Finally, a nice day...

One of my main goals while in Oregon is to ride my bike as much as possible. It has been a little difficult though due to the rainy NW weather. I think there have been two or three "nice" days since I've been home. And when I say nice, I mean not raining. It was a good ride although my hands got a little cold.

A Frozen Lake

It was so cold when Sarah came to visit that Mendenhall Lake froze over the ice was strong enough we could walk on it. My friend Brian took us ice skating although we ended up using our shoes the majority of the time on the ice. Here Sarah and I are standing on a piece of the glacier that had been floating in the lake prior to it freezing. I guess it is still floating? Just in ice.

It took about 25 minutes to walk from the shore all the way to the glacier, but it was so beautiful and awesome to be close to it once again, but at a different angle, ON the lake!

Just another peice of the glacier.

Yes, I admit to being a little nervous while walking on the lake. Brian had to reassure me a few times that it was safe. :) All I could think of was those 911 calls you hear about or see on TV about a dog or person who has broken through the ice. But we were perfectly safe!

A beautiful ending to the day.

A trip to Whitehorse

While Sarah was here, we took a little trip to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. A four hour ferry ride to Skagway, Alaska and then a few hour drive to Whitehorse. The temperature was in the negatives while we were there, Sarah's soda was too warm in the car, so this was an easy solution. Out the window, the cold air froze it very quickly.

Here is downtown Whitehorse. Smaller than Juneau, although I felt much more free, being able to drive anywhere!!

After spending the night in a hostel for $25/night we headed back to Juneau via the Haines Highway. We had great weather the whole drive and saw some beautiful mountains.

Sarah's trip to Juneau

Sarah arrived on an amazing day in Juneau. Blue skies and sun! It was a little cold though. And after three nights below freezing there was quite a bit of frost on everything. Especially because the sun doesn't hit everything AND it isn't warming up above freezing! Sure makes for some beautiful ice crystals though.



Sarah and I had to hike to the glacier because that has been a highlight of my time here. And the day was perfect for it. Here we are, in front of Mendenhall Glacier.



Sarah, about to go into an ice cave!



Ahh, the blue always amazes me. Although I think it is more blue when the sky is cloudy...oh well.



Just one more picture of the glacier...I promise. Now we're in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and it is even colder, more pictures to come...

The search for a tree...

Almost being Christmas time, it was definitely time to get a tree. And since I'm leaving for my home away from home in another week and a half, I went to pick out a tree for my friends, Erin and Rachel's house. Here is the tree we liked best, with Erin and Tim (one of Erin's co-workers).



We went out to "the end of the road" to get our tree. Many of the people I've gotten to know out here work/volunteer or go to Echo Ranch Bible Camp in the summers. This is where we headed to get the tree. It was a beautiful day in the Juneau area, we couldn't have asked for better. The mountain in the background is called Lion's Head.



Erin, Tim and I looking directly into the sun. Always makes for a squinty picture.

Just how many eagle pictures do you want to see??

Rachel and I tried really hard to capture as many eagles in one picture as we could. It wasn't that difficult. There were hundreds, last year the count was 3500 eagles. Don't ask me how they managed to count though.






Not really sure why this eagle decided to climp up the bank right in front of us, but it was fun to get close.
Here's a random shot of Rachel and I in front of some more, yes, more beautiful mountains.




Going in for a landing!



Three eagles all fighting over a fish. Silly huh?



Here is a juvenile eagle flying by. This one is probably about 3 or 4 years old and will soon gain his white head and tail by age 5.





Here is my attempt to see the Northern Lights. It was very low probability that night, but we stayed out late just in case. The stars were extra pretty and bright. The picture captured something in the horizon. Not sure if it was the Northern Lights or not, but maybe because there isn't a city that direction to light up the sky like that. I did get the big dipper in the shot though!

A Ferry Ride to Haines, AK

Last Wednesday, Rachel and I took a trip to Haines. It is a four hour ferry ride, and I think about 70 miles north of Juneau. The reason behind our trip? Eagles of course.



We left on a gorgeous day, and as we rode further from Juneau the sun was shining on the mountains in a very glorious fashion.




Eldred Rock Lighthouse in the Lynn Canal.



And this is the first view of Haines, Alaska. Population 1800. Quite an attractive town, in an especially beautiful location.

The snow is coming!

There are only so many pictures I can take of glaciers, eagles and other animals, right? No, not really. Especially since I keep taking more. Today was a nice day for Juneau, a few random rain showers, a hint of the sun, and even blue sky peaking through the clouds every once in a while. Went out to Mendenhall Glacier and took a walk.





