Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Snow all day again



Things had iced up this morning, so we had below freezing temperatures. It finally got above freezing about 10 AM and the water started dripping a bit. It snowed all day long. I think we got about 2 inches in total. It seemed about 37 degrees about 1 PM, so it did get warm compared to what we have gotten used to.

The pictures are of Mendenhall Glacier. The lake is frozen over.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Snowed all day again



We had snow all day again. It was about 36 degrees so it was warm in comparison to what we have seen. The water was not freezing! Spring is here!

These pictures are of Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall Glacier. I hiked up on top a bit a while back. Those ice layers in back are estimated to be 250 feet thick. The ice in front are easily 60 feet high. I can hear moaning and groaning and cracks when I go into the glacier.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Snowed all day long!



I am tired of snow. Then I see the clouds and think that could be rain.

Here are more Mendenhall Glacier. I went in a couple of times this past week. It is getting somewhat slushy so the time is winding down for me to cross country into a Glacier. Sure been great while possible though.

Rep Mike Doogan is a scumbag. What he did to The Mudflats and AKMuckracker was uncalled for. I think he lost a lot of votes. By the way, I have decided I will not be back in Juneau next year.

Mike Doogan was wrong!

Mike Doogan, D-Representative, outed AKM Muckracker from The Mudflats blog. I have read The Mudflats daily since I have been in Juneau. The Mudflats has given me the perspective which I needed to make sense of Alaska. I think Mike Doogan was wrong in his anger towards The Mudflats. His going after a blogger to intimidate is totally wrong. I hope he has the courage to apologize, at the very least. His inept attempts to justify what he did cannot be excused.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

42 degrees and sunshine



It actually felt like spring today. We had sunshine and 42 degrees. I went snowboarding and cross country skiing into Mendenhall Glacier. I was hoping to see the wolves now that I know what i am looking for. No wolves today though.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Two Wolves




I went to a lecture about the Exxon-Valdez and how it affected and continues to affect salmon, otters, Orcas and other animals. While waiting, two wolves were pointed out to me. I saw them through a telescope in the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. One was Romeo. They were right by where I ski all the time. I thought they would howl to let me know they are around. Guess not.
We got 3 inches of snow today. I went snowboarding and got pelted with snow/ice and the winds were about 20 MPH. I just made a couple of runs and then went cross country skiing into Mendenhall Glacier.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

shorts time? Exxon-Valdez



38 degrees, winds blowing 40 MPH, rain/snow mix coming at me sideways - that is Juneau weather today. So, I see 5 people in shorts and T-shirts walking through town trying to make it look like spring. We got 2 inches of snow.

I was out at Mendenhall Glacier yesterday and noticed someone put a peace sign in the snow.

Mt Redoubt is erupting. 9 miles from Redoubt are 9 Million gallons of crude in tanks on the Drift River. Redoubt is causing mud flows. The mudflows are going into the River. 9 MILLION GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL are now surrounded by Mud. If the oil should get to the tanks, it would be a worse environmental disaster than the Exxon-Valdez. All personnel have been taken out of the tanker farm for safety. There was another big mud flow today on the Drift River. They have no cameras or remote monitoring
equipment at the tanks.

Ice Cave 3



I cross country skiied out to the ice cave again. Here it is March 25 and the Lake refroze so I could get out there again, so I went. I am thinking, the most unique thing about Juneau is being able to get out to a Glacier - pretty amazing really. I will only be able to do this a few more days or weeks at most. I am also finding new ice caves the more I poke my head into the ice.

My internet was down yesterday. Yesterday, I became the home owner of a house in Nevada too.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Monday, March 23, 2009

Ice Cave - melting



Here are a couple of ice cave pictures. It is starting to warm up a bit and there is definite melting taking place. See the man in the cave? Gives you a bit of perspective.

Mt Redoubt Erupted




Mt. Redoubt erupted last night about 4 times. It sent ash up in the air 50,000 feet. The blasts started about 10:30 PM and followed every few hours. The biggest bang happened about 4:30 in the morning. I would like to see pictures.

The picture I put up are mountains outside of Anchorage, probably not Redoubt. I was just shooting pictures.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Beautiful DaY!!




