Juneau : A visitor detects a renewed sense of prosperity in the Alaska capital since voters rejected the move to Anchorage; new homes and business are swelling local coffers.

A sunny day in Juneau is cause for a celebration. In fact, there was a time that whenever the sun ruled over a cloudless sky, the governor pronounced a “sun holiday” for southeast Alaska. Boaters have been known to cut short a salmon-fishing trip in order to haul out and paint their vessels in the sunshine. “Juneau sneakers” (rubber boots) are put aside, flannel shirts are shed and pale skin turns sunward in the pink.

“For me, a day like this makes it all worthwhile,” said a smiling taxi driver. “You don’t really know how good the sunshine feels until you’ve spent a winter in Juneau.”

Maybe the fish bite better in the rain (“If you don’t believe that, you couldn’t live here,” said a fishing boat captain), but I wouldn’t have missed this sunny day in Juneau for the world.

Flying Over the Glacier

A small plane took me from Skagway to Juneau early in the morning, southward along the Taiya Inlet and then over Montana Creek to glide along the glacier. On all sides were brilliant blues: rocky cliff faces, distant mountains, the cloudless sky, cold waters that plunge to depths of 400 feet, and now below us the unending ice fields.

First a quick tour of the town, a sparkling wash of sun-drenched brightness, painters painting, photographers immortalizing Juneau at its prettiest, strollers on every hand. We passed the picturesque Russian Orthodox Church, the shiny new Native American Building (which locals call “the Spam can” for its rounded corners and aluminum look), and took a quick stroll past the houses hanging from the hillsides like a northern version of San Francisco.

The next stop was the Temsco Heliport. Temsco Glacier Tours offers, for $99, a “Step Into Another World,” that is, a helicopter tour of Mendenhall Glacier.

Leaving our shoes behind, we pulled on lightweight spongy boots that seemed suitable for walking in space and took our seats in a four-person helicopter.

A Frozen Ocean

Within minutes we were hovering over the face of the glacier, a wide swath of ice extending 12 miles from its origin in the Juneau Ice Field. The glacier spread from one rock face to the other, like a frozen ocean, forbidding and barren.

We touched down for a walk around on the snow-covered glacier. When the rotors came to a stop, an indescribable silence enveloped us, and with no points of reference we lost all sense of the proportion of things. That avalanche-about-to-be, hanging from that cliff over there--how big is it? How far away? We heard a sound like distant thunder, all too loud, and from somewhere the invisible thud and roll of massive weight. Danger? In the silent stillness of this blue-white world?

As far as one could see was the undulating white spread of snow, with occasional rock outcroppings, pools of opalescent water, crevices that glinted with sharp edges of bright turquoise. At the edge of a cliff, some distance away, the avalanche cascaded in slow motion, like white taffy.

We reached down and grabbed handfuls of snow to throw at each other, an act of manageable proportions. And we talked about how much fun it would be to have a picnic here in the snow, with champagne, of course. We took steps, sinking into the mushy snow up to the tops of our boots, and posed for pictures that will glare with too much white.

Renewed Juneau Prosperity

Back in town, Juneau is reveling in a renewed lease on prosperity, with new shops and houses, restaurants and businesses swelling the local coffers. Things were on hold for years, waiting for Alaskans to make up their minds whether to move the state capital from Juneau to the Anchorage area. When the dollar signs were attached to the measure, Alaska voters turned down the move. With a sigh of relief, Juneau got back in business again.

But time enough to check out the galleries and boutiques another day. We grabbed a burrito from one of the food carts that dot the downtown streets at lunchtime. Its sign said: “Under a million sold.”

A half-day fishing boat was waiting for us at the dock. We’d test the proposition that fish bite better in the rain.

Luckily for us, the skipper believes in Alaska time: “You leave when you leave, and you get there when you get there.”

