Bright and early in Juneau! We all started flowing off the boat about 8 AM, heading off to adventures. We chose the Mendenhall Glacier and Rainforest Garden for our excursion.
The capital of Alaska, Juneau is named after gold prospector Joseph Juneau, and is classified as a rainforest. You can only get to Juneau by sea or air, as there are no roads connecting the city to the rest of the state.
Our first stop was Rainforest Garden, an area reclaimed after flooding and entirely man made. You're taken through the area on little expanded golf cart vehicles...think Disney's parking trams. Listen to the guide and learn many great details about how Steve Bowhay single handedly created this magical garden.
A highlight of the gardens are the unique Flower Towers, which are dead trees uprooted and sunk into the ground, then made alive again with flower gardens planted among the roots.
As a side note, we found the delightful little gift shop to have the most authentic and reasonably priced local made items on our entire cruise, so check it out.
Back on the bus and off to the stunning Medenhall Glacier. This is a s close to a glacier as you can get without taking a more adventure filled excursion.
Although you can see the glacier from the visitor area, take the time for the short and easy hike along Nugget Falls Trail. There are several options to hike and explore, but Nugget Falls seems the most moderate with the best and quickest access to the glacier and waterfall.
Up close and personal you'll find yourself marveling at the gorgeous glacier while feeling the spray of Nugget Falls. Simply stunning. We did hear a large crack from the glacier while on the trail, but did not see any calving.
If you have time, explore the well laid out Visitor Center for a short film, interactive exhibits and to feel Mendenhall Glacier Ice (which feels a lot like Tracy Arm Ice.)
It's nice to be back on the boat for a relaxing evening, sip on a the Drink of the Day (Farmer Fusion Colada) and enjoy Toy Story the Musical, the evening show.
