Autumn in Juneau

Jonny and I decided to go on a nice walk this afternoon and admire autumn in Juneau. This is what we saw.

This is near the side of the road by our condo. When the tide is high, the water spills into the wetlands and pools into the long grass. There were many ducks swimming through the water today.

Watching the wispy clouds drifting through the trees.

Then we went to Twin Lakes, the large lakes by our condo. 

Jonny examines the depth of the water.

Next, we drove to Auke Rec to look around. I was entranced by the streams and the dying Devil's Club leaves.

The trees out the road are very tall. The forest towers over the landscape.

The leaves are becoming ragged as winter approaches.

A stream through the forest.

Splashing water.

Water bubbles up from underneath the trees.

Water droplets drip off the shelf fungus on this trunk.

Later, we went to Brotherhood Bridge to look around. Here is a field of dying fireweed in front of the glacier.

The field of fireweed towers above me.

I just love these colors!

Along the trail, the trees were coated with Old Man's Beard, a hanging lichen. It made everything look incredibly fuzzy.

Colorful fireweed in front of the Mendenhall River.

We even spotted some high-bush cranberries! What a treat! See how the rain droplets cling to the bright red clusters?

The trail by the river was lined by deciduous trees.

As dusk fell across the field, the sky turned dramatic.

Lastly, we decided to spend our remaining bit of light at the Mendenhall Lake. Jonny found some Doll's Eye, an incredibly poisonous berry related to the red Bane Berry. This white berry has a single black spot on it, making it resemble a doll's eye. Hence the name!

A dark sky reflected off a beaver pond.

Clouds rolling in above the glacier.

One last reflection before darkness touches the land.

I'd say this was a most successful walk, wouldn't you? It sure helps that we know of all the best places to visit! So long for now!

Our Last Tour of 2012

Hi everyone! It's that time again.. the end of the season! Our last cruise ship came in today, and Jonny and I were scheduled to do a hike together. We figured we'd get in a great hike to cap it off, so we took the West Glacier Trail! Here are a handful of photos I took along the way.

Hanging moss from trees is a common sight on this trail.

 Taking the Porcupine Shortcut from the 4th bridge.

Walking along the stream.

Hanging moss by the stream.

More rushing water.

 

Mossy boulders.

Here's a view of Nugget Falls from the first viewpoint. It's about 377 ft tall! You can see the tiny figures of people standing on the beach to the right.

Here's Suicide Falls, up behind the glacier.

The awesome view of the Mendenhall from the West Glacier Trail.

It was so blue in the crevasses today!

From our viewpoint, we could see where the Temsco Helicopters land. See how tiny they are compared to the size of the glacier? A helicopter is in the red circle. I have been on the Mendenhall glacier twice via helicopter. Both times, we landed around here.

We all had a great time! After we dropped everyone off, we cleaned up and put the bus back. I've gotten pretty good at driving the bus backwards. If you want to see me parking the bus at the end of my last tour, click HERE!

That's all for the season! It's time for fall, and winter is just around the corner. Keep checking back for new posts about the changing seasons!

Marshmallow Rivers and Marmalade Skies

I went up the tram with a group on an overcast day for a tour. At sea level, the sky was completely white and the lighting was very dim. I assumed that the views would be terrible and the sky would be drab at the top. Boy was I surprised!! We passed up through a cloud to a beautiful blue sky with puffy white clouds. The thick layer of cloud below looked like a giant river of marshmallow.

You can see how the tram cables disappear through the layer of cloud.

The channel filled with clouds!

Later, I was scheduled for a Guide's Choice. The ship that my guests were from was chartered by Olivia, a lesbian travel agency. It was a BLAST! I led 15 beautiful women on the West Glacier Trail and had the most fun I've had all season. When they had originally climbed into my bus, a few of the ladies glanced at their bus driver (me) and whispered to each other, "SCORE!" Hahaha.. what can I say? These girls just wanted to have fun! And we sure did!

And this evening while driving home, I glanced out the window to this masterpiece. This picture just doesn't do it justice! The sky above the Chilkat Mountains looked like it was on fire. It was a bright neon orange and huge rays of bright orange were shooting out of it, spread out like a giant fan.

That's about all I've been up to lately! Enjoy!

The Colors of Fall

 Fall has arrived! The days are getting shorter, cooler, and are changing color. Most of the trees around here are evergreens, so they don't change colors or lose their leaves. However, there are plenty of other plants that are adding to the festive atmosphere!

 The black cottonwoods and alders are turning brilliant yellow.

See how the Moraine Ecology Trail has been transformed?

Even the willows are putting on their fall display!

These leaves are brilliant as the sunlight shines down through them.

Each leaf acquires their own unique patterns as they are touched by death..

Colors tinge the edges of these lupine leaves.

Along with the leaf litter is a vast array of mushrooms that are popping up everywhere!

The large leaves of the Devil's Club look like bright yellow fans.

A closeup of some willow leaves.

There are even small patches of red among the trees.

Goat's Beard turning red on a bed of moss.

And the last of some fireweed says farewell to summer.

A monochromatic winter isn't far away, so we're enjoying our fall colors while they last!