Juneau - The Gateway To The Mendenhall Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier Explorer was the name of the tour we booked in Juneau. This is the capital city of Alaska. On the surface, it looked like any other city with a business downtown district surrounded. by residential areas.
Don't you think so when you look at the pictures above? What made Juneau special to us tourists was it was the gateway to the iconic Mendenhall Glacier. The cover picture shows the Glacier Observation Center. A closeup is shown below.
We had the choice of climbing a flight of stairs to reach the center or take an elevator. What do you think my wife and I did?
If you said the elevator you win a prize lol! The view when inside was spectacular.
Although impressive it was still a distant view. There were several paths to get closer to the glacier. Since my wife had knee pain, she stayed here and I did some exploring.
We took advantage of a short film that explained more about the Mendenhall Glacier. Global warming has caused it to recede by 4600 feet in the last 22 years. This process continues with big chunks of ice breaking away daily. See the mini icebergs floating downstream in the lake below.
In mid-winter, the lake freezes over. People walk over the lake and ice skate as well as explore ice caves in the glacier itself.
The sky was partly cloudy which gave the ice a bluish hue. When totally sunny the glacier glows its whitest.
An impressive waterfall flowed to the right of the glacier. There was a pathway that took you close to see it but I didn't have the time to do that.
I took a picture that provided more information on Mendenhall Glacier. Below you can see a closeup of the Mendenhall Glacier. It is hard to fathom that in another couple of years, it will have receded even further away.
What do you think of the closeup above? While departing the area I got a distant shot of this magnificent glacier.
This day was free of rain unlike Sitka yesterday where it rained incessantly. If you're wondering the lowest temperature was about 49 F and the highest was 59. Pretty mild indeed.
There were several other cruise ships docked in Juneau from Princess, Royal Caribbean Lines, and Disney.
I truly enjoyed our visit to Juneau.
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Recent Comments
55
Hi Edwin, it's great and enjoyable trip indeed. And Im pretty sure you and your wife have enjoyed every moment of your tour .. Cheer's
Hi Phillip,
Thanks for your comments and good wishes. Apart from lots of rain and wind, the experience is memorable.
Cheers.
Edwin
What a wonderful trip, Edwin. The pictures are excellent. I have added it to my list of places to visit. Travel safely and enjoy the rest of your adventures.
Regards, Matt
Hi Matt,
I highly recommend discovering Alaska. May or June May be better months weather wise. Alaska cruises from the LA area are rare. This one in September was the only one. Glad we took it.
Cheers!
Edwin
I meant to ask about the best time to visit. Thank you, Edwin.
Have a wonderful trip and weekend!
Matt
Im glad you had a great time, Edwin. Not just the images you shared, the stories of your journey as well!
Rudy
Thanks much Rudy. My next story will be about our visit to Skagway. This was the furthest north we went. Pretty close to the Canadian border.
Hi Frank,
Glad you do. Our ship didn’t sail towards this glacier. We were able to see it by taking a tour bus there. The glacier the ship was supposed to sail nearby was cancelled because of intense fog and the presence of icebergs. We were grateful for the change in plans.
Cheers!
Edwin
Inspiring post Edwin! It made me recall our trip to this awesomely wonderful place some time ago!
Have a fabulous time!
Cheers,
Maria 🌹
Hi Maria,
I’m surprised you are the only WA member who commented that went to Alaska and saw the Mendenhall Glacier. Happy this brought back pleasant memories. Thanks for commenting.
Edwin
Hi Maria,
Glad you have the love of travel. Great story on how you met your husband. We saw ships from Royal Caribbean, Princess, Disney and Viking. I took this shot of the Saphire Princess from our balcony.
Cheers!
Edwin
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Really glad you had a good visit. Seems the weather was pretty good, too...good thing...the last few days it has been raining torrents here. Today, it cleared off and is beautiful. The cat is very happy for that, as he gets to go out for a while.
Hope you can come back someday and stay longer.
Hi Fran,
It would be amazing to visit Alaska again but in May. And spend more time there. We were lucky the weather was good in Juneau. My next post will be about our visit to Skagway. We drove up the mountain close to the Canadian border but didn’t cross over. We still had to carry our passports because of protocol.
Cheers!
Come to Juneau next May. I have a great bed in the office where you could stay a night or two; maybe take a trip up Glacier Bay right to the foot of the glaciers. Lots of wildlife to see on that trip. I'll be sure to fix you a fresh fish supper (probably halibut.) Just let me know!