Our Adventures with Mom and Pop Johnson

The night of the Tuesday before last, we picked up Eric’s parents from the tiny Juneau International Airport.  I was really looking forward to this for the same reason I was really looking forward to his sister’s family coming in.  (Post about that here.) Having family around is just great.

The following day, after work, we traveled to the wild frontier of the furthest point in Juneau, i.e. the End of the Road. 

Note from a tour guide:  There’s one main highway in Juneau that stretches from one end of the city to the other (about 50 miles), and at both ends there are big yellow signs that just say “END.”  That’s it.  You can’t drive out of Juneau, and you can’t drive into Juneau.  In fact, there’s only three ways to get into Juneau:  by water, by air, and by birth canal. 

The road travels along the coast of Juneau, so the ride was beautiful and scenic with great views of the ocean and of the surrounding islands.

Once we made it to the End of the Road, we took our pictures with our license by the “END” sign, just like the teenagers do around here whenever they get their driving license.  (Apparently.  That’s what I've heard from a few tour guides, but who can believe tour guides, right? ;) )

"Ebu," our Juneau car

I don't know how he's able to hold me with one hand.

On our way back, we made a pit stop by the Shrine of St. Therese.

Patron saint of aviators, florists, and missions.

Good Sheperd (Shepherd?) Bridge on the way to the shrine.

The Shrine of St. Therese is a hidden away gem that requires a good eye to see the driveway from the road.  The shrine and chapel are on an island accessible by a land bridge.

This was at low tide, so the water usually
come in closer to the land bridge.

At the shrine, there’s a statue of the saint herself, a memorial to the victims of abortions, and a trail with depictions of the Passion of Jesus Christ. 

Near the chapel and right next to the trail is a statue of Christ on the cross.  The statue is set up on a little hill of rocks, causing the viewer to put him- or herself in the setting of His crucifixion.  It’s a scene that begs reverence.  To stand there and imagine being a member of the audience there at that time is quite an experience.  To have that visual and life-like representation right in front of you makes it more realistic than simply hearing about it or seeing pictures of it.  It’s awesome, awe-inspiring.  It makes you reflect on that heavy part of our Savior’s great Atonement for all of us.

To be continued...

Photo Credits:

• Cindy Johnson