Alaska - The Last Frontier

My Aunt Char and I decided to visit Juneau, Alaska in early May to see my folks, my brother Dave, and sister-in-law Karen. It had been almost five years since we were all together in Alaska (see Bears and Unbirthdays and Eagle River and the Crab Feed) and just over three and a half years since some of us were together in the San Francisco Bay Area (see Thanksgiving Fun and Filoli at Christmas). Two and a half of those years were spent in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. With encouragement from Dave, Aunt Char and I made our plans to travel and booked our flights.

Neither of us had been on a plane for several years, so our travel skills were a little rusty. Plus, we'd heard so many harrowing tales of fights breaking out on planes over masking, crowded seating, and frequently-cancelled flights, so weren't sure what to expect. My husband dropped us off at the Oakland International Airport and we started our journey. Our flights turned out to be uneventful, and my brother and sister-in-law met us at the airport. They helped us with a car swap and quick "hello" at my folks place, and then we checked into our Extended Stay America hotel (within walking distance of the Juneau International Airport) and settled in.

Alaska Airlines - ready to fly

Our first outing was to Mendenhall Glacier about 12 miles "out the road" with Dave and Karen. The glacier has been receding for the last 70 years since our family arrived in Juneau, and the vegetation growing up during that time. It's been a wonderful lesson in natural history and plant succession, and always interesting to look for changes each visit. Cruise ships were scheduled to start arriving the next day, so the Visitor Center was closed and we had the glacier to ourselves. We walked out to the Scenic Overlook to snap some pictures and enjoy the beauty under overcast skies. We finished the day at my folk's place with a home cooked pot roast (one of Mom's delicious specialties); French vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup, a splash of brandy, or both; and great conversation.

Walking the serpentine path to the Scenic Overlook

Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls

Taking pictures like a pro

Selfie at the Scenic Overlook

Visitor Center at Mendenhall Glacier

The next day Aunt Char and I headed to Overstreet Park to see the Tahku whale sculpture and walk on the Seawalk along Juneau's Waterfront. We caught the tail end of a celebration for the 30 new totem poles that are being installed along the Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail) leading to downtown Juneau. The sun came out, the mood was festive, and the totem poles were stunning. Some had motifs that I didn't recognize, which made me curious about their origins (perhaps from a different part of Alaska, or modern designs mixed with traditional). We could see three cruise ships down channel, including one arriving, and another leaving. We all regrouped at my folk's place for dinner, conversation, and a look at Ancestery.com (along with a bowl of French vanilla ice cream and toppings). Back at the hotel, Aunt Char and I reflected on the day and read our novels.

Tahku appears to leap out of the channel

Festive crowd at Overstreet Park

Haida Raven Pole
(Carver: TJ Young, Haida Master Artist, Hydaburg)

Tsimshian Pole
(Carver: David R. Boxley, Tsimshian Master Artist, Metlakatla)

Ishkahittaan Pole - detail of a frog
(Carver: Jon Rowan, Tlingit Master Artist, Klawock)

Lots of cruise ship activity in Juneau, Alaska (I count three)

On another day, Aunt Char and I did a few errands and then headed for town to visit my brother and sister-in-law. They've been enjoying afternoons around the fire pit, so we were glad to get in on that. We visited with son Richard and his dog Rex, swapped stories and memories, and watched for wildlife (a raven came around hoping for a handout). Back at my folk's house we enjoyed delicious takeout from Canton Asian Bistro, ice cream with toppings, conversation, and then watched a couple of episodes of Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators. At the hotel, Aunt Char and I finished the day companionably reading our novels.

Fireside reflection

A hopeful visitor

On our last day in Juneau, my Dad recommended we drive up to Eagle Crest, the local ski resort on Douglas Island. After a few errands, Aunt Char and I drove out Douglas Island to see the grand sweeping views of the Chilkat Mountains. On our way back we drove up to Eagle Crest, enjoying the tail end of the snow season. The resort was closed for the day but we could still see the two main ski lifts and the paths down the mountain. We picked up Mexican food from Mar y Sol in downtown Juneau, and regrouped at my folks' place for a delicious dinner, margaritas, ice cream and toppings, and conversation on our last evening together. Back at the hotel, Aunt Char and I packed up in preparation for an early morning departure (but still found time to read our novels)!

