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Rainy Day at Mendenhall Glacier

Airship Goes to Alaska

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Yesterday we decided to rent a car so we could do a little sightseeing and shopping, and so that we'd have a convenient way to take Christy and Mijonet to the airport on Monday. It was a rainy day, so we suited up and walked downtown to get the car. The cheapest car was a Toyota 4 Runner, 24 hours, 125 bucks, pick up and drop off at the Goldbelt Hotel, but subtract from that the $30 cab fare to the airport, and the $20/pp shuttle to the glacier…it wasn't a bad deal and gave us a lot of freedom. We headed out to Mendenhall Glacier (with a lunch stop for fish & chips at the Sandbar & Grill). Again, the fish & chips were fantastic! This place is definitely not a tourist stop. The ambiance leaves a LOT to be desired, especially in the diner part…the bar part is pretty much what you'd expect…but the Alaskan halibut fish & chips is KILLER).

We got out to Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center and started with the exhibits and the (very well done) movie in the theater, and then headed out to hike to Nugget Falls. The 7-year old got to stop at the Forest Ranger kids tent and play a game that matched footprints and animal poop with a picture of the animal (called "Track and Scat") which of course created some intense giggling. (Poop!!!!)

Loving the trails (and puddles):

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After the falls and the hike back, we did a little exploring and checked out Auke Bay a bit. It's the marina further from town (on the other side of the Mendenhall Bar, closer to the airport and some of the larger shopping areas.) Looks like it would be a nice marina to stay at for a few days, but the recent reviews don't sound so great, so we may skip it.

We got back to Airship and shelled the rest of our cooked crab, and then I made crab cakes for dinner. This version of them was the best so far:

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lump Crab Meat 
Panko bread crumbs
1 Egg, beaten
2 tbsp. Mayo
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro or scallions (this time I had scallions)
2 tsp. lemon juice

I also threw in some cumin, turmeric, and a little chipotle. This was an afterthought (and a substitution for the Old Bay in the original recipe, but is really what MADE the whole recipe).

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except the crab meat in a bowl. Gently fold in crab meat and chill for one hour before forming into three ounce cakes.

Saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side. (I baked mine at about 375 on a cookie sheet, covered in foil, with a generous smearing of coconut oil on the foil. I just watched them, and turned them when they started smelling good…next time I'll time it.)

Our second round of boat guests leave today at 2pm, so we'll probably head downtown and check out a few shops, and the Sealaska Heritage Center. 

This week will be a pretty solid work week in Juneau. We'll try to fit in some fun things here and there, of course.

4 Comments

  1. Sam Landsman Sam Landsman

    If you build a boat check out Tank Tender for tank monitoring. They’re very simply and incredibly accurate once you create a table that correlates inches of fluid to gallons. No electronics.

    After last summer in Alaska and this summer in Haida Gwaii I ordered a water maker a couple weeks ago. Showers every day (once I get it installed)!

    • Will do!
      What watermaker did you order? That’s something on our list as well. Would love to know what you got and how the installation goes…we’d consider it for this boat, even. 🙂

      • Sam Landsman Sam Landsman

        I got a Katadyn 160…12V (runs when engine is running) and super simple. Just a power switch, a high pressure pump, a couple filters, a membrane, and a few valves. No computers or fancy electronics. It’ll make about 6.5 gallons per hour when underway or running the genset. I tend to run 6-10 hours per day, so I should be able to get at least 32 gallons a day accounting for the wasted water at startup.

        The Spectra Catalina 150 was tempting. All automatic, computerized, etc. More expensive (I got a deal on the Katadyn) and much more to go wrong. My main and generator are mechanical and I love the simplicity, so I figured I’d carry that over to the water maker.

        After this summer I’m less inclined to switch boats soon, so I figure I’ll do some work on this one over the winter…

  2. Sam Landsman Sam Landsman

    I got a Katadyn 160…12V (runs when engine is running) and super simple. Just a power switch, a high pressure pump, a couple filters, a membrane, and a few valves. No computers or fancy electronics. It’ll make about 6.5 gallons per hour when underway or running the genset. I tend to run 6-10 hours per day, so I should be able to get at least 32 gallons a day accounting for the wasted water at startup.

    The Spectra Catalina 150 was tempting. All automatic, computerized, etc. More expensive (I got a deal on the Katadyn) and much more to go wrong. My main and generator are mechanical and I love the simplicity, so I figured I’d carry that over to the water maker.

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