DAY FIVE
Today’s family cruise itinerary deviated from Alaskan Dream’s normal route. Instead of going to the small town of Kake to explore Tlingit culture more fully, we headed to Juneau, Alaska’s state capital. We weren’t the only ones in Juneau. On this day, four large cruise ships were docked downtown, releasing upwards of 15,000 people into a city whose population is only 32,000. It was a reminder to me of what I personally don’t like about about big ship cruising: hordes of people.
We were shuttled to Alaska X, a summer training camp for mushers and sled dogs who either have run the famed 1,100-mile Iditarod race or have aspirations of doing so. During the summer, the dogs pull tourists seated in 6-person modified golf carts along a dirt path through the woods for short rides. Honestly, it was a little disappointing riding on gravel as opposed to snow. The cart with passengers weighed around 1,500 pounds, but it was no problem for these teams of 16 muscular Alaskan huskies. Our musher, Rob Redington, has run the Iditarod three times. In fact, his grandfather was one of the men who actually started the race in 1967.
After the ride, we were free to give the dogs a little love. We then moved on to a question-and-answer session where we learned about all-things-dog-sledding. But the highlight of the visit was puppy time! Yes, puppies. We got to cuddle with 5-week-old puppies Sheriff, Chief, and Outlaw, as well as 8-week-old pups Fuego (means fire in Spanish) and Hielo (means ice in Spanish). Needless to say, both the kids and parents couldn’t get enough of the four-legged fur balls. Later that night, some of the girls would tell me how much they loved their visit here. It was the highlight of their cruise.
We had time to shop and eat lunch in Juneau before heading to the Alaska State Museum. My family and I aren’t huge museum fans, but this museum was well-done, and the visit was just an hour. We were then bused to Mendenhall Glacier, a common stop for all those passengers on the larger cruise ships. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center is set up similarly to a national park with marked trails, ranger talks, and a junior ranger program. After a 30-minute hike to reach the closest vantage point for the glacier and Nugget Falls, my family soon learned that not all glaciers are created equal. This sight simply didn’t compare to the intimate experience that we’d had the day before. I actually felt badly for the other visitors who may only see this one glacier on their Alaskan vacation.
After returning to the ship, we traveled for about an hour to Orca Point Lodge. The kids descended on the beach and spread out in various directions. Some headed to the shore for beachcombing; the older kids gravitated to the cornhole games. Here we feasted on an all-you-could-eat crab, salmon, and prime rib buffet. I’m not a shellfish eater, but others raved about the size and taste of the enormous Alaskan King crab legs. Dinner was followed by a chocolate fondue dessert and s’mores around the fire. The evening ended with a very suspenseful game of Giant Jenga between some of the older boys and the youth expedition leader that ended in his defeat.