The tide here in Juneau is quite drastic and I was able to walk along the lake on sandy shores that are otherwise covered with water. It was great because I was able to get even closer to the glacier and a waterfall that is right nearby.



Be ready for more pictures of eagles too, because this week I'm heading to Haines for the Eagle Festival. :) I'll aim for that winning shot and I'll probably end up with 100 plus pictures of these magnificent birds. True natives from Juneau don't quite have the same attitude as I do. They call the eagles the "Alaskan Vultures". Not very grand is it?

Alaskan Wildlife

To give everyone a little idea of what I mean when I go bear viewing, I put this picture on. There is a really nice boardwalk, above ground where one can go to watch the bears when they are in the area. There are tons of Coho Salmon in the creek right now so it is prime bear and eagle watching. Anyway, this picture was a few weeks ago I went to see the bears and they were walking around right under the boardwalk. We all crept silently after them in hopes of "the perfect picture". I was a little concerned for the guy at the far end of the picture. I'm not sure I would have stood there. :) But the momma bear didn't seem too concerned.



The third viewing for me of this bear family was great! The bears actually came close enough to the boardwalk or viewing platforms so we could see them. This is a cute little cub. Looks hugable huh?



Two days ago, no bears in view, but I did find this little porcupine to watch for a few minutes. He didn't seem concerned that I was close and was just having some dinner.



Last, but not least, went whale watching yesterday. I had a patient tell me about a section of the road about 30 miles from Juneau where whales are continuing to hang out and eat their hearts out. And going out that far paid off because a whole pod was surfacing every 10-15 minutes for air. No fantastic jumps, but some alright tail shots. Graceful animals. Even from the distance we were viewing them, they are truly magnificant.

Thunder Mountain

Finally a beautiful day that I could actually enjoy!! The sun was shining today and I wasn't at work. The last three weeks we've had at least two days of sun per week and I've worked all of them. So, I called my friend Rachel to climb a mountain that I've wanted to do ever since I've got here.
It was so awesome at the top. After climbing 2700 feet up in 3 miles, I was very satisfied with the view.



This is a cool bird. It totally blends in with the ground. I admit I don't know what kind of bird it is, there were about 5 or 6 hanging out on top of the mountain with us.



This hike is a good one because there is an awesome view of Mendenhall Glacier and lake with the icefields behind. It was so cool. I can't even describe the views from the top.



Then to finish this wonderful day we went to the information center at the glacier to look for bears on this walkway they have specifically designed for bear viewing.
And as you can see in these pictures we got to see some. Two babies were up in the tree because there was another strange bear in the area. Then the mother bear charges and starts chasing this strange bear away.
Let me tell you, I'm amazed at the speed of bears. WOW. They can run! Anyway after the mother bear chased the other one away she came back and calmly got a drink of water right under the boardwalk we were on. Awesome!



I'll definitely be back to watch the bears some more!

The Hike to Mendenhall Glacier

Last week, some new friends Rachel and Erin and I decided to hike to Mendenhall Glacier. It is only a few miles and climbing over some steep rocks to get right up next to the glacier. It was pretty amazing! It was a new experience to be this close to a glacier.



Here I am in a glacier cave. I admit to being a little nervous going under ice the size of a large building and stretching up the mountain side as far as the eye could see. But, with the encouragement of Rachel I did and am very glad for it. Just check out the beatiful color!



A small river was rushing under the glacier and probably formed this cave which I was standing under when I took this picture. Pretty awesome!



Here are my two great hiking buddies, Erin and Rachel heading back to the car. I have to go visit the glacier again soon because some big pieces broke off and are floating on the lake. Hopefully then I'll post more pictures of it.

My float plane adventure

So out of the 10 or so days I've been in Juneau, two of those days have been nice. Where I could actually see blue sky and the sun! Last Tuesday I went up in a float plane for a nice 45 minute ride over glaciers and icefields.
The picture above shows Juneau from the air, looking south down the Gastineau Channel. Where the cruise ship is, the white spot in the middle of the picture is where downtown Juneau is.


This picture looks back to Mendenhall Glacier and valley which is where I live. It is about 6 miles from downtown.


The views were superb, and I couldn't have picked a better day to fly! Now I just need to learn to fly a plane myself so I don't have to pay the tourist fee for a 45 minute flight!


And as Juneau is not an island but one cannot drive to it, the pictures here show why. The icefields and mountains prevent any possible road access.


I'm glad for any sun I get even if it is only those two days!