Saturday, August 22, 1992 - Juneau, AK

Left Skagway on the 8:45 ferry. Had an hour-and-a-half layover in Haines, so we walked around a little, but didn't see much of anything except abandoned houses and a closed-down army base.
Arrived in Juneau around four. That is, we arrived at the Juneau ferry terminal, which is 13 miles from town. We were going to take the bus in, but Roy heard someone asking, "Are you going to the hostel?" Turned out a young woman who was traveling by herself was going to take a cab to the AYH hostel, and she wanted someone to share the cab with her (and the fare, of course). We immediately volunteered. That turned out to be a wise move. The hostel was packed; if we'd gotten there 15 minutes later, we wouldn't have been able to get in. Since we were near the head of the line, we were allowed to sleep on the living-room floor. The woman we shared the cab with slept on the floor of the upstairs hall.
After signing in and selecting our chores for tomorrow morning, we walked around looking for an ATM, a phone, and a place to eat. Found two ATM's. They accepted two of our cards but rejected the one I most wanted to use.
The public phone system here is weird. First of all, it's difficult to find a public phone, and when we finally did find one, we realized why: They only charge a dime! It's been twenty years since I made a phone call for a dime. Furthermore, you don't deposit the dime until after you've made your call, and there's nothing other than your conscience to force you to deposit it at all. In other words, you can make all the free phone calls you want! I don't see how they stay in business.
Ate supper at a so-so place. The food was tasty, but the service miserable.
Signed up for a tour of Tracy Arm Monday.
Walked around a little. Saw an abandoned, dilapidated gold mine way up on a hill. Tried to explore it, but couldn't find a road to it.
Returned to the hostel. The living room was hot, stuffy, brightly lighted, and full of people reading. Fortunately, at the last minute, the manager said a bed had become available and I could have it! I rushed gratefully upstairs to the women's dorm, which was dark, quiet, and well-ventilated, but poor Roy had to sleep on the living-room floor.