Juneau - a shrine, a garden, a glacier, & ?

The ferry arrived at 4:15am - ugh. I immediately drove to a nearby recreation area & took a 2 hour nap in the truck. 

scenery north of Juneau

There's water everywhere around Juneau, including creeks, ponds, & the bay. 





Shrine of St Therese

The approach to the shrine goes along a path trough a beautiful stand of rainforest, through some lovely gardens, & across a sort of isthmus with a beautiful view along the coast. 




The actual shrine is nestled in the trees on a point of land surrounded by Auke Bay. 


In the woods around the shrine is a trail by the Stations of the Cross. 


Mendenhall Glacier 

Though it's a legitimate glacier, its main claim to fame is that it's easy to visit from a cruise ship. Also, there's a salmon stream near its base which often attracts bears to feed. 



No bears were there this morning. Nearby is one of a number of small marinas. 


Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure

Somehow the name made me think that this place would just be a tourist trap, but it's actually a unique combo of gardens & rainforest. One enters through a huge greenhouse. 

Besides its location in a rainforest, the unique thing here is a number of fallen trees which are replanted upside down. Then, flowers are planted on top & baskets are hung from them. Amazingly, one couple did the majority of the work here.





There's a stream cascading down through the forest & gardens. Elderberries are sprinkled throughout the rainforests in Southeast Alaska. 


A tram takes visitors up a very steep road through the rainforest, which is sprinkled with more upside-down trees. 

 



A dwarf mistletoe grows on some of the western hemlocks, causing their branches to grow in unusual ways (pic on the left). A narrow road was built through the gardens. Along the edge of the road, one can see the logs sticking out of the side; logs were cut into sections & laid side-by-side to form the base of the road (pic on the right).

   


Just before the top is another garden area leading to the views from above. 




Wizard of Oz figures

A local metal works put these figures on the top of their building.












                                                 











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