we went back to the glacier this morming, which neither of us minded, because it was a such a beautiful day. it was only a few miles from our campground.
driving up to the glacier parking lot you get your first glimpse of the mendenhall glacier. wow, they do exist. wow, they are big. wow, we are really here.
if you look close at this next picture you can see on the left side where just a few days ago an ice cave collapsed. it’s the dark spot by the rock at water’s edge
30 years ago we would have been standing on ice here
you could walk a couple of miles to get to this waterfall. we didn’t.
we took a walk looking for bears and salmon. we didn’t see either.
the glaciers look dirty from rocks and boulders riding on top and from ground rock dust blowing across the surface.
this experience is right up there with mt. rushmore, the statue of liberty, the grand canyon, niagara falls, the florida keys, and many more. it was awe inspiring. breathtaking to be in it’s presence. glaciers are classed at living things because they move. and 37 of the 38 glaciers here in alaska, are retreating, moving backwards. in case you want to know, the menenhall has retreated more that a mile and thinned about 700 vertical feet.
1986-2012
it has been retreating since 1850 but the rate of ice loss has increased dramatically in recent decades in part to climate warning. believe it or not.
we see the capitol next
so stay tuned
Once in awhile-now and again-this is us 
WOW just about covers it! Great pictures. It must have been plain awesome in person.
gotta go or I’m divorced next time you see me.
AWESOME
SO beautiful. Were there a lot of other people around? It looks so peaceful. Driving to work on the freeway every day makes me long for some wide open spaces!
Interesting. Nice pictures. What’s the air temperature?
we got there before the tour buses from the cruise ships arrived and unloaded. it was an awesome experience.
the first day it was cold. the second day it was very nice.