View of the Chilkats from Douglas Island

Kayaks

Selfie on Douglas Island (Mendenhall Glacier in the distance on the right)

Eagle Crest Ski Resort on Douglas Island

Still some snow on the mountains

Family fun and fabulous Mexican food from Mar y Sol

Aunt Char and I made our early morning flight with no problems. We simply walked across the street to the airport (I've never done that before), checked in, and then ate breakfast at Tailwind Concession (avocado toast for Aunt Char and a breakfast sandwich for me). We enjoyed our flights and brief stops at the Seattle and Portland airports, and then seeing my husband at the Oakland International Airport when we arrived. It was difficult to say goodbye to my family and beautiful Juneau, Alaska, but it was so good to be together after such a long separation. I have so many wonderful memories of our reunion and look forward to the next one!

The house that Mom and Dad built

View from the yard (notice the island flower bed to the right of the stairs)

Skunk cabbage poking up through the ground

Fiddleheads on Mom's favorite stump

The woods in the side yard

The trip boosted our confidence and desire to travel further afield again. Aunt Char booked another trip as soon as we returned home, this time to Phoenix, Arizona to see family!

Bears and Unbirthdays

Mendenhall Glacier is a favorite place for tourists and locals to enjoy the beauty of nature and to search for bears. The glacier is located about 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska, and easily accessible by bus or car. Mendenhall is located in the Tongass National Forest, and fed by the Juneau icefield. Like many glaciers around the world, it is currently receding.

Mendenhall Glacier

This time of year bears feast on spawning salmon in the rivers and creeks, in preparation for winter hibernation. The Mendenhall Glacier area is crisscrossed with streams, so is a favorite feeding ground when the salmon are spawning. During our visit to Juneau, we made several trips out to Mendenhall Glacier to hike around and search for bears.

View from Nugget Falls Trail includes the glacier and the falls

Hike to Nugget Falls

We hiked out to Nugget Falls to get better views of the glacier, and enjoy the gush of water that pours off the mountain. It has been interesting for our family to watch this area change over the last 60 years, with the glacier receding, the land pushing up, and the succession of plants and trees that have taken the area from bare gravel to dense vegetation. Ironically we hikers didn't see any bears, but my husband, who stayed near the Visitor Center, saw a sow and three cubs.

Happy grandpa

Family portrait

We celebrated the unbirthday at Canton Asian Bistro, a family favorite that serves delicious food in a lovely ambience. We got a chance to catch up on each other's lives, while subversively honoring our nonagenarian!

Unbirthday dinner

Catching up on the news

Sisters

Afterward we headed out to the glacier to search for bears. They often congregate along the creeks at dusk, typically after 8:00 PM this time of year. A series of protected, elevated walkways and observation decks in the Steep Creek area make it possible for people to observe bears, and bears to eat undisturbed.

Searching for bears at Steep Creek

Motley crew at Steep Creek

With few fish in the streams yet, we didn't see any bears, but we did find a beaver dam and spent some time observing a pair of beavers on their pond. One was transporting a small branch with leaves, another slapped the pond with its tail (possibly signalling the potential danger of our presence).

Alaskan women can enjoy a fine meal and then take a hike!

Beaver dam and small pond

Later, we convened at my folk's house for delicious cake and ice cream, gifts and cards, and conversation. It was the perfect end to a great uncelebration (even without bears)!

Ready for cake and ice cream

T-people

We played tourist during our stay in Juneau, Alaska, visiting many favorite places from childhood. Even our son has favorite places from his childhood—flying to Alaska alone to spend a couple of weeks with Grandma and Grandpa over summer vacation. We wanted to share these places with our beautiful daughter-in-law, and experience them anew with our extended family. Being summer, this meant mingling with lots of tourists, or T-people, as we call them. Sometimes it is beneficial to revisit the familiar, with the fresh eyes of a tourist.

Mendenhall Glacier, about 12 miles "out the road" from downtown Juneau



The Mendenhall Glacier is a favorite place to visit. The glacier has been receding over the last 200 years, and our family has had the opportunity to watch the process for the last 60. We have seen the area develop from bare gravel to forest through succession, paradoxically both a slow and fast process. The Visitor Center now seems impossibly far from the glacier, but the trails and overlooks provide new places to view the glacier. The lakes, plants, and wild life in the area provide additional interest.

