Our first stop was the Glacier Gardens. It is a combination botanical gardens and natural temperate rain forest all in one. The owners of the business restored land that was damaged in a mud slide to carve out a botanical gardens and combined it with a tour through a part of the Tongass National Forest. The forest is untouched except for a road and a viewing platform. They take you through the forest on golf carts with a local guide doing a narration.
Shots taken from the viewing platform at the top of Thunder Mountain.
The Glacier Gardens claim to fame is the Tree Towers. This is where they stick a tree into the soft wet ground upside down with the roots exposed. They only use trees that have died and fallen. They then cover the roots with a fish net, a layer of moss, a layer of dirt and then flowers are planted. It really is quite unique.
Most of South East Alaska is in a temperate rain forest as they get an average annual rainfall of 100 inches and have had up to 200 inches of rain in one year. Juneau is in the Tongass National Forest and at 17 million acres is the largest national forest in the US.
The forest is home to about 75,000 people who are dependent on the land for their livelihoods. Several Alaska Native tribes live throughout Southeast Alaska, such as the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. 31 communities are located within the forest; the largest is Juneau, the state capital, with a population of 31,000. The forest is named for the Tongass group of the Tlingit people, who inhabited the southernmost areas of the Alaska panhandle near what is now Ketchikan.
After leaving Glacier Gardens we headed to the Ferry Dock to make sure our tickets were in order for the next portion of our trip. It was on the way to the end of the road which is where we heading next. Why, because it was there.
It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon when we did not have much energy. We stopped and took some pictures and just let the afternoon slip away.
We did reach a milestone during our afternoon drive. The odometer for the trip hit 10,000 miles. Our final number, based on the planned itinery should be around 16,000 miles by the time we get back to Dallas.
IF IT’S A SIGN - SHOOT IT
This one is the best.
It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon when we did not have much energy. We stopped and took some pictures and just let the afternoon slip away.
We did reach a milestone during our afternoon drive. The odometer for the trip hit 10,000 miles. Our final number, based on the planned itinery should be around 16,000 miles by the time we get back to Dallas.
We also discovered one of Alaska’s favorite hobbies. These people are very sneaky and not seen very often. I think it might be an after the bar closes hobby. The hobby is:
IF IT’S A SIGN - SHOOT IT
This one is the best.
This hobby is not just enjoyed here but all through Alaska. The majority of road signs have bullet holes in them. Some with just a single bullet hole and some you have a hard time reading because it has been so shot up. Not quite sure where the enjoyment comes from.
We finished the drive and headed back to the camper for a late supper and called it a night.
Tomorrow we are going to pan for gold. If this is the last blog it will because we found gold and struck it rich.
We finished the drive and headed back to the camper for a late supper and called it a night.
Tomorrow we are going to pan for gold. If this is the last blog it will because we found gold and struck it rich.
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