Weekend at Bernies - I mean Tappe's

One forgets how large Alaska is until one wants to travel around the state.  Living in Southeast has its charm but when the wanderlust strikes, you can't just get in the car and drive, say, from Milwaukee to Madison for a weekend away.  Driving "out the road" is nothing like driving "up north" - we were known to have driven 5 hours to Eau Claire from Milwaukee JUST FOR THE DAY - but a short  drive here in Juneau finds you at a dead-end no matter which way you go.  On the long Labor Day weekend, Bill and I wanted to visit some friends who had recently retired and moved out of Juneau to the Kenai Peninsula but it took some travel plans in order to do so.  Our flight had us flying two hours to Anchorage, then another 45 minutes in a very small plane to the airport in Kenai which was about 30 minutes or so away from their new home in Nikiski.  Cloudy weather didn't stop us and it was easy to spot our friends in the small airport terminal.   A quick breakfast treat with coffee and welcomed conversation with our friends started our Saturday.  We had plans to drive to Homer with stops along the way at the local brewery and winery with our final destination being the "Spit", home to, among other things, the Salty Dawg Saloon.  While the weather was cloudy and a bit of rain was falling, the temp was pleasant and we drove along the beautiful Kenai Peninsula enjoying the scenery and the company.  Homer is a small fishing town at the end of the Peninsula on Kachemak Bay.  The "spit" is a long needle of land that extends into the deep, blue bay only wide enough for a row of buildings on either side of the two-lane road.  A large boat harbor and water-side camping sites make up most of the spit.  The town of Homer is like most in Alaska, booming in the summer with tourists but quiet in the fall and winter.  Arriving towards the end of tourist season, things were on the down-turn but we drove up to a busy Bear Creek Winery, famous for their fruit blends.  They grow most of the rhubarb, berries and other fruit on-site in large garden plots to mix with wines imported from California.  A tasting allowed us to try five or six different varieties along with special tidbits of snacks that enhanced each wine.  Servers were generous with their pours so our driver decided to be "designated" for the day allowing us to sample many of the wines.  We strolled the gardens before heading out to our next stop - the Homer Brewing Company (do you detect a pattern?).  Alaska is filled with micro-breweries and this is certainly one of the most popular in the state.  We had tried their products at Haines Beer Fest but their is no distribution in Juneau so it was a treat to stop at the Brewery.  We bought a pint glass to add to our ever-growing collection before heading out to the end of the "spit" and the Salty Dawg Saloon.  Ringed by mountains with the surf touching your toes, the Homer Spit is gorgeous.  I have to admit that none of the pictures that I took did it justice so I "borrowed" one from an online image gallery.  You can see the road winding out to the end and that is where we stopped - the Salty Dawg Saloon.  It is an icon of a saloon, people world-wide have come to experience it.  I practically fell over it, thinking it had to be something grand and flash-y but it isn't.  Kind of looks like a lighthouse on top of a log cabin.  You kind of step down into it rather than up the front steps.  The interesting part comes when you do step into the saloon -  the entire interior is covered in paper money!  Now, I have been to some northern Wisconsin bars that have dollars tacked to the ceilings but, at the Salty Dawg, EVERY SQUARE INCH is covered in money.  The walls, the ceiling, the decorations ON the walls and ceiling, the window sashes, the bathrooms - dollar upon dollar pinned in tribute to a visit to the Salty Dawg.  On the tables are permanent markers and tacks so all patrons can include their own "story" before tacking up their cash - a name, a date, an important event, even political statements are posted for all to see.  We were wondering what the value of the building must be!  We posted our own memories, had a drink in toast to our friendship and our day on the spit, then went off in search of dinner. One possibility had our hostess asking "do you have reservations?" to which our friend Jeff said "Yes, but we thought we'd eat here anyway" - and with that we were off to find dinner!  Fully satiated, we started the long drive home with conversation starting to dim with the light.  Not far from the homestead, we spotted a moose in the roadside - made my day!  Sunday, our last day on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula, and we wanted to spend it at the picturesque plot of land our friends now call home.  A "tiny" house before it was popular, the home is an A-frame on a beautiful lake with swans, ducks, moose  - the deck out front was so relaxing even with a couple drops of rain to mar the sky.  A perfect get-away - small, but perfectly appointed with plenty of yard for the dog and a greenhouse (an Alaskan necessity for gardeners!), an all-weather entry and loft bedroom with a view of the lake.  Our friends will make this their home for the summer, spending winters with nearer family in the lower 48.  Finishing our day at the local brewery before flying home to "home", we relished this time with friends  - new friends who somehow became "old" friends, those with which we have made memories that will last long past our time in Alaska!

