Wednesday, July 16


Juneau is the only capital city of a state in North American to which you cannot drive . It is separated from the rest of the continent by the coastal range and the Juneau icefields, and the only way to get in or out is by air or water. The week before we departed on this trip we read an article in the New York Times reporting that the Army corps of engineers had approved the building of an access road to Juneau along the Lynn Canal, but it is still quite controversial. As we came down the Lynn Canal in the ferry and saw all those glaciers, and the mountains coming straight down to the water, we wondered how they could ever do it. Today we decided to drive as far as one could go from Juneau, to experience how that must feel to someone who lives here. The total distance, north to south, is about 45 miles.


We made two stops on our way north: at the Shrine of St. Therese, which has a lovely stone chapel, beautiful gardens, and the labyrinth pictured here; and at Eagle Beach, offering a beautiful view of the Chilkat mountains across the Lynn Canal. Just before we got to the end of the road, we saw a big mountain looming up ahead of us. One cannot go so far south of the city, only about 5-1/2 miles down Thane Road. Just before you get to the end of the road you come upon the Thane Ore House, which has the best fried halibut we have ever eaten. If you still want to drive some more (which we did) you can cross a bridge to Douglas Island and drive nearly to the top of a mountain. At the end of it all, we could understand why most of the people who live in Juneau favor the building of the access road, even though it still wouldn't connect completely to Skagway by land. As for us, we love the ferries.