Before we begin today's post - we join our pals in celebrating Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Now on to our travels. Our next port of call was Juneau. Here we had decided we would get up close and personal with a glacier. We took a bus tour to Mendenhall Glacier. Here, I went on a hike, while my mom enjoyed learning about the glacier in the visitor's centre.
Mendenhall is half a mile wide and 1800 feet deep. Unlike Hubbard, Mendenhall is retreating quickly and it is estimated by 2050 you won't be able to see it from the visitor's centre. It lost 3 miles between August 2021 and August 2022.
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| Hiking a bit closer |
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| A memorial to a wolf. It made me smile. |
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| Nugget Falls |
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| The colour of the glacier water up close |
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| Icebergs floating between the glacier and the falls |
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| Proof I was there! |
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| On the hike out I saw this memorial stone and took a moment to remember a stranger. It says "A life well lived, and a man well loved. He never stopped exploring." |
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| Proof we were the together! |
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| In the visitor's centre - I got to interact with a bear! |
After time at Mendenhall, we went to Glacier Gardens. This garden was started in 1984 by Steve Bowhay and his wife Cindy. They picked a spot that a landslide had wiped out for their nursery business and over time have created this amazing, rainforest surrounded gardens. We were whisked up the mountain in the same type of people carrier as they use at Disney. Here are just a few shots from our stop there.
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| The garden is famous for the upside down trees that have been turned into planters. |
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| The rain forest |
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| Looking down on Juneau |
It was a lovely day in nature and unlike the bear hunt, we saw what we set out to!
Come back next week, for my favourite adventure - a day trip into the Yukon! (There may have been dogs involved . . . .)
aaah we bet that nugget falls got the name for a reason,... you can find a treasure there... or you can bury one... awwwhoy
ReplyDeletethat is sad and scary how fast the glazier is moving, and retreating. Love the selfie of you and your mom. that twirling skeleton is marvelous as are the two pirates..
ReplyDeleteLove the falls and the memorial stone. Alaska is just gorgeous and you and Phod are great looking pirates, Hailey!
ReplyDeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteIndeed sad at the glacier loss. Your photos are delightful! YAM xx
Juneau was our favorite city...we took the sky lift overlooking the area.
ReplyDeleteNick Jans wildlife photographer and author wrote a wonderful book about his relationship with Romeo. Pirate Phod and Wench Hailey I love your photos and the spinning head.
Hugs cecilia
You two make a couple of cute pirates. What a lovely stop on your big Alaska trip. Thanks for taking us along.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful area, the glacier must have been something to see....and wow! So many lovely flowers.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the two adorable pirates!
xoxo,
Rosy & Sunny
Wow, a rain forest and a glacier. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Gail the pedantic geoscientist has to ask the question, did the glacier really retreat THREE MILES in ONE YEAR?? She knows that climate change is bad, and the changes are faster in the Arctic than in most places, but that does seem incredibly fast.
It really is untouched terriroty
ReplyDeleteArrrgh! Ye be fine pirates!
ReplyDeleteYou sure are making me jealous with your travels! Beautiful pictures!
ReplyDelete