Alaska…stole my heart. Last month, Alex and I took an epic trip there as part of a family vacation; my sister and her fiancé flew in from Burma and my parents from Minnesota. We met in Juneau, my sister’s fiancé’s hometown, and spent time with his parents. Having locals as tour guides was fabulous, and is hands down my favorite way to explore a place. The houses we rented were both true gems, and the scenery — well, you’ll just have to take a look. Hiking, fishing, bird-watching, drinking coffee, spotting whales, flying over towering mountain peaks, meandering in quiet rain forests — we couldn’t have asked for more. I’ll narrate a bit, but will leave the photographs to do most of the talking. (In a separate post, I’ll cover Skagway and Glacier Bay.) Hold onto your hats.
Our first house in Juneau
Day 1 – we embark on a fishing trip with gear from our rental house and my sister’s fiancé Evan as our guide. My #1 bucket list item is to “catch a fish and eat it”, and I’m ready for this trip to fulfill my dream. (I’m a city girl through and through, so this is a big deal.)
Mainly I caught leaves and seaweed, and tangled the line. But it was beautiful.
Juneau is in a temperate rain forest, and many of the trees are covered in moss.
View from the porch of our house, on to Mendenhall Glacier
We’re at it again, this time me and my dad. No dice. But we had precious father-daughter time, which has been few and far between after I moved away from home.
Glad our rental house had rubber boots! They are all the rage in Juneau, men and women alike.
A hike through the rain forest near Mendenhall Glacier…
Spontaneous selfie! It’s not often we’re all on the same continent.
My sis and me…
Another gorgeous hike outside of Juneau…
The food was fabulous! Our favorites were The Rookery and Salt (below). Below is truffle fries, quinoa and beet salad, ensalada caprese, halibut ceviche, and a house salad with crispy chickpeas.
We toured Alaskan Brewing Company with a family friend, which was a treat! Their Smoked Porter is pretty brilliant.
After trips to Skagway and Glacier Bay (which we’ll share soon), we settled into a second house in Juneau.
We celebrated July 4 on the water…
Back to our little red house with a view…
My favorite part of the mornings: a slow cup of coffee with our Aeropress.
Our last day in Juneau was one of the most beautiful I’d seen. Another gorgeous hike, a short drive outside of Juneau…
And, my last chance at fishing. This time my sister’s fiancé and his dad showed me the ropes.
They each got a salmon. I was starting to feel discouraged…
Until…
It was just a little guy, but it still counts, right? (I’ll have bigger fish to fry on the next trip.)
The view from our deck on the last day was stunning.
I can’t wait to return to this magical part of the country. Thanks to my parents for arranging everything, to my sister for coming home, and for her fiancé’s parents for being the best tour guides we could imagine. Let us know if you have any questions about Juneau! We can provide links to the houses we rented if that is helpful.
Other Travel Posts
Arches National Park + Monument Valley, Utah
Flagstaff, Arizona
Traverse City, Michigan
Santorini, Greece
Amalfi Coast: Positano, Capri, & Ravello, Italy
Rome and Naples, Italy
Cambodia and Laos