Ice Skating, Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2701

Until this day, I had never seen the ice on the Mendenhall Lake so smooth that it would reflect the glacier so clearly. What happened is that a very heavy January rain of about 10 inches fell in two days and washed all of the snow away. After the snow was melted the water just pooled up on the lake ice. As soon as it stopped raining, it turned cold (really cold) and clear almost overnight, setting up this amazing clear and reflective ice. I was out photographing this scene when my friend, Deb, showed up unannounced and skated through my photo before coming over to say hello. Was I ever lucky! The old adage applies the harder I work the luckier I get. Once again, I will be leading a small boat photo cruise in Glacier Bay National Park next year with Dolphin Charters (www.dolphincharters.com), July 6-12, 2011. Come join me for a week-long cruise in the bay exploring Alaska. This photo illustrates the month of December in my Juneau Alaska 2011 calendar. Enjoy the photo and thanks for visiting. Camera body: Nikon D700, Lens: Nikkor 21-35mm, ISO 200, polarized© Mark Kelley