Juneau
July 2010
Juneau is Alaska’s capital city. As is the norm in southeast Alaska, it was drizzling here too. Unfortunately, the weather caused our plans to go dogsledding to be cancelled because it was too foggy for the helicopter to take us to the dog camp on Mendenhall Glacier. So, we walked the city a few times and took a bus tour. We stopped at the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery, saw the king salmon returning and sampled some fresh salmon. We then went to Glacier Gardens where we took a tram ride 500 feet up the mountain through the rain forest. Lastly, we stopped at Mendenhall Glacier and saw the face of the glacier. When we got back to the ship, we were greeted by a seal swimming around outside the window of our cabin.
Alaska's capital city, Juneau, was damp and foggy, but that's the norm here
It wasn't raining hard enough to warrant an unbrella but nobody told these folks
The Red Dog Saloon is one of many saloons that were once in Juneau
They aren't as majestic as bald eagles, but ravens are all over the place
Downtown Juneau
We didn't take the Mount Roberts Tramway. I'm guessing there wasn't much of a view through the fog.
The king salmon were returning to Macaulay Salmon Hatchery.
The king salmon were returning to Macaulay Salmon Hatchery.
The king salmon were returning to Macaulay Salmon Hatchery.
Salmon pens at Macaulay Salmon Hatchery
This king salmon missed the fish ladder and didn't make it.
I don't know why, but all the salmon were jumping up and hitting the silver pole.
Who'd think you'd bump into a bear at a salmon hatchery?
At Glacier Garden they turn trees upside-down and make planters out of them.
Devil's Club is one nasty plant with barbed thorns on both sides of the leaves.
This is the road that we traveled on to the top of the mountain
This is Juneau International Airport. One flight to Whitehorse, YT each week makes it "International"
Up in the trees at Glacier Gardens
At Glacier Garden they turn trees upside-down and make planters out of them.
It was foggy in the rain forest.
These are salmonberries. They taste like extra sweet, extra watery raspberries.
Dead trees get put to use as sculptures
This giant heart was in Glacier Gardens' visitor center.
Mendenhall Glacier covers much of Juneau
Icebergs in Mendenhall Lake
This rock was smoothed by the glacier over thousands of years
There is almost no sense of scale, but you'll see exactly how big that waterfall is in an upcoming photo.
Artic terns were nesting here. They fly 25,000 miles from Antarctica to nest here.
Mendenhall Glacier covers much of Juneau
Those black dots in front of the waterfall are people.
Mendenhall Lake is full of ice breaking off of the glacier
This was as close as we got to the glacier since we weren't in the mood for hiking in mud.
This was as close as we got to the glacier since we weren't in the mood for hiking in mud.
Glacial silt makes the water a strange grayish blue color.
The blue color of the glacial ice is spectacular.
I never knew there was such a thing as a Glacier Bear. They have bluish colored fur.
I had no idea that bear skin rugs could bite.
My mother says this is what she'd look like if a bear really bit her.
Groundcones are another unique Alaskan plant.
Bear-proof trash cans are a must around here.
This seal was looking in our stateroom window.
This seal was looking in our stateroom window.
The glacial silt in the water makes the water an incredible color.
Passing a navigation beacon at about 10 pm ADT.