Multi-generation motley crew

We visited the dock out at Auke Bay, and strolled through the marina. I remember when it was a much smaller wooden dock. We launched our boat from here many times in our youth, and explored the many beaches, sloughs, and coves along the rugged coast. More recently, we have taken whale watching cruises in this area, and viewed these magnificent creatures up close.

Modern steel dock at the Auke Bay marina

 

Downtown Juneau is also a favorite place, especially between cruise ships (which is rare in the summer). With several cruise ships in town at once, the population can swell by 10,000 people. Visitors are always welcome, but do pose a logistical challenge for the tiny state capitol!

View from the Alaska State Library while waiting out the rain



Shops and tram in downtown Juneau

 

Rain adds to the challenge, but Juneau boasts many eateries, candy factories, and coffee shops that can provide shelter during a downpour, as well as the museum, library, gift shops, and art galleries.

Quiet coffee break from shopping

 

 

Mother Trees

Below is a link to an interesting book about mother trees, based on work done by Dr. Suzanne Simard, a professor with the University of British Columbia Faculty of Forestry, shared by an Eden By the Bay reader. Dr. Simard researches and lectures on mycorrhizae and mycorrhizal networks, related to tree migration and climate change. She and her students have made discoveries about the networks of mycorrhizal fungal mycelium, which connect tree roots and enable resource sharing in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests in British Columbia.

The research asks the question “Do trees communicate?” Using isotopic labeling, two of her students have mapped the interconnections of the plant community through mycorrhizal networks. The research describes the role of “Mother Trees”, where an older tree acts as a hub with other trees in the plant community through mycorrhizal networks. Carbon, nitrogen, and water are transferred from healthy, old trees to seedlings and other trees in the network, improving their chances for survival. Mycorrhizal networks may help forests adapt to climate change, and help with forest succession after disturbances such as fire, insect infestation, or logging. 

To learn more about Dr. Simard and her research, see: Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.

Succession

In Designing California Native Gardens, Alrie Middlebrook describes her use of succession (moving through a series of simple-to-complex planting stages, culminating in a final stage) in her garden designs. For slower growing shrubs and trees, she recommends planting them with ample spacing, so they can grow to their mature size without overcrowding, and filling in with shorter-lived grasses, bushes and flowers. She gives the example of establishing an oak woodland garden in a hot area of a yard. While the oaks were getting started, she planted chaparral species that could tolerate the heat, and then started to introduce oak woodland understory plants as the oaks became established and their watering needs changed.

I saw succession at work while growing up in Southeast Alaska. A marker at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center indicates the location from which the glacier had receded only a hundred years before. The glacier left behind barren, ground bedrock; over time moisture- and air-borne soil particles began to accumulate. Early plant species—such as fireweed, grasses, and alders—moved in. Alders can live in poor soil, and fix nitrogen, so they contribute to building the soil. Over time, spruce trees replaced alders – shading them out. A new understory of shade-tolerant plants emerged, such as fern, horse tails, moss, devil’s club, and Indian rhubarb. During this process, organic material accumulates and decomposes, further enriching and developing the soil.

Succession at work - this peninsula at Mendenhall Glacier used
to be barren rock just several decades ago.

The key ideas for using succession in the home garden are: (1) enrich the soil naturally, and (2) design an attractive short-term garden that allows slow growing trees and shrubs the space and time they need to get established.

Designing Gardens with California Natives

This is a great reference for designing beautiful, ecological gardens, using a plant community approach. The book focuses on California native plant communities (plants that grow together because of similar adaptations), including bluffs and cliffs, redwood forest, desert gardens, montane meadows, mixed evergreen forest, oak woodlands, grasslands, chaparral, riparian woodlands, and wetlands. The authors are Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook; the publisher is University of California Press.

For each garden design, the authors provide a unique representation of the garden plan, practical project information, descriptions of plants and the plant community, and information about places to visit to see the plant community in nature. The resource section provides a comprehensive list of native plant sources, books, botanical gardens and arboreta, public gardens, websites, and a seasonal calendar for managing native gardens.

Glenn Keator is a botanist, author, and lecturer with extensive knowledge of California native plants. I’ve had the pleasure of taking his Mediterranean plant ID class at Merritt College. Alrie Middlebrook founded Middlebrook Gardens in San Jose, which specializes in designing California native gardens, and is also an author and lecturer. I was intrigued by her use of succession (moving through a series of simple-to-complex planting stages, culminating in a final stage) in her garden designs.