After Icy Straight Point, our next stop was Juneau, capitol city of Alaska. Viking’s Orion was one of several cruise ships docking at Juneau that day, so we had to take a tender from the Orion to the dock. No worries, it was a smooth ride and well orchestrated. Between whale-watching, museums, sight-seeing, and other activities, Juneau offered more options than time allowed, so we had to make some hard choices. Given that we had already seen whales, bears, and lots of scenery, we opted for a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier. Here are some photos:
My favorite tourist seated near the Juneau waterfront. This is between where passengers disembark from cruise ships, float planes, and ferries and where they find the taxis, buses, and other ground transportation. Our tour group for the Mendenhall Glacier mustered here, and, not coincidentally, there are plenty of restaurants and shops all around the area. We even chatted with the Executive Chef from the Orion here as he waited for a taxi to take him to Costco!Tender moving folks from the Orion to the dock. It was a smooth ride, but we noticed that float planes were using this same stretch of water for takeoffs and landings. No collisions, so the pilots must know what they are doing. Or maybe someone was providing traffic control under the radar.After a short bus ride through town and out into the forest, we arrived at the Mendenhall Glacier. The USDA Forest Service runs a great visitor center there, with nice natural history exhibits and a balcony view of the glacier and some adjacent waterfalls. And, for those who might have a problem with the many stairs from the sidewalk up to the visitor center, they have an elevator!Mendenhall Glacier, kind of ragged looking as it terminates near the water. The blue color is characteristic of glacial ice, and the dirty look comes from the rocky material the glacier carries. Interestingly, some glaciers in Alaska are retreating while others are advancing, and this changes from decade to decade. The whole climate-weather-glacier system is more dynamic than a single photo can show.We found this sign on the trail towards the glacier. I guess bears like to walk an easy path rather than shoving their way through the underbrush, just like people do. No bears showed up to claim right of way, but we kept our eyes open just in case.Large (maybe 15 feet tall) rock surface polished and gouged by glacial ice. This was near the visitor center, a long ways from the point where the glacier currently terminates, but it shows that ice was here at some point in the past.Two bear cubs playing near their mother. No bears on the glacier trail, but here they are in Juneau. A fish hatchery next door might have brought them here, but the hatchery was (supposedly) bear-proofed, so it was probably wishful thinking on the part of the bears.Sunset as we sail away from Juneau: a beautiful evening in a beautiful area.