Fishing With Electric Freddy

Capt. Bill Nix (retired Alaska superintendent of public safety) steered the Har V Go past Auke Bay to an area called the Bread Line, and there we sat, bobbing in the afternoon sun, swapping stories about fishing: Electric Freddy, who’d once been hit by lightning and who went into total-body spasms whenever a fish bit; the Italian mama who arm-wrestled her adolescent son for jurisdiction of a particular fishing pole; the Booze Brothers, who toasted from a private flask every catch, strike, nibble, possibility of a nibble.

Just as everyone was about to call it a day (knowing that fish don’t bite in the sun), Karen Perrier of Anchorage pulled in a 17-pound salmon. So at least the outing wasn’t a total loss.

Then, heading back to port, just outside Tee Harbor, David Hall of Tacoma, wearing his lucky red hat, hooked a mighty fighter. The fish curled through the surface of the water, then plunged straight down beneath the boat. Nix turned the boat sideways, and the next time the fish came up it slit through the water like a curved silver sword and pulled the line straight down again. It took Hall 20 minutes to haul in his catch--a 42-pound king salmon. The record catch of anyone, that sunny day in Juneau.

The expedition was arranged for three of us: each an individual traveler who wanted to spend an afternoon fishing. And it is not always easy for a solo stranger to find an excursion at a group rate.

Juneau Sportfishing is owned and managed by a woman who goes by the Indian name, Suparna. Until 10 years ago she lived in Los Angeles and worked in public relations (arranging press junkets) for movie studios. She still looks like she belongs in Hollywood instead of on a fishing boat. Suparna has a list of 50 or 60 captains who’ll take single bookings through her agency, and she puts about 2,000 customers a year on their boats.

After Hollywood, she had traveled around the world, then came back to Palm Springs for an interlude, Suparna said. “Somebody told me Juneau was real pretty, so I decided to come and see,” she said. “I’ve been here ever since.”

Dinner companions were waiting in the gently lighted restaurant at the newly renovated Baranof Hotel. They were gracious about our lateness, especially when we told them about the 42-pounder. They were on Alaska time, too.

Juneau has several good art galleries. Two of special note are those of Nancy Stonington and Rie Munoz, well-known Alaska artists. Tops among the gift shops are the Christmas Store (in the Senate Building that’s undergoing renovations), and the Salmon Shop for canned salmon and halibut, Alaskan jams and jellies, cookbooks and kitchenware.

There’s a popular waterfront park and a couple of outdoor salmon bakes. The Alaska State Museum is well worth a visit; check out its gift shop, too. Juneau’s entire downtown is a well-preserved and charming historical district, with dozens of shops to browse.

For comfort and amenities, the 220-room Baranof Hotel is the choice (rooms are $65 and up). It has a fine restaurant and lounge, piano player on duty at cocktail time. It’s newly restored after being gutted in a fire a couple of years ago.

The Alaskan Hotel has a pretty Victorian bar, Tiffany-style stained glass, swag lamps, lots of atmosphere, and beneath it all some hot tubs and saunas in the basement. There are 40 rooms, small and plain, of which 10 have private baths. Prices start at $36.

Health Food at Fiddlehead

An eatery popular with local health-food gourmets is the Fiddlehead, with items ranging from salmon mousse to cannelloni, jambalaya to croissants stuffed with baby shrimp. Not to mention calorific desserts from their own bakery.

Speaking of bakeries, start the day with the best cup of coffee in Southeast Alaska, along with an array of the most delectable pastries one could want. For this, duck into Le Petit Paris Bakery, just up the hill from the Baranof.

Locals meet for cocktails at the new and dressy Penthouse lounge on the top floor of the Senate Building. And when they want to let their hair down, they head for the Red Dog Saloon for raucous, sawdust-on-the-floor, loud-music, crowded, foot-stomping partying. The regulars may still be talking about this warm and balmy night, when a blonde from the cruise ship danced for hours atop a wooden table.

Write to the Alaska Division of Tourism, Department of Commerce and Economic Development, Pouch E, Juneau, Alaska 99811, for information on Juneau.