...and the city of Juneau closed. That is a exaggeration but the tourist section went dead. Many of the shops closed and locked their doors, finished until the next huge ship arrives. It was interesting to learn that the shops along the wharf are boarded up at the end of the season and the merchandise is shipped to Mexico and the Caribbean to be hawked to perhaps the same tourists who were cruising in Alaska six months before. I am sure this is only my deeply jagged opinion.
Up early, we bought bus tickets for round trip transportation to the Mendenhall Glacier. After purchase we were informed that we would have to return to Juneau by 1:00 because with no cruise ships in port the bus would discontinue service. Dropped in the parking lot under warm, sunny skies we walked the easy 1.5 mile trail to the waterfall and view of the glacier. As we walked I was taken by the pristine beauty of the area. The sun was reflecting off the water and ice, emitting a low rainbow from the edges of the waterfall. The glacier was worn into nooks, crevices, and peaks by wind, rain, and snow with the newly revealed surfaces being bluer than the rest. Along the path were plants beginning to take over the surface as the glacier recedes further into the ice.
Based on a ranger's recommendation we walked the Trail of Time. Along the path were posted photos of the glacier in years past. A hundred years ago everywhere on the trail was covered by the glacier. Today it is a young forest. Quite a sobering example of global warming.
Back to town on the one o'clock bus and the place was deserted and so quiet by comparison with our arrival. We sat in the sunshine beside the harbour, reading for a couple of hours until it was time to join our group in a hotel across the street for the introductory welcome meeting at a local hotel. After brief instructions we were provided with buses to drive us across the street and one block down. Some of us chose to walk.
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