Outdoors with Don Q: Two cities, similar but uniquely different

This is the first of a three-part series on our recent 10-day Alaskan adventure at Juneau and at a small fishing village known as Pelican.

The three-part series consists of:
Part No. 01: Juneau, Alaska's state capital.
Part No. 02: Tours at the Tracy Arm Fjord and the Mendenhall Glacier.
Part No. 03: The salt water fishing at Pelican.
Our good friend, Barry Drury who lives in Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada had invited us to join him, his wife Susan. plus two of their friends, Denis Ryan also of Watson Lake and Kirk Jensen of Whitehorse, Yukon on a three-day, fishing trip at Pelican.
Part No. 01: Elaine and I flew from Reno to Juneau on Wednesday, June 17. Then, the two of us spent three days sightseeing in that general area, before being joined on June 20 by the other four in our party.

Carson City and Juneau:
Juneau in a number of ways is similar to Carson City, but in a number of ways both are uniquely different, and here's why:

Very Similar:
Both cities are state capitols.
Both cities rely on tourism and government for income.
Both cities are situated at the base of mountains.
Both cities are usually windy in the afternoons.
Both cities have lots of vehicle traffic in the downtown area.
Both cities have excellent tourist accommodations and restaurants.
Both cities have Wal-Mart and Costco.

Uniquely different:
Carson City has legalized gaming.
Juneau does not have legalized gaming.
Carson City can't be reached by railroad.
Juneau can't be reached by railroad or by roads.
Carson City does not have commercial airline service by large jets.
Juneau is serviced by Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines.
Carson City is located at an elevation of 4,700 feet.
Juneau is located at sea level.
Carson City has a population of about 60,000.
Juneau has a population of about 30,000.
Carson City became the Nevada state capital on October 31, 1864.
Juneau became the official Alaska state capital on January 03, 1959.
During the tourist season, Carson City is visited daily by vehicle traffic.
During the tourist season, Juneau is visited daily by large cruise ships.
Carson City has Jump Around Carson (JAC) and cabs for public transit.
Juneau has Capital Transit buses, trolley cars and cabs for public transit.
Carson City has some hiking trails.
Juneau has 262.2 miles of hiking trails.
Carson City does not have a U.S. Coast Guard dock.
Juneau has a U.S. Coast Guard dock in the downtown area.
Carson City's sunset on June 21 is 8:29 p.m.
Juneau's sunset on June 21 is 10:08 p.m.
Carson City is on Pacific Time.
Juneau is on Alaska Time (one hour earlier than Pacific Time).
Carson City desperately needs rain in the summer.
Juneau gets lots and lots of rain in the summer.

Memories of Juneau:
We stayed at the Goldbelt Hotel, located downtown on the waterfront.
It is conveniently located within easy walking distance of the downtown area, and we did not have to rent a car while in Juneau.
Each morning, we enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee in our room while looking out the window at:
01. The cruise ships (some were monstrous in size) slowly enter the harbor and tie up at the docks.
02. All the miscellaneous boat activities in the harbor.
03. Float planes coming and going.
04. The traffic and pedestrians on the street directly below us.
05. The storm clouds gathering on the mountains and occasional rain storms.

Goldbelt Hotel:
The Goldbelt Hotel has very comfortable accommodations, plus great food and drinks at reasonable prices in their Coho Bar and Grill.
If you ever visit their bar and grill, be advised that it offers a very good dinner menu at half price before 6:00 p.m., each weekday.
Geez, where else can you get an excellent dinner of Steak, Halibut, Shrimp or Calamari for half price, while enjoying great views of a busy harbor?

Sightseeing and photographing:
While staying in Juneau, we wandered all over the downtown area, sightseeing and taking photos of cruise ships, float planes, city offices, state offices, steep streets and even steeper stairways, special locations (The Crab Shack, The Red Dog Saloon), to name just some of our hundreds of photos.

Red Dog Saloon:
Your trip to Juneau will not be complete without going to the world famous Red Dog Saloon, which is located close to the Goldbelt Hotel.
It is a very, very interesting place to visit.
You enter through the front door but must exit out the back door, with an employee at the front door keeping count of the people inside that jam-packed, fun-filled saloon, with a crowd of other people waiting to enter.
In the afternoons, it is very crowded, mostly with passengers from the cruise ships , who begin to return to their ships at about 4:00 p.m.
The saloon has a sawdust floor, dance-hall type dressed cocktail waitresses, unique Alaskan decor and live entertainment which includes sing-alongs.

Would we return to Juneau:
Heck yes, in a New York minute! But we would do so at a less busy time of the year, rather than at the height of the tourist season with the four, daily, giant cruise ships with their many thousands of passengers.
While we were there, sidewalks, cafes, shops and stores were jammed with cruise people, until about 4:00 p.m., when they began to return to their ships.
By nightfall, the streets, cafes, shops and stores were empty of the throngs of tourists and all of the cruise ships that had arrived in the morning hours were long gone to another destination.

Finally:
Juneau, Alaska is a different city in a different part of the world, but well worth visiting. Give it a try, you won't go wrong.

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon:
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you about the most unusual experience we had in Juneau.
If he grins and says, "It was the morning when Don and Elaine wandered into a gift shop and discovered that the sales lady (Darlene Weldon) behind the counter has a daughter and granddaughter who live in Stagecoach, Nevada, and a step daughter who lives in Dayton, Nevada," he could be a close friend or relative who we told about our unusual meeting.
It truly is a small world.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. Don's wife, Elaine, is the Outdoor photographer. They live in Carson City and can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com