And so our adventure continues.....Mendenhall glacier is always one of the top attractions for both residents and tourists alike. Unfortunately, since the 1930's the glacier has receded almost 2.0 miles! 

Although a different experience from the time my mom came to the glacier in the winter, it is still an awesome site to behold.  And, I am glad that it is still there to behold!

 If I may climb unto my soap box for just a minute (and I assume that if you are reading this you are friends, family, or someone who may share the same views) living here in Alaska you cannot in all good conscious deny global warming. I know it is a hot political topic, but the reality is, our earth IS CHANGING.  With our population expected to reach over 9 billion by the year 2050, how can you argue that we are not impacting our world somehow? With those kinds of numbers, it is just not possible to not leave some kind of earth changing carbon and global footprint.

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and so yes, I am a "tree hugger",  a budding environmentalist, and people at work call me "granola"....what can I say? I want this to remain untouched and preserved.

Now I will climb back down from the soap box waving my Recycle/Consume Less / Grow and By Local flag!!!! And if I can also slip in my no drilling vote I will. Still friends?

This is a picture of Mendenhall Lake, which until the 1900's really didn't even exist.  It was formed from run off and the melting of  Mendenhall Glacier.  I actually had friends who came in on a cruise ship and went kayaking the same day that this picture was taken.  Unfortunately two of the kayaks tipped resulting in a trip to our local ER and a diagnosis of hypothermia. Thankfully both of them are ok, but treading water for 30 minutes in subzero water temperatures was not their idea of a fun excursion.

This is Nugget Falls to the right of the glacier. It is an extremely loud, powerful and I would even say boisterous waterfall.  A short 1 mile hike and you come right up to the lakes shore and falls.  Be prepared, though, you will get wet!

I believe that this floating iceberg was present when my mom and I came to Mendenhall this winter. It sure looks like one we walked up to (and possibly the one my mom tried to lick).  Often the glacier calves and so it is common to have many of these icebergs floating in the lake even during the heat of summer. Have you read that Alaska is having a heat wave? Global warming I tell ya!

As a father's day gift and early birthday gift for my mom we sent them on a day cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and glacier.  They had already been there via plane (thanks again Dr. B!) to see it from an aerial view, but this took them much closer to the glacier's mouth. 

Living in a temperate rain forest of Alaska, glaciers are abundant. At one point I thought my parents might get "glaciered-out" but really, it that possible?  Like meeting members of the same family, each one has its own story, path, landscape and personality. I think that they fell in love like I have.

Apparently while on the cruise, this iceberg flipped over revealing a beautiful turquoise blue underside. I guess this isn't something that you get to see very often, so my parents were pretty excited.

And of course the wildlife! Little harbor seals call this area home. Since summer has come upon Alaska many seal mothers have given birth. My parents said that you could actually see blood and placenta on some of the floating ice.

As the perfect balance in the circle of life goes, the bald eagles (seen above and below) will swoop down and feed off the placental byproducts.  

Isn't this a great picture? My mom took this while on the cruise. She really does have an eye for all things creative and beautiful. 

And of course our favorite, humpback whales. There are a lot of whales in Juneau right now so I was not surprised that they saw some. I was surprised, though, that they were able to capture such great pictures!  The salmon and herring runs have started so most people have a good chance at spotting one.

This is a picture of a waterfall seen near the Tracy Arm glacier. The name is slipping my mind right now, but I think the word "hole" is in it somewhere.  You might be able to see the small dark holes in the bedrock from where it gets its name. 

Here is a picture of my mom and I heading out to Benjamin Island to see the sea lions. I didn't tell them that they were there. The surprise is so worth the wait.   Like I mentioned before, my mom and dad were such athletes on this trip. I think any 20 year old would have had trouble keeping up with them!

Here we are at the overlook. My buddies, Rebecca and Mary,  joined us on this wonderful trip. As customary, we hiked the short 30 minutes and had lunch while enjoying the wonders of nature.

 This guy, I think the leader of the pack, so reminds me of Jabba the Hut from Star Wars....

My mom really doesn't like this picture (sorry mom!) but it was the only one of the three of us. I think you look just fine, mom!

I am not sure why Ian is pretending to punch me in the stomach, but this is on our last day together.....not Ian and I, but before my parents left.  We thought we could squeeze in another short hike on the Flume near Perseverance Trail.

 This trail is fairly easy and most of it is along a boardwalk canopy above the rain forest.

While on our walk a local tourist (go figure) spotted this bear cub in the tree. It was still alive, but we didn't see mama anywhere.  For us that was a good thing, but for this little guy I am not so sure.

One of the reasons we chose The Flume Trail was so that my dad could try one last hand at panning for gold. He really enjoyed searching for this precious metal. As a matter of fact, he even found some to take home with him!  While he was panning, the rest of us were talking to a local who said that Alaska still has the largest gold reserve in the world, much still un-mined.  He likes to hike up into the mountains and pan for himself. Sometimes he even finds nuggets.

Although I know there is a lot of money to be made, I am still not sure how I feel about blowing up mountains to acquire it. For me, there is no price tag that could justify destroying or contaminating this area.

These are Alaskan Malamutes. Their owner brings them down for the tourists to pet. Being a huge dog lover, my mom definitely had to go give them kisses in addition to treats. 

My parents left after 11 days of adventure, leaving behind many new friends and memories. We had dinner with one of my colleagues, and he was so impressed with my parents that he gave my dad a Blue Artic Fox fur. It was a very tender gesture and really excited my dad.  It was fun to share Alaska with them, and even more meaningful to share them with Alaska.  

I love you mom and dad!

Sarah