The Mendenhall Glacier is the first glacier we've been somewhat close to. It is part of the Tongass National Forest. We really didn't have much time and opted to take a walk along the boardwalk where there was the potential to see bears feeding on salmon. We then raced up to the visitors center where we watched a short film about the glacier and viewed some exhibits. There was a blue, or glacier colored black bear on display that was killed by a car in 1998. It noted that the unique Glacier Bear or blue morph is occasionally found in the St. Elias and Coast mountains of northern SE Alaska. However, I recall reading in the Museum of the North in Fairbanks that the color came about by genetic isolation. However it occurred, it is an interesting blue recessive-looking color. There was also an Alexander Archipelago Wolf on display and it is supposed to be a subspecies of the gray or timber wolf. The information said it is typically smaller and darker than wolves elsewhere in the state and is found in Southeast Alaska. There are reportedly about 900 of those wolves. Their color reminded me of the very dark sable German Shepherds.
I have to say the best part of the visit was the guided tour by our bus driver! He told us that when the McDonald's went in it was a huge deal. One pilot took orders back to Skagway where he was met by a marching band! Alaska was the last state that allows McDonald's (Vermont does not) to have one in their State capitol. You can't burn firewood in Juneau. That seems odd, as I think of Alaska as just the sort of place where you would have a wood stove fire. However, because Juneau is in a valley, the EPA said they were creating too much pollution. You can only have a pellet stove.
Lichen is algae + fungus, that "like" each other. Lichen lives on air, so if you see lichen growing you know the air is very clean.
There are only 48 miles of road in Juneau. You have to fly in or travel by water. We were warned that folks there don't know how to drive well because of the limited roadways, but we've found them to be very polite drivers, even stopping in the roadway to motion you across. Perhaps they've been cautioned that killing tourists is bad for business. There is no land available for purchase which is why the homes we saw advertised as so high priced. Many people just live on their boats.
They have very strict rules about handling garbage, after having to kill so many bears. You must use certain containers, cannot put the garbage out early and must clean out the cans to eliminate odors. It has apparently worked.
Our driver told a funny story about calling a business one day and the phone rang and rang and rang. Finally a person answered and said they were closed for holiday. "What holiday" he asked. The answer was "the sun is shining and the Governor called a Holiday!" Apparently, seeing the sun is so unusual there that the Governor has the option to make 3 days per year a holiday. On average there are 5 sunny days per month. We were told that, in Juneau, when you can see the blue sky peeking through it is called a "sucker hole"!
There was a cute poster hanging at the front of the bus and the caption was "How to Pass for a Local." One of the tips was to wear rubber boots, but I couldn't read the rest. We were told that everyone wears rubber boots. Even the girls who dress up to go out to the bar wear rubber boots! We saw women in skirts, apparently on their way to work, wearing rubber boots. And not cute ones, either; just the plain old green rubber boots. It's a Juneau thang.
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