...and more adventures!

The weather has been pretty rainy here this week. Just this evening we are able to see the Chilkats across the bay. I know, we have it pretty rough out here!

Our Tracy Arm trip on Thursday didn't exactly work out. Instead of heading there, we ended up at Endicott Arm. The icebergs from the glacier at Tracy were too thick for the boat so for safety's sake we headed further out. Along the way we saw more humpback whales. Joel even saw one breach; I turned around just in time to hear the ohh's and ahh's and see the splash. Once in the fjords, we saw seals and pups, and the Dawes Glacier was calving new icebergs. Who knew that the birth of an iceberg was called calving? In the slideshow you can see what looks like an icefall coming off the glacier; that's the calving.

Yesterday we had a fabulous going away party hosted by the folks at Glacier Peds. It was a great night of laughs and good food. Today we started getting ready for our return trip home, and this evening we went for a short walk out to Dredge Lake. We hiked along the Mendenhall River with beautiful views of the Mendenhall Glacier. I love the pictures showing the mountains and trees reflected in Dredge Lake.

At the lake we came across a family of beavers busy working as the day came to a close. At first, we heard a sound like someone throwing large rocks into the water, and then from across the lake, we saw a small dog swimming. The problem was there were no other people at the lake or on the trail so our assumptions didn't make much sense. Without our binoculars, we couldn't really tell what we were seeing, until the "small dog" swam to our side of the lake. And behold, it was a beaver! This guy camped out on a tree that was partially submerged in the lake, and he enjoyed a nice snack on the bark. Every once in awhile, he would dive back into the water, swim around, and slap his tail to let us know who was boss. All along the trail we could see signs of their work.

As we were coming down the stairs to the house, we saw this bald eagle just below our porch near the hot tub. Joel's critter vision is in tip-top shape, as he also spotted a seal just on the shore of our yard.

A half moon is over the bay tonight. The sea is a bit choppy so the reflection scatters the light just enough to make it look like a million fireflies dancing on the water. Oh, how we are going to miss Juneau!

A Short Update

We spent the rest of the weekend hiking. The weather held out for us, but turned rainy yesterday. Hopefully it will hold out, as we have our cruise to Tracy Arm planned for tomorrow.

Today Joel flew to Skagway with another pediatrician. The town does not have a doctor so for the past few weeks flyers were posted all around to announce Joel and Amy's arrival. They saw patients - mostly kiddos and a few adults - all day, and they will be back home tonight.

Our time here in Juneau is slowly coming to a close, but we are going to enjoy every last minute we have. We will be back in Colorado next Tuesday, and we can't wait to get our garden planted for the summer. Much love to everyone back home!

On Top of the World!

We've had several exciting days out here. Mom, Dad, and I hiked around the Mendenhall Glacier. The views are fantastic, and we saw many mountain goats, including a nanny and a kid! The trails do not lead too close to the glacier, but we took a helicopter up to Herbert Glacier. We flew over the mountains and the Mendenhall, and landed on the Herbert. We were able to spend about 30 minutes exploring. Seeing the blue colors in the glacier is difficult to describe, not because of the color but because of where and what it is. (Joel offers this helpful description: the color is the same as a blue raspberry snow cone.) Even though we know what glaciers are made of, we were surprised to see all of the ice (which makes sense because it is a glacier after all). But from a distance, it looks more like soft and fluffy snow banks. After falling on the glacier twice and sliding down once, I can attest that it is all ice. Ouch!

Our fishing trip did not reap any Kings, but it was fun nonetheless. We set out very early on Thursday morning with our Captain and the Popeye. We trolled near the Lynn Canal in an area called the Bread Line. The King season has not been great this year. They estimate 120 rod hours to catch one so it is understandable that our 16 hours (four poles for four hours) didn't yield any results. We were able to meet Amos, our captain's "pet" bald eagle. Amos answers a call given by the captain and swoops down to the water to eat a special snack.

This morning my folks headed back to south Texas. We were certainly blessed with a week full of sunshine, fun, and adventure. Joel and I are worn out from their "go-get-'em" spirit. It was a special time for all four of us!

