Wetlands, Glaciers, and a view from the top

We woke up Thursday with the promise of less rain and maybe even some clear skies.  This was the first time in days that I had hope of seeing the sun and boy was I ready for it!   Maddie was just ready for a nap.

 

First stop on our itinerary for the day was the Gold Creek Salmon bake, an Juneau tourist must-do if you love salmon.  It was a cool and damp morning, but it wasn't raining which was a great way to start the day.  The set up is buffet-style and there is a folk singer for entertainment while you eat your fill of grilled salmon, delicious sides, and a really yummy Alaskan blueberry cake.

After you've eaten your fill (or in between servings, if you prefer), there is some beautiful scenery to see, ending with a lovely little waterfall.  Bears are frequenters of this area, but we did not see one while we were there.

This location is actually the site of a historic gold mine and along the path to the waterfall, there are several mining relics.  Just to the right of the waterfall is an old mine shaft from the gold mine that was there.

Once we had had eaten and explored the area, we headed back to "home" to get the girls to explore the Mendenhall wetlands.  The wetlands are a nature preserve in Juneau with a paved path around the entire perimeter and some lovely paths deeper into the wetlands themselves.   A major feature of the wetlands is the Mendenhall River.  

These wetlands are critical habitat for many wildlife species as this is an area where the freshwater and saltwater sources combine.  It creates a very unique habitat that is important for many of the area wildlife, but is especially important for the salmon of the area.

This is also a very dog friendly area (as long as they don't disturb the wildlife) so it was a great place to take the girls.  Dog are allowed off leash in this area and eventually I allowed Maddie and Imke to run free a bit so Nicol could get some pictures unhindered by Imke and so that I'd only be getting dragged around by Peaches.

Of course Maddie took us down a path that led directly to a water source and she went right in.  Imke kept wandering ahead up the path while Maddie lagged behind.  Peaches was having the time of her life bounding through the tall grass there.

After a 3 1/2 mile hike with some pretty spectacular views, it was time to leave the wetlands behind to move on to our next adventure.  We left with three very happy pups!  

Next we were off to explore the Mendenhall Glacier which is part of the Tongass National Forest.  It was a short drive to the park from the wetlands.  

The girls were loving this new place with all of the people and things to sniff.  Luckily they were also patient enough to allow me to get a picture.

After some photo opportunities, we made the hike to the Mendenhall Lake beach and Nugget Falls, which is just about a 2 mile round-trip hike.  Boy was it worth the hike. 

While Nicol spent time taking pictures, the girls and I did a little exploring.  Imke wasn't happy that Nicol was so far away from her and she wanted to do a little exploring on her own, so I set her free to do so, while Peaches did a little rock climbing and Maddie settled in to enjoy the view.

Apparently all of that exploring was too much for Maddie because she decided this would be a great place to take a nap!

 It was time to head back toward the Jeep for one more adventure for the day.  The girls were happy and exhausted and jumped into the Jeep and settled in for the next trip.  Since it had been rainy and cloudy the entire time we had been here, we hadn't gotten the chance to take the Tram to the top of Mt. Roberts.  This was the one thing that I had said all along would make my trip complete, so we headed into downtown to check out the conditions. 

When we pulled into to town, there it was all the way at the top of the mountain-the tram station.  So we quickly purchased our tickets and we were off to view Juneau from above.  It did not disappoint!

While we were at the top, we stopped to grab a quick appetizer at the restaurant...I had to eat with view!  I'm so happy we stopped because we shared the most amazing Fry Bread Taco and a Fry Bread Dessert!   So yummy!  And this was the first place since last week that I have been able to find a fountain Mt. Dew.  It's the little things that make a me happy!

After another look around, we headed back down the mountain to a very quiet Juneau.  It's amazing how different it is in the evening when the cruise ships have left.

Then it was time to head home for the night.  What a busy day it had been, but it was amazing and more than I could ever have expected.