The ferry slowed as it approached Auke Bay in Juneau. Although I had the alarm set for 4:10, the change in engine speed and sounds woke me a bit before 4:00. We docked as scheduled at 4:30 and were off the boat by 4:45. It was only a five minute drive to McDonalds, but they did not open until 5:00. While walking around the parking lot to stretch my legs, I saw many large ravens - they were probably 18 inches from beak to tail. And they were accustomed to people, so they did not fly off until I got real close.
After breakfast and killing a couple of hours in McDonalds, we dropped Megan's car off at the Subaru dealer for the two recalls and an oil change (Juneau is the closest Subaru dealer to Ketchikan - hence the ferry ride). We got a loaner car for the day and drove out to Mendenhall Glacier which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Tongass National Forest. The visitor center was not yet open, but there was great educational signage where we parked.
I sent Helen and Laura these photos of the small pond nearby, about a hundred yards from the parking lot.
We could see the glacier in the distance, looking across Lake Mendenhall.
We walked back to the parking for more information.
The Juneau Icefield is about 50 miles long and lies in the coastal mountains. The Mendenhall glacier is one of more than 30 glaciers in the Icefield and is by the red dot in the lower center of the map (the second photo is an enlargement of that part of the Icefield.
We hiked out on the Photo Point Trail. We saw geese but not the Artic Terns that were allegedly nesting there.
There were lots of pussy willows along the trail.
We hiked the Nugget Falls Trail. Here is a photo at the base of the falls as well as a video - be prepared for the loud sound of the rushing water.
Looking across Lake Mendenhall to the base of the glacier, you can see where the glacier had calved that morning - the blue color is from the light refracted by the recent exposure of a new surface.
I took this photo to try to show just how big the mountain was behind and above the falls.
There was still some ice on the surface of the lake.
There was a small iceberg from an earlier calving that was in the opposite direction and it contrasted nicely with the snow covered mountains in the distance.
We took a selfie with the glacier in the distance behind us.
We hiked back to the visitor center. On the trail up the hill, every 50 or so yards would be signs telling about the flora we were looking at.
From up above the visitors center, I took these two photos. The first shows a perfect reflection on the surface of the lake. The second is a better photo showing just how big the mountains are behind and above Nugget Falls.
Where we were behind and above the visitors center was under the ice 100 years ago - the ice has receded a couple of miles in the last 100 years.
We explored the visitors center and the gift shop.
Then it was off to Fred Meyers Department store for lunch. After lunch, we explored Fred, Costco and Home Depot for things Megan wants for Ketchikan - besides getting the car recall and oil change done, this is also a shopping trip. For dinner, we went to Hangar on the Wharf with Nick, a helicopter pilot Megan has worked with in Antarctica.
After breakfast and killing a couple of hours in McDonalds, we dropped Megan's car off at the Subaru dealer for the two recalls and an oil change (Juneau is the closest Subaru dealer to Ketchikan - hence the ferry ride). We got a loaner car for the day and drove out to Mendenhall Glacier which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Tongass National Forest. The visitor center was not yet open, but there was great educational signage where we parked.
I sent Helen and Laura these photos of the small pond nearby, about a hundred yards from the parking lot.
We could see the glacier in the distance, looking across Lake Mendenhall.
We walked back to the parking for more information.
The Juneau Icefield is about 50 miles long and lies in the coastal mountains. The Mendenhall glacier is one of more than 30 glaciers in the Icefield and is by the red dot in the lower center of the map (the second photo is an enlargement of that part of the Icefield.
We hiked out on the Photo Point Trail. We saw geese but not the Artic Terns that were allegedly nesting there.
There were lots of pussy willows along the trail.
Looking across Lake Mendenhall to the base of the glacier, you can see where the glacier had calved that morning - the blue color is from the light refracted by the recent exposure of a new surface.
I took this photo to try to show just how big the mountain was behind and above the falls.
There was still some ice on the surface of the lake.
There was a small iceberg from an earlier calving that was in the opposite direction and it contrasted nicely with the snow covered mountains in the distance.
We hiked back to the visitor center. On the trail up the hill, every 50 or so yards would be signs telling about the flora we were looking at.
From up above the visitors center, I took these two photos. The first shows a perfect reflection on the surface of the lake. The second is a better photo showing just how big the mountains are behind and above Nugget Falls.
Where we were behind and above the visitors center was under the ice 100 years ago - the ice has receded a couple of miles in the last 100 years.
We explored the visitors center and the gift shop.
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