Alaska - the videos - Part 2

Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier

This clip shows a bit of calving!

More calving...

The bald eagle on a chunk of glacier ice...

Alaska - the videos - Part 1

In random order...

We found a beach!

Nugget Falls at Mendenhall Glacier

Some random guys fishing near the hatchery. This guy catches a 25 lb-er!

Sea lions just outside the Gatineau Channel.

Alaska trip - Part 2

 Fun fact - Juneau is the only US capital with no roads going in or out of town. You have to fly in or boat in. We drove to the end of the road, just to see it. It just dead ends ;)

We also visited University of Alaska Southeast... it's on Auke Lake, and has a marine biology program... hmmm???? Piper liked it.

The next day, we took an all day cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord to see South Sawyer Glacier. It's about 31 miles long. It's constantly calving leaving chunks of ice floating around in the fjord and out into the ocean. Some of them are still pretty massive as they melt. And really just amazing to see.

The fjord had many waterfalls and the water is really green.

We've arrived. 

And so many cute little seals. They congregate here because the orcas don't come in this far to eat them ;)

Depending on how much ice is in the water each day, the boats can go in further or have to stay further out. 

It was amazing how blue it is.

There was lots of calving while we were there. Here's a little pictorial of a chunk falling into the ocean...

And where else are you going to navigate your boat around a bald eagle hanging out on an iceberg?!

Favorite souvenir... look at this cute little felt Eskimo nativity! Definitely a fun trip!

Alaska trip Part 1 here: http://twodogsandafish.blogspot.com/2021/07/alaska-part-1.html?m=0

Alaska trip - Part 1

Took a random trip to Juneau last week. Got a cheap flight deal sent to my inbox. Couldn't pass it up ;) A lot was still closed due to covid and no cruise tourists, and it was almost impossible to find a car rental (we rented one for one day for $400!!!), but there was still plenty to see and do.

It was beautiful!! The weather was perfect and the mountains smelled so good. Yeah, we have great mountains in Utah, but ours aren't surrounded by glaciers!

We took the Roberts Tram up the mountain and did some hiking. Mid hike, we came across a couple hikers who were obviously in distress. We asked if we could help. Apparently the woman was severely afraid of heights and slipping while hiking down. She made it up quite far ok, but went into a panic attack trying to hike back down. She was crying and shaking, even holding onto her husband. She had been practicing on smaller hikes back home, but this was too much for her. So we offered to let her hold my arm opposite her husband in hopes she would feel more secure with someone on both sides of her. She was terrified. So we hiked back to a lower part of the trail with them until she felt ok to finish on their own. I felt so bad for her. She didn't get to enjoy all the amazing scenery and smells!

Little snowball fight. One sided. She won.

We were hoping to see bears, but we didn't. Well, a taxi driver told us there was a bear out in the brush, "look, over there!"... but we never saw what he was talking about. We are pretty sure he just wanted us to feel good about saying we saw at least one bear. I tipped him extra ;)

We 'hiked' to Mendenhall Glacier the next day. It was more of a stroll. And actually, the trail doesn't quite go all the way to the glacier, but ends at Nugget Falls. I took my shoes off and tiptoed into the water. Glacier water - ice cold, as you'd expect.

Alaska trip Part 2 here: http://twodogsandafish.blogspot.com/2021/07/alaska-part-2.html?m=0