After the float trip, we had a quick lunch on the ship then got on another bus to get a closer look at the Mendenhall Glacier. The only way to physically reach it is by helicopter (which is super expensive!), but this excursion allowed us to take a self-guided tour with great views and to see the Visitor Center. It's just a short, easy "hike" down to the water's edge, close enough to feel the spray from Nugget Falls.
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| The glacier is on the left; the falls on the right. |
By the way, if you've noticed the slate-blue/grey color of many of the rivers so far, that color comes from the glacier silt that builds up in the water. It's a sure way to tell if the rivers are glacier-fed or primarily from snow melt.
While we were at the Visitor Center, we watched a really nice movie about the area, with some incredible footage of wildlife. We also got to see some cool exhibits, including some real glacier ice!
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| I thought this would be my only bear sighting... |
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| Map of the area. |
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| View from the Visitor's Center. |
On the way back to the ship, we actually spotted a real, live bear with cubs out in this grassy/marshy area! Apologies for the blurry photo, but I was lucky to get one at all. :-) Our driver actually considered making a u-turn and stopping so we could get a better look, but we were on a tight schedule to make it back to the ship in order to leave port...
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