Adventures on the Sea

My mom and dad arrived safely on Saturday evening, and we have not slowed down! On Sunday, we woke to two humpback whales, a cow and her calf, swimming through the bay in front of our house. While walking Tucker, we saw 5 seals playing in the water. My dad and Joel went for a hike around the beach and saw an otter, star fish, and 15 or so bald eagles fighting over scraps left on the beach. Later in the afternoon our wonderful neighbors took us for a boating trip where we saw more whales, seals, and sea lions. The evening brought 4 harbor porpoises to our front yard. Joel has taken quite well to sea kayaking and is now kayaking alone, which is much more difficult than the doubles we used on Saturday. He even taught my dad how to use the single kayak, and they kayaked in front of the house this evening. After a busy few days, we are all worn out but looking forward to more fun!

Cousin Time!

In a turn of serendipitous events, two south Texas cousins met for a wonderful afternoon in Juneau, Alaska. My cousin Kara and her husband Dan moved to Anchorage a year ago, and she was in Juneau this week for work. We were able to spend a few hours together out at the Auke Bay house and had such a fun time catching up. It's been a long time since our days back at the ranch when we had time for just the two of us to chat, and I miss that so much!

Saturday morning Joel and I woke to a beautiful clear morning and were invited on a sea kayaking adventure with our neighbors, Mary Ellen and Dave. Mary Ellen owns the practice where Joel works, and they have been in Juneau for many years. We launched from their house and kayaked out to a small island in the bay. Along the way, we came across to friendly seals who were playing in the sea. They played hide-and-seek with our kayaks. We landed on the beach and spent about 25 minutes laying in the sun and watching the bald eagles sore overhead. On our return trip, we could see many star fish on the rocks near the beach. After a fast clean up and lunch, we headed to town where we worked together at a vaccination clinic stationed at one of the high schools. I had so much fun being at the clinic with Joel, even though we didn't work right together. My volunteer job was as a recorder for the nurses, and I got to know many of the people he works with everyday. I could see us continuing to do this type of work together no matter where we end up!

This evening my parents are flying in from San Antonio, and they will get to stay the entire week. I think our adventures are just beginning!

Moving Day!

Both Joel and I had today off and we were able to move out to the Auke Bay house. We spent the morning packing up and cleaning up the downtown apartment before heading 11 miles out of town to our new spot. We took Tucker for a walk through the wetlands and had a fabulous Thai dinner. An exciting drive "out the road" brought us our first major critter sightings.

Within 15 minutes or so we saw....

One black bear - With Mario Andretti behind the wheel, we couldn't get a picture. But we did practice a 27-point turn in the middle of the highway.

A porcupine - A few miles down the road, we saw this guy. He was scurrying away by the time we got back to him. The good news is that our turn around time greatly improved!

8 bald eagles - Just above us and following the coastline, we saw a beautiful flock/gaggle/herd (?) of bald eagles.

One black tailed deer - Grazing just alongside the road was this young buck. His antlers are just coming in.

Earlier this week, on his way home from work, Joel ran into Sarah Palin outside of the governor's house, which is a stone's throw from the apartment. In hopes of not attracting attention from the security guard, he slyly held his phone up to his ear to take this picture. Last week, the crew from the Wizard (Deadliest Catch) was in town for a bit, but we didn't get to meet or see them. Although, we've become fans of the show since we've been here. :)

Our time at Chilkat Manor is going to be incredibly special. We just cannot believe we get to wake up to these beautiful views every morning.

A Super Weekend

Happy Mother's Day!

This weekend was filled with adventures, as we were welcomed right into Juneau Appreciation Days! The weather was perfect on Saturday for our zip lining trip on Douglas Island, and we received a discount on our trip up the Mt. Roberts Tram. We spent some time at the nature center and restaurant on top. On Sunday, we hiked up Mt. Roberts. The trail was a bit sloppy in the middle and frozen on top. Both of us slipped into a sink hole all the way up to our waist, but it was all worth it when we made it to the top. The tram took us back down to sea level where we had to stop by the Crab Shack just one more time. The town was hopping today with three cruise ships in port. We didn't realize how sleepy a town this was until this influx of people gave us some perspective. The summer season is now in full swing.

