Juneau On My Mind !

At 1 p.m. we dock in Juneau, Alaska.

August 7, 2013

As we steamed through Gastineau Channel, surrounded by green-forested hills, the ship was bathed in late morning sun. With sixty-degree temperatures and a radiant blue-sky day, it was a glorious time to be in Alaska! We were just south of Juneau and would be docking soon.

Juneau, nestled at the base of the Coast Mountains is Alaska’s capital city with a population of over 31,000 residents. Though it is a sprawling city, the downtown area is tiny and can be walked from one end to the other in fifteen minutes. Good luck with trying to drive to Juneau. You can’t because Juneau is landlocked and only accessible by air or water.

Juneau is the only capital with a glacier in its backyard. The Mendenhall Glacier, just thirteen miles from downtown, is just one of the thirty-eight major glaciers that flow from the Juneau Icefield, an expanse of interconnected glaciers that sit behind the mountains next to Juneau. We had to check out this frozen “slip and slide” so we hopped on a tour bus.

When we arrived at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, we could see a large bluish white river of ice in the distance. The view of the twelve-mile long alpine glacier, as it spilled down the valley, was truly an impressive sight. We were a mile away from it but had the opportunity to hike to its terminus at the edge of Mendenhall Lake.

When we reached the glacier, I was captivated by its immensity and blue color. The color was due to the density of the ice crystals. The compressed ice absorbed all other colors in the spectrum and reflected blue, which we see. We were able to stand on a sand bar that hugged the shore of the iceberg dotted lake, and view not only the glacier but also Nugget Falls.

Nugget Falls, located to the east of Mendenhall glacier, drops 375 feet into Mendenhall Lake. It is fed by Nugget Creek, which in turn is fed by a Nugget glacier, a tributary glacier. As we stood admiring the view, the cold water made up of glacial snowmelt, covered us in a chilly, misty spray. Mendenhall Lake was supposed to be a great place for bear sightings, but it was time to see another Juneau wonder.

Our next stop was Glacier Garden, located seven miles from downtown Juneau. When we arrived, we were surrounded by beautiful gardens full of colorful flowers, native bushes and trees. The most unusual sight was upside down trees, known as the ‘Flower Towers’. They had their tops buried in the ground and their roots thrust up in the air, forming a basket that cradled brilliantly bright trailing flowers. Netting and mosses formed a bed in the center of the root ball for flowers such as begonias, fuchsias, and petunias to bloom.

Along with touring the gardens, we had a ride up Thunder Mountain to view the riches of the Tongass National Rainforest. After navigating the rainforest, we were met with a panoramic view of the Mendenhall Valley, downtown Juneau and Taku Inlet. This was truly an unforgettable botanical garden experience.

We enjoyed a glorious day in Juneau but it was time to head back to our cruise ship. We were once again ready to be pampered. It was time to rest up because tomorrow we would be exploring Glacier Bay.

Fair winds,

Kathy