Skagway vacation

Depiction of the Gold Rush trail

When thinking about how to spend my birthday (early August), planning with friends who have birthdays around the same time had us deciding on a trip out of town.  Of course, "out of town" in Juneau means a flight or ferry ride - no such thing as a driving vacation here.  Since we only had two days (Saturday/Sunday) due to work schedules, we knew we had to consider the small towns in southeast Alaska as our destination.  Coming along for the ride was birthday girl Chris and her husband Bill, birthday boy Bryan and wife Cori and, of course, Bill and I.  Ferry's are slow and, since we only had an overnight to enjoy the town, a decision was made to fly Alaska Seaplanes to Skagway, about a 45 minute flight.  The planes were ultra-small - about seven total passengers - but the scenery was magical as we flew in and out of the mountains following the fjords that make up this part of Alaska.  Bill actually took the co-pilots seat (hands off the controls!) which he has done before when flying in these small planes and we touched down safely mid-morning on a Saturday.  Back in the day, Skagway was filled with saloons and brothels as a gateway to the Yukon during the Gold Rush in 1898 and it still boasts that same "feel" today.  In fact, our first stop was the Red Onion Saloon, a local landmark of dubious reputation!  The place is steeped in history, having served as an actual "house of ill repute" during the Klondike Gold Rush and it looked like we just stepped back in time, filled with dance hall girls in bustiers and a "madam" who was hosting tours of the upstairs "rooms".  Bloody Mary's, martinis and screwdrivers - even "birthday cake" shots (tasted like chocolate cake - not kidding!) - were made more entertaining by our wonderful bartender Dynamite since she was dressed the part of an 1800's saloon girl (the men in our group found the view very pleasant!).  We had seats on the White Pass & Yukon Route railway and the day was turning out to be sunny and very pleasant, so we reluctantly left the Red Onion and waited for our train along the tracks.  A steam train, the WP&YR  was built in 1898 to accommodate all those who needed to get over the mountains to reach the gold fields in the Yukon.  Today, it climbs a steep track that winds around the mountains, goes through two completely dark tunnels and over numerous mind-blowing trestles.  The pamphlet said that travelers could bring food on board and we kind of over-did it - crackers, sausage and cheese, mixed nuts, cookies and candies - even the train staff had to admit that it was a good spread!  The trip up, all twisty and turny with views on every side was great - the trip back down (the same track) was a great time to nap off the drinks from earlier that morning!  Back at sea level, after shopping and touring the downtown area, we settled in for a fantastic dinner at the Chilkoot Dining Room at the Westmark Hotel - prime rib, steak and King Crab with all the trimmings!  Delicious!  Not wanting the evening to end, we spirited some "spirits" out past the train track and up the mountain to a quiet place overlooking the town.  Sometimes it is hard to believe how one can laugh so much at so little, but we managed to stay put until almost too dark to see (remember it is summer in Alaska - land of the midnight sun!).  A very comfortable bed was blissful as we had awakened very early that morning. 

Sunrise (well, more like 10 a.m.) saw us looking for breakfast which was hard to find so we stopped in to our favorite Red Onion Saloon for breakfast in a glass.  Actually, they had just opened and our favorite bartender was tending.  She actually admitted that, when we walked in she thought "oh great - tourists" but then saw that it was us and brightened up considerably.  I have to say there was something "off" about her outfit this morning - still beautiful, she didn't have quite the "oomph" that was evident the day before.  Then, it happened.  Someone behind her tightened the corset strings and ZING there it was!  We took a tour of the upstairs brothel with the madam with the guys joining said madam on the bed (photo op only, please...) before heading out of town to the Gold Rush Cemetery where stones marked the resting place of a number of people who had made their mark during the gold rush days and were instrumental in developing early Alaska.  Back in town, we did a quick pub crawl and had a late lunch on the waterfront before heading to the small airport and our trip back to Juneau.  I'm not sure why people don't travel overnight more often - I'm sure there are plenty of places in your neck of the woods that would be fun to investigate with friends or alone - and YOU can drive to them! 
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Camping in the middle of nowhere!

