Feels like Spring

Had a nice weekend walk at the airport dike on Saturday. Last night we walked here there was several inches of snow covered with a thick layer of ice. It was precarious walking, for sure. On this day, it was really blowing at our house but it was pleasant once you got out of the Taku wind path. It really felt like spring out!


I tried to get this eagle to perch on my finger. I guess I'm lucky that he/she didn't want to!


This is a favorite spot for eagles to perch - a great view of the wetlands for good things to eat.



And in case you always wondered what an eagle butt looked like:

April Sun

It has been particularly spectacular here in Juneau these last few days. Its supposed to get up to 67 today and the sky is blue and the sun is huge.

The snow is evaporating quickly, the streets are getting swept and the winter gravel is being picked up. Everywhere you see fresh shoots of grass, skunk cabbage, crocus and other bulb flowers and the pussywillows are emerging big and fluffy.



Over at Sandy Beach you'll see typical beach activities. Kids in swimsuits playing in the water, sand volleyball, folding chairs and beach towels laid out, sand croquet, and other fun stuff.


And the spring migration of birds is in full swing. These are surf scooters with their bright orange beak and white patch on the back of their head.

Summer Weather Predictions

A mention in Dermot Cole's editorial in the Daily News Miner caused me to investigate further into what the summer weather predictions are looking like. I went straight to the NOAA Weather Service site to get the scoop. Many of us were disappointed in the cooler than normal temperatures and it looks like we might have a similar summer, in fact, it might even be a little wetter in the interior. What is most concerning is when you look at the national map of the drought outlook. Many parts of the country will continue to have or will have intensified drought conditions. Too bad you just can''t ship that rainfall down south.

Weather from the North, Again!

I had a nice little walk on Sandy Beach this afternoon in the SUNSHINE! And the beach was full of dogs - they were everywhere and everyone looked like they were having a good time. There were no harsh words, a lot of butt sniffing, and barks of joy to be out in the sun with the sand in between toes.


I'm not sure what the name of these mountains are but I call them "Three Sisters"


and this is the house (blue with dark gray basement) we are renting from the Doulas Harbor side looking towards town.

We had a nice sunny walk today at the airport dike. The temperature has dropped a little so we're seeing ice crystals forming on top of the snow that we had earlier in the week. I think it snowed about 6 inches in a couple of days and then it warmed up a little, and then it dropped again. It feels pretty good with the solar heat touching us but its only in the mid-20s.

Can you pick out any animals in the snow crystals? I think I see a cupid…


Happy Valentines Day!

More Mendenhall Glacier

New Year's Day was another blue-sky day for Juneau and the temps were hovering around the single digits. It doesn't get this cold here very often and days like this remind me so much of typical winter days in the interior. We decided to head out towards the Mendenhall Glacier to see what the waterfall looked like and to take a walk out on the lake towards the head of the glacier. The waterfall was pretty much frozen over except for two or three spots where you could still see flowing water. We didn't get very close but I bet you could see the flowing water underneath the frozen top layer. It would have been cool (!) and probably risky to see.

It felt like we were on a pilgrimage to pay tribute to the mighty ice. As we headed towards the face of the glacier, there were two pathways, most likely set for x-country skiing, that had been packed down by skiers, snowshoers, and walkers. There was a constant line of people walking out and back towards the glacier. I almost felt like we should be chanting or something. I settled for a "Happy New Year!" or "Great Day!" as we passed other worshippers.



I don't know if you remember but I took a couple of pictures on a previous visit and posted them that showed ice skaters right up close to the face. At that time I didn't think that I would ever venture on foot to the same spot as they were. But we did - we got up as close as we could.


And yes, it was windy cold and my face was frozen! As we approached we started hearing all the popping you would normally hear on the ice - movement of water, the glacier advancing, sunlight hitting the long-frozen ice chucks. We didn't dawdle for too long and felt much more comfortable about 100 feet farther away.

The walk away from the glacier had the wind to our backs and the sunshine on our faces and I was actually hot when we got back across the lake.

I don't expect to ever get this close again - certainly would not do it in a kayak!

10-days of straight sun!

I know, you are probably getting tired of seeing blue sky and snow but I'm not! And since there is only about seven ± hours of daylight, its nice that its so bright out.

Since we're on Douglas Island, the sun comes up down the channel and then moves around behind us. When the sun is this low we don't get a lot of direct light - but you can sure see it on the mountains across the channel. We live in a very convenient spot but its also nice to have more direct sunlight too - we're still looking for the place that has both!



And this is from Sunday - what to do when its 15 and the wind has come through and blown off the snow on the lakes - go skating!



Twin Lakes between the Egan Highway and Glacier Highway.

Winter Scenes from Auke Rec Area

There are several places we go when the sun is out to take full advantage of the clear skies and radiant heat from the sun. One of those places is Auke Rec Area. Its a lovely rocky/sandy beach which faces mostly south. If the wind gets really wicked, there's a pathway through the trees you can take. Mostly we walk on the beach, looking for interesting shells, pieces of sea glass, starfish and other marine life.

Here a small stream flows towards the waters edge, ice sickles forming on the leaves of a long ago expired plant.

Icy fingers reaching for the warmth of the cool unfrozen water.

Thanks again, North Wind

We been having strong north winds for the last 4 days which always brings blue skies to Juneau.

Raven's playing in the wind - they were like 2-year olds - they wouldn't stay still!



You know its sunny when you can capture a shadow of wildflowers!



I just had to stop at the spot on Douglas where they take the cruise ship passengers to take pictures of their ships with Juneau in the background. Usually the ships cover up the city because they are so big!

Taking advantage of the Sunshine

When the sun is out and you don't want to drive a long way for a walk the best place to go is the Airport Dike. Its a relatively short trail and there almost always someone else here and on a sunny day it can be packed. But its a great way to soak up some of the eliusive rays.

Depending on the tide you can venture out into the flats and walk towards the channel so there are places to go where there aren't too many people. We don't mind the dike trail on a sunny day. You always see interesting dogs and often you run into someone you know or recognize.

There a covered bench at a little past mid-way and then an upper and lower trail that continues on to the end of the runway. Its a great place to look back towards town and see Mt Juneau.



And heading back towards the car you can see Mt McGinnis and the Mendenhall Glacier on the right. This is the Mendenhall River that flows into the channel.

Five Ships at Once

Today was a busy day downtown. At one point when I looked out there were five huge cruise ships either tied up or anchored out in the channel.


This information was taken from the Juneau Empire from Wednesday:

DATE	SHIP	ARRIVE	DEPART	CAPACITY
• Wed, May 28	Norwegian Sun	07:00	13:15	2,970
	Sapphire Princess	06:30	16:00	3,840
	Star Princess	13:30	22:00	3,700
	Westerdam	07:00	20:00	2,716
	Zaandam	07:00	22:30	2,039
DAILY CAPACITY				15265
• Thu, May 29	Coral Princess	08:00	21:00	2,880
	Mercury	08:00	18:00	2,795
	Serenade of the Seas	07:00	15:00	3,360
	Spirit of Ô99	08:45	18:00	122
	Volendam	08:00	18:00	2,020
DAILY CAPACITY				11177

It looks like the Norweign Sun and The Star Princess switch spots on the dock but the Princess was a little early coming in and the Sun was a little late getting out so it caused a traffic jam downtown!

But its been gorgeous out so the tourists must be loving it!