JUNEAU, is the capitol of Alaska, and has many buildings that date back to the late 1800's. We were a little surprised at how small and shabby it is for a capitol city. It is built into Roberts Mountain and surrounding hills. Which means there are very steep roads and lots of stairs for pedestrians. People park on the street and "hike" to their house! We did a lot of walking around. We saw St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, the small blue and white building, and the Governor's Mansion below.
The houses are small and very close together and pressed into the hillside. Some were quaint with lots of flowers and wonderfully preserved. Along Gastineau Channel are the wharfs for the many cruise ships and docks for the float planes. That area is full of shops and restaurants. Most of the harbor area is built on fill from the mines.

We visited both the city museum and the Alaska State Museum. We are learning more history than we will ever remember.

Only Dave was foolish enough to climb the Mt. Roberts trail. A steep 45 minute hike, but the view was worth it.
The weather the four days we were here was the best we have had; warm and sunny. We actually wore short sleeve shirts for the first time since Seattle. We had some great salmon and fish meals and enjoyed talking with several locals that we met.

Today, Tuesday, we took the ferry to Haines . It is a small town of 2400 and we will be here three nights. Speaking of night, there isn't any really, since there is 18 hours of light and the rest is either dusk or dawn! Ah, an adventure.