If I Were Going...: Juneau

Eldred Lighthouse on the Alaska Marine Highway

July 4, we got up early to board a ferry to Juneau. My cold was rapidly improving and we were much happier about Haines. The day looked prettier than the ones we had spent there, but, that’s Alaska.

Our last view of Haines

It was too early for breakfast or coffee (I don’t drink it; Scott does) and the ferry wait was interminable. We finally boarded the car and headed out for the 4½-hour cruise. The scenery was breathtaking, even though it was a bit overcast.

Mountains, glaciers and ocean

If you want to see arresting Alaskan maritime scenery, you cannot beat a ferry ride. It takes you places you wouldn't see otherwise.

Flightseeing is the other option

A quick word about the ferry: Alaska runs the Alaska Marine Highway System, which is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. Much of the state is not accessible by road, so it’s how you get around.

One of Alaska's many ferries

The ferries are nice and reasonably priced. The schedules can be a little dicey – some places have regular boats, some every few days, some every two weeks!

Gorgeous!

This part of our trip (until we leave Alaska) is ruled by ferry reservations.

Not a bad way to go

Anyway, we arrived on time in Juneau despite our late departure from Haines. We wouldn’t have gone to Juneau at all (been there, done that), but we had to to get other places we wanted to go. Plus, we ended up having to go in and out of Juneau in order to go to Glacier Bay National Park.

Setting up camp

We had booked a campsite at the Mendenhall campground near Mendenhall Glacier. It was a very lovely RV site with electricity and water.

Once again, we found it by booking at a CAMPGROUND not an RV PARK.

It’s a bit strange that the gate locks at 10 p.m., so you can’t get back in (you can leave any time), even though the sun is still out.

The woods there are so odd – the ground and all the rocks are covered with soft, spongy moss. You really feel like fairies live there.

Fairy forest

Mendenhall Glacier and Further

In Juneau, we visited the Mendenhall Glacier.

Me at the Mendenhall Glacier

Located about 12 miles from downtown Juneau, the 13+-mile-long Mendenhall Glacier is protected as part of the 5,815-acre Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, a federally designated unit of the Tongass National Forest.

Like everything in Alaska, the glacier has had many names

Originally known as Sitaantaago ("Glacier Behind the Town") or Aak'wtaaksit ("Glacier Behind the Little Lake"), Mendenhall was then named Auke (Auk) Glacier by naturalist John Muir. In 1891 it was renamed in honor of Thomas Corwin Mendenhall, a prominent physicist and meteorologist.

The area around the glacier is very green

On the trail

The Mendenhall Glacier usually recedes eight feet a year; last year it lost 400 feet.

This shrinkage (and the recession of and other glaciers in the area) is believed to be a result of broader retreat and breakup of the Juneau Icefield, the fifth largest icefield in North America.

Many populations near glacial areas rely on the glaciers for fresh drinking water and, once the glaciers are gone, these people will need another water source.

But, hey, climate change isn't real (please note sarcasm).

The glacier is retreating (also like all other glaciers in Alaska)

The retreat of the Mendenhall Glacier created Mendenhall Lake, which only began to form in 1929.

Mendenhall Lake

The area around the glacier is very nice, with paved and gravel trails and a Visitor Center. The Center is open year-round and receives close to 500,000 visitors each year, most coming by cruise ship in summer. Interestingly, it was the first U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center built in U.S; it was designed by Linn A. Forrest and dedicated in 1962. The building was expanded, renovated and rededicated in 1999.

The trail from the Visitor Center

After Mendenhall, we drove out the Glacier Highway (24 miles), which we had never done because we didn’t have a car before). The scenery is pretty, but nothing as mind-blowing as Haines.

However, we did stop at Eagle Beach and discovered that there was an eagle on almost every stump – about 100 of them in one place! Seems like a guidebook could mention that.

There are lots of Eagles here

Then, Scott took me back to camp because the cold (or the cold meds) was hitting me hard. When you don't want to get out of the car to photograph 100s of Eagles, you know you are sick!

Scott went looking for bears. NADA!

Always ready with a camera

Oh, by the way, we did manage to miss July 4 celebrations.

We didn’t mean to; it just turned out that way. Juneau does fireworks on July 3 (we were in Haines); Haines does everything on July 4 (after we left); we spent the morning on the ferry and missed the Juneau parade.

Whales!

The next day in Juneau, we went in search of a Whale watch. We started at Auke Bay, where they leave, but found out we had to go into town to book it (even though our campground was closer to Auke Bay). It’s mainly because they cater to the ship people. We did a two-hour trip – we wanted longer, but couldn’t find one that was longer.

Fluking Humpback

We saw a mother and baby Humpback.

Mom and baby

The baby breached, but I missed it and then, after that, they were fairly boring. The captain heard about some Orcas, so we took off on a long ride and finally found them.