Juneau
Unique gardening in Juneau
Our second port was Juneau, the capital of Alaska. The was our favorite Alaskan port, although it was the shortest time that we had to look around. We went on a deluxe tour that took us to many beautiful places in and around Juneau. The first place we went to was this amazing garden in the woods. One of the most interesting displays were these upside down trees with flowers growing in the roots. The amount of rain that falls in Juneau is enough to keep these trees alive out of the ground.
Mendenhall Glacier
Erich at the overlook
We were then taken to the Mendenhall Glacier that was piercing through these two mountain ranges. Juneau was quite colder than Ketchikan and while we were at the glacier, it rained on us a little. The glacier was an impressive feature and it only shows how larger than life they really are. As we watched the glacier, we could see various helicopters that were circling the glacier for closer views. After the glacier, we headed back to downtown Juneau. We walked by all the State buildings and through downtown. Many more tourist shops lined the streets, but once again, a pretty downtown.
Alaska State Capital Building
A scene of downtown Juneau
The turquoise seawater next to slippery stone
After leaving Juneau prematurely, the cruise backtracked to preceded into a deep inlet. The ship had to slow down to be able to negotiate this narrow passage as we passed a series or large and small icebergs. As we travelled further in, the rain continued and the water turned more and more turquoise. The rock along the shore was shiny and smooth from being carved by past glaciers. At the end of the inlet, we came to the impressive Sawyer Glacier. We got close enough to get an amazing view, including a nice shot of the deep blue base. We didn't unforunately get to see any ice pieces falling, but the scenery was unlike anything we've seen before.