Bill and I like camping.  Not "love" as in live in the woods, but we spent many wonderful weekends camping in beautiful Wisconsin.  One time we even packed our tent and drove to Maine/Grand Manan and camped at the Hole in Wall campground with a awe-inspiring view of the Bay of Fundy. For many summers, we pulled our little pop-up camper to explore waterfalls in Wisconsin and that was really, really nice.  I do enjoy the "romantic" idea of camping (late night cocktails under the stars, early morning camping breakfast by the lake, s'mores) but rain, bugs and dirty feet sometimes dulled the effect for me.  When friends here suggested a three-night rustic camping trip over 4th of July weekend, I wanted to go if nothing else but for the company.  However, we had no camping paraphernalia and had to give some thought to the weather (did I mention that it rains in Juneau - a lot??).  The deciding factor was that the campsites would be on an island only accessible by boat with no amenities (i.e. toilets, running water) and, since we try to experience everything that Alaska has to offer, we said yes and the trip was planned.  We accepted a generous offer of a borrowed tent and had our own sleeping bags, bought copious amounts of food and booze, lawn chairs and even campsite decorations.  However, the most ingenious bring-along was our own portable toilet!  Yes, people - Bill "MacGyver" Meier made a port-a-potty complete with tp holder.  Picked up on a rainy July 3 morning, we motored to Suedla Island (only the eight of us on it!) and quickly unloaded our things with help from those campers who stayed the night prior.  One would not think that eight adults would need this much stuff.  Luckily the rain had stopped by cocktail time, which was not technically at 5 o'clock but who's keeping track.  We split wood, kept the fire stoked and settled in with snacks, hot dogs over the flames and Brandy Old-Fashioneds all around (or beer or tequila or whiskey or Fireball).  We agreed that dinner would be an Alaskan-style crab boil, with King Crab, fresh halibut and all the trimmings poured out over paper on the table.  Dig in! Since it was July 3, the sky was light until well after 11 p.m. (longest day is June 21) and it was almost 2 a.m. before we crawled (literally) into our tent.  July 4th dawned early (around 4 a.m. - didn't see it though) and we spent the day kayaking, fishing, laughing, eating, drinking and other sorts of camping shenanigans (what happened at Suedla stays at Suedla!). It was warm and sunny, an absolutely spectacular Juneau summer day!  We took chairs down to the beach, looked for shells and beach glass along the tidal pools as the guys took the boat out fishing.  After a steak and potato dinner, we had copious amounts of fireworks and started down to the beach about 10 p.m. to light off the show!  Booms, pops and color was all around - what a great night!  Sunday was Bill's birthday - a little gift-giving along with a birthday pinata filled with candy, vodka and Fireball was the signal that our island adventure was coming to a close.  What a joy it was to spend this time with these friends - people we didn't know four years ago are now counted among our greatest friends.  I sometimes am in awe of how our lives have changed with the introduction of these friends along with our "happy hour" group.  There are lots of people in this world - God throws a bunch of His people together and magic happens!  Go out and find your own "magic" and your world will be blessed beyond your dreams!

Our beach fire on the night of July 4th, about 10 p.m.

Midnight on July 4th

Jessie, Chris, Cori and me with our sparklers!

A Sunday morning view of our beach

Summer in Juneau (and beyond!)

