Alaska: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau

Would you believe, Joe Juneau? It’s true–Juneau, Alaska is named for Joe Juneau, one of a trio of explorers who discovered rich reserves of gold in the stream that now runs through town. The stampede thatolwed led to Juneau becoming first a camp, then a town, then finally Alaska’s capital. Today, the town boasts some of Alaska’s most fetching scenery. Nestled at the foot of Mt. Juneau in the Alaskan Panhandle, it faces the water from the mainland side of Gastineau Channel. Several magnificent fjords are located along the channel coast and the majestic Mendenhall Glacier,
a favorite of visitors, is nearby.

“Spread wings of a prostrate eagle.” As any Ketchikanian will tell you, his is the meaning of their town’s name. It comes from the eagle-wing sppearance of water flowing over an unusual rock formation which can be seen in the Ketchikan Creek.

To own originated as an Indian fish saltery and grew to become the largest salmon-canning center in the world. The real growth came with the gold rush of 1898, when the town served as a supply center for wourld-be millionaires. of the town’s colorful past is still in evidence, especially at the Indian villages, which are renowned for their colorfully carved
totem poles and fascinating legends.

Built on hills between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest. The city is close to scenic mountain and coastal recreational areas. It is also an educational and cultural center, with many museums, theaters, and musical groups.

Seattle’s distinctive skyline landmark is the 600-ft (183-m) Space Needle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair. Seattle prospered with the coming of the railroad in 1884 and became a boom town with the 1897 Alaska gold rush. Long a center of radical labor activity, it was the scene of a major general strike in 1919.

“There’s gold in them thar hills.” Well, there was, anyway, back in 1898, and as thousands of gold-crazed adventurers headed north, they found the furthest north they could get was the northern tip of the Lynn Canal. That’s how Skagway was born.
Nowadays, local park rangers interpret and re-create that remarkable era for visitors. Stores, saloons, brothels and wood sidewalks have been completely restored (not all of these are functioning, of course). Today Skagway is a jumping off pointfor those seeking scenic adventure and historical knowledge.

British, and darn proud of it.

The shops are stocked with Harris tweeds, Irish linens and Scottish woollens. The locals play croquet, double-decker buses wend their way through the well-kept streets, and afternoon tea is served daily at the Empress Hotel.

In fact, genteel Victoria, British Columbia so closely resembles an English seaside town that it almost seems out of place among the majestic snow manteled mountains and cedar forests that surround it. This juxtaposition, of course, only
adds to its charm.