Spring Break for me! I went snowboarding and cross country skiing into Mendenhall Glacier. FULL SUN ALL DAY!!!!!! AMAZING!!! I was thinking of what to do during vacation and options were: Take a ferry to another island or go to Canada. Rent a cabin from the Forest Service or hang around the mountain. Hanging around the mountain was cheapest so that is what I will do. I am buying a house in Nevada and my daughter is getting married in Vegas 4/10 and I have to be there. I had better save some money. I will also be ferrying this June to go south.

What a beautiful day. The blizzard last night loaded the ski resort with new snow and the snowboarding was wonderful. I went when it first opened and beat the crowd. I left by 11:30 and cross countried into Mendenhall glacier - SPECTACULAR! I think there is only a few more days of Mendenhall though, the water is rising and the snow is melting from the sun. My cross country into Mendenhall days may be ending very soon.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Blizzard - Must be Spring




It was snowing off and on all day today but the roads stayed clear. I finally got home and looked out the window and we had a Blizzard. Happy first day of Spring from Juneau, AK.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Another 4 inches of snow or more




not spring yet. We do have 12 hours of sunlight now though.

2 inches of snow - ice mishaps



We got 2 inches yesterday and 2 - 4 more are expected for tonight and tomorrow. We have had a constant cloud so snow is better than rain.

We have big hills in the downtown Juneau area. Yesterday, a teacher who lives on a hill said she slid 20 feet down a hill on ice. A truck slid down a hill and hit a car at the bottom. The day temps are just enough to warm the snow and cause a little melt and water glaze. It freezes at night and cause ice which then causes vehicles to slide down the hills. It is also hard to walk in the snow/ice.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

More Snow?



Yep, that is the forecast. It was beginning to snow this afternoon. We now have regular roads with 3 and 4 foot berms by the road. I was hoping snow was coming to an end and we just had snow at the ski resort.

the building picture is the warming hut at the top of the mountain at Eaglecrest. 2 hours after I shot this picture, the windows were just glass again.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Pavement - 2 days in a row!



I drove on regular pavement for the second consequtive day - Spring?

A couple more shots. I have taken about 400 pictures the past 2 weeks, so I have a lot of pictures to choose from. DOUBLE CLICK ON THE TOP PICTURE! That is a building covered with snow. See the dark spot? That is a door to the building.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Eaglecrest Ski Area




Here are pictures of Eaglecrest Ski area from the top of the Ptarmigan lift. The road picture is a typical picture most of the winter. This road picture was taken Saturday.

*Update: The Strider Boat from Feb 22, is no longer. They had a big machine crunch it up and put it in a dump truck last week. Goodbye Strider, all good (and bad) things must come to an end.

A little snow



I got up early and went snowboarding. Made a couple of runs and then came back to the apartment. Sunny but some wind today. I saw a thermometer which said 36 degrees but nothing is melting today.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Rain, Snow - Slush




I shoveled snow in the morning, then it started raining, then we had a blizzard with wet snow for an hour, now we have slush. We also have about 4 feet of snow on the ground.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

ice cave, snow & then came the rain




I had so shovel 8 inches of snow last evening and 8 inches of snow this morning. It snowed all day long - hard. When I got off work, it started to rain, constantly. We have a slush mess right now.

Here are some pictures of the snow cave.

Another Foot of Snow



We got another foot of snow yesterday. I was talking to someone and reminded that when it stops snowing, it will be rain. So, I am going to try to not complain about snow = constant rain would be worse.

Two Eagles: Lots of snow. I was driving and saw two huge Bald Eagles just sitting on the branch of a tree overlooking the Channel. They were just sitting there and I was wondering if they were talking about when the weather would improve? I have heard Eagles communicate back and forth.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Snowing all day! Glacier





Busy Day! I had a lot to do so I took the day off - I think I needed it. I got a lot of stuff done which needed to get done. It was a snowy day all day. The snow was super soft, like feathers when you walked through it. At the end of the day, I went cross country skiing at the ski area and into the Glacier too.
I sure have a lot of work to do tomorrow though. I am not too impressed with the top photo - it is a cave shot. I will do better tomorrow.