Our view from the ferry early Saturday morning

Living in a tourist town in summer has it's advantages - restaurants shuttered during the winter open with new and interesting menus, trinket shopping is at its finest and there is a plethora of activities both on the water and through the air.  Juneau residents can get  discounts on tours and travel and my volunteer work with the Convention and Visitors Bureau offers even more opportunities to "try" the activities offered to

Beer Fest grounds

Cyd, Jessie and me!

visitors.  {Side note:  if you haven't already seen it, please view the Summer 2015 JCVB video - spectacular scenery, great music and even "surprise" movie stars! https://www.youtube.com/user/TravelJuneau}  We have been very lucky to experience a lot of what Juneau and other parts of Alaska has to offer.  This summer, however, we decided to make sure that we allowed time to experience things we might not otherwise do! In May, we ferried to Haines, AK, for the annual "Beer Fest", where local brewers (and there are lots of them in Alaska) get together for a beer "tasting" at an outdoor venue that is normally used for the Southeast Alaska State Fair.  Always held on Memorial Day weekend, it was a good opportunity to take the ferry (about 4 hours) on Saturday, stay overnight and return on Sunday.  Two other couples, friends from my work, made the trek with us and we were lucky that the day dawned bright and sunny - perfect weather to take the slow way to Haines. Our tickets allowed for entry to the beer gardens at 1 p.m. sharp so we arrived at about 12:40 p.m. and were one of the first people in line, primed for four full hours of beer-tasting.  All participants receive a 2 oz commemorative glass with which to sample the brews offered.  I'm not a beer drinker too much so I was happy to see a good selection of hard ciders and "fruity" beers and ales.  Drinking 2 oz beers is like drinking shots - it quickly overcomes you!  A stop at the "whack a mole" and some hula hooping while listening to music allowed us to get our second wind and, after the event ended, we were circling the small city of Haines looking for the giant slip-n-slide that we had heard was in the area.

Slippin' & slidin'

  We were not disappointed - great views (really, Mr. Speedo?) of the crowd from our car - although one in our group may have been talked into "slipping" if we would have let him!  An early night was in order because we wanted to drive out of town to the Canadian border Sunday with a couple of side trips on the way before returning to Juneau later in the day.  There is a great place just our side of the border called 33 Mile Roadhouse which, by coincidence, is 33 miles outside of Haines. A nice stop forbreakfast, it also brought out the photographer in all of us and one in our party was even surprised by a goat in one of the barns. In that same area is the Big Nugget Mine made popular by the Discovery Channel television show "Gold Rush Alaska" and we wanted to stop for some fireworks that we heard were offered by the road side before heading back to Haines.  All stops were made and we were on our way back for our afternoon ferry ride back to Juneau (remember, this was on Memorial Day weekend - we still

On the grounds of 33 Mile Roadhouse

wanted the Monday holiday off for down time!) when we got word that the ferry was "delayed" due to mechanical difficulties - delay meaning not coming.  Since we had already checked out of our hotel, were planning on turning in our rental heap and didn't have any plans for the rest of the afternoon/evening, we spent a few minutes in panic about what to do.  Finally, cooler heads prevailed and we decided to be spontaneous - Bill called the hotel to see if we could get rooms (a

Somewhere in here is a goat!

good rate? possibly), made sure we could keep the rental for another day and made our arrangements to leave on the (very) early morning ferry that was not mechanically-challenged.  Now, what to do for the rest of the day?  Haines is beautiful so we spent some time relaxing at the waterfront in

Big Nugget Mine bunkhouse

the sunny weather - and then stopped in for a drink (or two) at a bar on the wharf.  Other travel orphans were there and we all realized that the true Alaska experience is that travel plans are always subject to weather/mechanics/animals and we should not have been surprised.  We enjoyed the rest of the evening after purchasing some supplies at the local IGA  - hot dogs that we grilled behind the hotel on the grill that was offered by the hotel manager, along with a new supply of beer  - and

Our grill masters!

leftover snacks that we had for the ferry ride and the night prior.  Soon it was bedtime as our ferry was really early (we had to be at terminal about 5 a.m.) but we realized that this spontaneous part of our weekend was the highlight of our trip.  Spending time just talking and laughing, making memories and having a story to tell was priceless!  My take on this story - don't forget to plan a little spontaneity into your travels, you never know but it might be the best part of your trip!  More on summer in Juneau to follow!

The slip n' slide on the hill in downtown Haines

Our view of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse on our way back to Juneau