Friday Fun

The weather has been quite interesting the last few days and we are gaining a healthy appreciation for living in a rain forest. When we asked about a good place to find bald eagles, we were told to head to the town dump. Oh. Not quite the grandeur we were looking for so we were pleased to finally see one on the waterfront, although you can't quite tell that's what it is from the picture. The two pictures are of the same eagle and were taken relatively close to the same spot in less than a minute, but you can see how different the weather is in the mountains (lots of fog) compared to the water (blue sky).

Yesterday evening we met the family whose house we'll be taking care of for the second part of our trip. They live on Auke Bay that overlooks the Chilkat Mountains. Their home is amazing! They bought it as an older cabin thirty years ago and have been making it their own ever since. Tucker, their lab, will be our companion for the rest of the month.The house is gorgeous and has one of those views that you see in magazines. Here's a picture looking from their house across the bay. The sun was starting to set (about 8 PM) when this was taken so it is not quite as clear as I hoped, but I will post more pics once we are settled in next week. We look forward to sea kayaking and spending some time on the beach with Tucker.

This will be an adventured-filled weekend, as we celebrate Juneau Appreciation Days with the locals. (Although it is quite possible this is more of a marketing trap for tourists, but we will pretend I didn't just think of that.) We have a coupon for zip lining in the canopy and have planned a hike up Mount Roberts.

It's been a fun trip so far and we have several more weeks to enjoy! I will close this work week with a shot of our neighborhood and of my Alaska "office." Just to my left is a window, where I check for bears and moose on a regular basis. So far I am only kept company by a very talkative crow, but I still have high hopes of seeing some fury friends soon!

Random Happenings

After our first day of working in Alaska, we walked down to Gastineau Channel for dinner. Below is a the view from Juneau across the water to Douglas Island. Even though the forecast widget indicates rain, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon!

A Conversation of Note (at dinner while watching the Rangers and Mariners)
J: I've always thought Mike Young is a pretty good looking guy.
L: (raises eyebrows)
J: I mean, if I was a girl.
L: (questioning look)
L: That's definitely our quote of the day. Can I post that?
J: Sure. I stand by that. Mike Young is good looking. And I think that's because I think he looks like me.

Ordered seafood cannelloni for dinner. Everything was great until I found a six legged critter in the midst of the meal. Things got a bit worse when I realize it (and its friends) were supposed to be there...battered, fried, and baked right in. Not sure what it was, but it looked like an unnatural cross between a mini-octopus and a gangly spider.

Saw a lady in slouch socks today. Does anyone remember slouch socks? I think I was wearing them just about the time I was learning to crimp my hair. Would probably move here just to relive that era! :)

We are having a blast...hope you are well! Happy Monday to all!

A Rainy Day

It rained most of today, but that didn't keep us inside. After waking to sunny morning, the rain quickly moved in so we headed to the mountains. Less than a mile above our apartment is a trail through Gold Creek Canyon. We hiked about 6 miles through the Canyon, which is where the first road built in Juneau is located. The canyon winds its was between Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts. We started up Perseverance Trail and then finished the trail in snow shoes. Neither one of us had ever snowshoed before, but I was a much quicker study than Joel. For some reason he had a difficult time coordinating balance and walking. We still cannot believe the variety of what we see here. On the hike we went through the deciduous rain forest, over several waterfalls, and through snow-packed meadows. Amazing!

Juneau

We arrived safely in Juneau this afternoon! The flight in was spectacular, as we flew over the mountains and coastline. It was the narrow landing field that provided the most excitement! Our place is located downtown in walking distance to the water and many hiking trails. Joel will be able to walk to the clinic and I have a cozy "office" already set up in the apartment. After settling in, we ate lunch on the wharf and strolled the waterfront. Joel insists he spotted a bald eagle, but I am quite convinced it was one of the many crows that squawked all through lunch. Our critters eyes are definitely ready for a bear sighting, which is not uncommon in the hills. It's only 7 PM here, but the amount of light tells us it's only noon. After waking up at 4:30 AM to make our flight and losing a few hours crossing time zones, we are exhausted. Hopefully, we will be re-energized tomorrow, as we have plans for our first Alaskan hike.