way to Glacier Bay. 

Home of the North Wind

 A big blow was coming (20-40knots of wind) so unless we wanted to be stuck in Haines for five nights we knew we had to get up and get out. Skagway "Home of the North Wind" was only a short 16 miles away and our furthest stop north since leaving San Diego in June 2020.  Before we undid the lines we confirmed Skagway had a space for us and the nice harbormaster assured us it was no problem and gave us our space assignment over the phone. The cruise was uneventful and as we arrived the wind immediately begin to pick up. We were both very relieved we had made it to a new spot and were secure for a few days while the wind took over. Anxious to explore the town we bundled up and took off for the short meander into town. We were excited to see Skagway again since we had been here previously on a Pollak family cruise. What would it look like? Would we remember anything? Is there still a Sarah Palin store? Much to our surprise it was a ghost town. So much of Skagway's economy relies on the cruise ship industry and when they aren't here nobody else is either. For boaters the trip up to Skagway is a long one up the Lynn Canal and takes some coordination with the wind. Most get as far as Haines (our last stop) then turn around and head south. Nevertheless we were happy to be here. 

Lynn Canal 

Leaving Haines at Low Tide 

Skagway

Skagway Cruise Ship Terminal 

Skagway Marina

Tidings of Joy Docked in Skagway

Dewey at Dewey

Downtown Skagway

Downtown

Old Snowblower

The Famous Red Onion

Skagway Marina

The wind whipped us around all night long - clanging the bimini and yanking on the lines until they squeaked and creaked. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep that night. 

We woke up to more howling and I attempted to get a few things done before we did some more touristy activities. No internet so blogging was out but I did manage to clean the boat. While attempting to make a video on the flybridge about how windy it was I noticed that our bimini cover had been ripped and was flapping freely. Jeff got some line and secured it as best he could in the wind. Disappointed and a little concerned we got off the boat and walked to the Gold Rush Cemetary and waterfall. The wind gusted so much that I thought I was going to take flight. I raised both my arms and let the wind whip down my sleeves and thought at any movement I would be in the sky with the birds. Disappointingly I was not. The cemetery walk felt long but once we got there it was really interesting seeing the old gravesite and reading about the people. A short walk uphill from the cemetery lead us to a beautiful waterfall where we sat on a bench, caught our breath and gazed at its wonder. 

Poor Bimini

Train Depot on Walk to Cemetary 

Walking to Cemetary 

Gold Rush Cemetary 

Gold Rush Cemetary 

Waterfall at Gold Rush Cemetary 

Sitting at the Waterfall 

After our long walk we decided our wind bashed bodies deserved a reward so we headed to the Red Onion for happy hour where we tried some local beers from the Klondike Brewery. I had a stout and Jeff an ale. Both really good and it was fun having a drink indoors at a restaurant. Our first time since March 12, 2020. Freedom! After a couple beers and talking to the bartender who had just returned ironically from California we made our way to the Skagway Brewery where we spotted a couple vegan items on the menu. This could be really special because finding non meat anything on a menu in Alaska has been a challenge. Fortunately we found our spot. We had more locally brewed beers and Jeff got his first seafood since being in Alaska - Red Kind Crab legs and I had a homemade vegan burger. We were both so happy. 

Beers at the Red Onion 

Red Onion 

Walk to Skagway Brewery 

King Crab Legs

We decided to end our nice day and evening by watching On Golden Pond - a classic I grew up with and will always make me think of my grandparents and our cottage on the lake. 

The next day the blow continued and we headed out to hike to Dewey Lake. Many of you may or may not know that Jeff's family calls him Dewey because he used to take a karate stance and make a noise  that sounded like "dewey" when Laura's kids were little so ever since he has been Dewey. We laughed about the sign to Dewey Lake then and now but it was time to see what this lake was all about. The hike was somewhat difficult, more for me then Jeff. Something about beers then hiking the next day, I don't know. When we finally made it to the top the lake was beautiful and bigger then I had expected. We took our time and walked around slowly admiring the lake and the trees and glad we had made it. On our way down hill we stopped at the market for some fresh food then back to the boat for lunch and to relax the rest of the day. The wind was dying down the rest of the evening and it looked like we could leave in the morning. 

Hiking to Lake Dewey

Marina from Hike

Lake Dewey

Lake Dewey

The next morning we would start making our way south to an anchorage and then out of the Lynn Canal to the capital city of Juneau.