Alaska from the air

Picture is from a few months ago...summer

Is this really the last day of September?

Summer wants to hang on...and that's just fine with everyone in Juneau.  This 50-60 degree sunny day on the last day of September is amazing.  It's so beautiful!

Trees are turning

Juneau has so many evergreens that there is not a big showing of fall colors, so it's nice to find a few trees turning here and there.

Fog over Gastineau Channel

Several pictures of the fog this morning  - it's interesting to see how the thickness changes, and to see how the sun makes shadows on the mountains in the background.

Houses on Douglas are barely visible on the left

Looking over the Alaskan Club and Foodland

Not as thick on this side of the channel

These pictures are in order, the fog got thicker...

Last Juneau cruise ship in 2013

The Oosterdam is the last cruise ship to visit Juneau for the 2013 season - it left the evening of Wednesday September 25.   Here's a picture of it from my office window, off in the distance.  Restaurants will begin shutting down and the pedestrian traffic downtown will decrease.  No more tourist buses driving around.  Fall is upon us...

Note the clear skies, a rare occurrence in September!

A closer shot while out taking a walk

A bear walks into a bar...

No, not the beginning of a joke.  This really happened at the Alaskan in Juneau on Monday night.  Here's the story from the Juneau Empire...

Bear makes surprise visit to Alaskan Bar Monday

Posted: September 25, 2013 - 12:04am

JUNEAU EMPIRE

A black bear stopped by the Alaskan Hotel & Bar on Monday night, but was quickly bounced by the bartender on duty.
Manager Scott Fry was at the hotel’s front desk when he saw the bear pass by outside at about 9:15 p.m. He hurried over to the bar to check it out.
“Everyone was heading toward the door,” he said. The bear “was just kind of sauntering away on his merry way.”
Apparently, the bear had passed by the hotel door, turned into the bar and “poked his head five or six feet into the entry door,” Fry said.
The bartender had “shooed him off and he backed off and started walking the same direction he was going,” he said.
Footage of the incident posted to the Alaskan’s Facebook page shows the bear lingered only for a few seconds before leaving and walking back down Franklin Street.
Ryan Scott, Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist, said the department was not contacted about the bear. ADF&G often responds to bear-human interactions in Juneau. It seemed like the incident resolved itself, he said.
Fry said he’s seen bears hanging around the trash cans outside the Alaskan, but this is the first time one has crossed the threshold.
“I’ve seen them out in front of the bar last fall, but nothing to the effect of him walking in like he knew what he was doing,” he said.

Ziplining with my sisters...

...in a Juneau rain forest.  So much fun!!

Bear warning

Sign in the elevator at the State Office Building

Almost fall

It was still in the 70's last week and the weather was unusually warm and sunny and dry.  That will change soon, we saw leaves falling on the Treadwell trail.  Nice while it lasted :)

Treadwell Mine, Douglas Island, Glory Hole

 I took a walk with a friend from work last night on the Treadwell trail around the Treadwell Gold Mine ruins.  We went to the end of several paths, including one that ended at the Glory Hole (cave in).

For more information on the mine:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treadwell_gold_mine

This path ends at the Glory Hole

Glory Hole

Glory Hole

Sun shining through

Glaciers from a float plane

Cracks in the glacier

Glacier from the air

Fogged in

Fog in the morning

Same view in the afternoon

Waterfall in Cope Park in Juneau

Shining cruise ship

Cruise ship entering the harbor through a wall of fog

Juneau Folk Festival

http://www.akfolkfest.org/

Beethoven's 9th Symphony

The Juneau Symphony performed Beethoven's 9th Symphony yesterday at the Juneau Douglas High School.  A lot of performances are held there due to good acoustics.  Juneau has so many cultural events, there is always something to do.  Last month is was Ladysmith Black Mambazo (from the Graceland album with Paul Simon).  Tonight the Juneau Folk Festival starts.  

Here some clips from the concert and some information on the awesome maestro.  He (Kyle Wiley Pickett - http://www.kylewileypickett.com/) gave a talk for an hour prior to the start with the most interesting facts about Beethoven and the writing of his symphony's, particularly the 9th that was written with the intent to sell tickets for audience attendance to make money for Beethoven - a different approach in those times.  Most compositions were commissioned by nobles or sometimes done on "spec" with the hope of selling.

The performance was fabulous!!

With friends Susan and Lynne

The Finale - Ode to Joy

360 North

http://www.360north.org/statehood-pioneers/

360 North is a cool TV channel that shows all things Alaskan.  One series they have on now is  Alaska Statehood Pioneers: In Their Own Words.

In case anyone out there is interested :)

Snow removal in the wee hours

These big machines are loud!

Snowing

I am hopeful that we have had the last snow of the winter.  The forecast calls for warming temps starting this weekend.  Woo hoo!!

(this video was taken earlier, just never posted0

Sat

36°

28°

Sun

43°

37°

Mon

43°

37°

Tue

43°

32°

Wed

39°

32°

Thu

37°

32°

Herons

Two herons roost in the pine trees in my back yard. They are cool birds.

What a difference a day makes!

Daffodils

A co-worker passed out bulbs to the project team.  Once in water, they bloomed so prettily.  A welcomed sight in the middle of winter.  Oh, it's spring where you are?  We got 5 inches of snow yesterday :)

Helicopter

A little hard to see, but the helicopter is carrying something hanging below, and took it around the other side of this mountain.  This is a common sight in the summer, but not so much in the winter.

Iditarod

The 2013 Iditarod began last weekend.  Here's a link for news and pictures if this is of interest.

http://iditarod.com/

Cloud shadow

We are having a string of beautiful sunny days!

Fur Rondy

This is a big festival in Anchorage, one that you probably won't hear about and don't know about if you are in the lower 48.  All the advertisements say "Let's Rondy!"  Juneau doesn't have it's own TV station, so we get Anchorage news.

http://www.furrondy.net/

Snow piles

The remnants of a big snow in the Costco parking lot.

Peace

Peace sign on the hill by Home Depot...or it could be a Mercedes?

Lena Point the day before more snow

You may have noticed a new background on the blog - I just figured that I could do that and how to do it!  :)

Clouds are covering the bigger mountains in the background

No snow on the road, just some mud puddles

New smells

The lack of snow did not last long, but it was nice while it lasted!