Juneau

Like every other town in Alaska, Juneau is small and cute.

Our first stop was Glacier Gardens. The owner, Steve, had to get a special permit in order to build a road through the Tongass Forest because it is the second largest rainforest in the world (the first being the Amazon). He bought a really expensive bulldozer for the job. After promptly breaking the thing on a big rock, he cursed, grabbed a tree trunk, and shoved it into the muddy ground, root side up. That gave him the idea for the upside down tree that is now the trademark of the botanical gardens. Every year, he plants new hanging flowers on the tops (or is that the bottoms) of the trees.

The gardens contain a small stream and several serene pools of water.