Finally - clear weather!

A view of an iceberg in Mendenhall Lake

 

A moss-covered landscape

the glacier in the fog

Sorry for the delay between posts - while life is Juneau is interesting, I guess I think it's nothing to write home about (literally).  Then again, I guess if you don't live here you might find even "normal" things interesting.  The weather has been unpleasant, at best - incredibly rainy, foggy and cool even for Juneau in July.  We've had flashes of sun (remember the sucker holes?) and at times we can see the tops of the mountains, still covered with snow. The daily weather report states the temperature at the airport and at the "top of the tram" where it is usually around 45 degrees as we drive to work.  There can be three distinct areas of "weather" as we drive to work - out the road where we live could be cloudy, cool but dry; half way to work in the valley is driving rain and clouds, then downtown can be completely socked in with low clouds obscuring views across the Channel to Douglas.  We're never sure what we'll find!  Then there is Greg, working at the top of Eaglecrest Ski Hill at the zipline ( www.alaskazip.com) where he leads tours rain or shine (mostly rain!).

the mountains in the mist

However, after three straight days of all-encompassing fog (we couldn't see the mountains and you can always see the mountains) and rain, the sky cleared and the air warmed (to about 68 degrees) so Bill and I ventured out after our Saturday errands to

Mendenhall Glacier to see the "pinks" spawning and

maybe see a bear.  Tourists still crowd the area,
and some walking paths are closed due to increased bear activity.  In fact, one of the signs along the trail said "Bear encounters are highly likely"!  Sure enough, the bears were in a tree, high off the ground, probably taking a nap after gorging themselves with

Salmon actually do swim upstream!

salmon.  The naturalist on the trail said it was a mother and cub.  They were very hard to spot and impossible to photograph.  We plan on going back out after our swim class some night this week hoping the bears are more active!  For now, enjoy the pictures.  If you have any questions, or want me to talk about something you are interested in, join this "blog" and I will follow up!

A small lake near the glacier

Or follow the blog on my facebook page (I'll friend you!) and ask me questions there, too. Next up:  we've been invited to spend next weekend overnight on our friend's boat, fishing and pulling crab pots.  THAT will be a story worth sharing, I'm sure!