Snow Plow Nightmare

I was so excited about all the beauty and fun the snow brings I had almost forgotten about the downside of so much snow.  My back has been aching from shoveling so much snow.  If you have a home, the best thing to do is invest in a snow blower, or if you have a large area to clear, a quad with a plow.  If you rent, rent a place that includes snow removal and garage if you can.  I have neither though.  If you live in a small home like me and park on the street, you could be pretty screwed.  I had been shoveling snow every day, and I managed to get my car dug out only couple days ago.  Well, this morning I found out that the stupid public works had plowed all the snow up against my car and buried it in!!!  I was furious and upset.  I literally cried because I was so upset.  The pile of snow was also wet and heavy.  It took me and my dad nearly 2.5 hours to dig the car out again.  I was not happy.  But much thanks to my dad who was very patient and helpful.  I'm really glad he's fit for a 61 yr old.

The Juneau Empire ran this article on snow removal and other winter things.  They say don't put the snow back in the streets. Well, I already have a huge mound in front and back of my car.  Just where exactly do they expect people to put the snow?  If they don't have a better place to put the snow than up against people's cars, they shouldn't plow.  People were getting through just fine.  What they should've done with this much snow is just remove it.  There is no where else to put it.  At some point they will put up notices to get people to move their cars so they can remove it.  However, if they keep burying people's cars in, they won't be able to move their cars!!!  I'm still not sure where they expect people to move their cars to.  All the streets around the neighborhood will be full of snow. 

Mr. Duncan from public works kindly put his e-mail address in the above article.  I made sure he got a piece of my mind.  So far I got a quick apology from him and an offer to look into what went on in my street.  I'm glad that he seems to care, unlike the moron who actually plowed the street.  I wrote back with my street address and am now waiting to hear back.  I heard from my neighbor that it's not uncommon for the city to plow the snow right back onto the cars, but I hope they will rethink what they will doing in the future.  In the meantime, I will be looking for a new place to live.  If I don't find a place with off street parking and snow removal service by next fall, I'm outta here.

Winter Activities

Mendenhall Recreation Area Trails

Before coming to Juneau, I knew they had a ski resort .  What I didn't know was there's plenty of snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities here too.  I was doing a bit of research on trails and found the following sites to be very helpful:

Eagle Crest - Downhill and cross-country ski trails

List of Cross-country Ski Trails

Equipment Rentals at Foggy Mountain Shop

Juneau Nordic Ski Club - Information on trails, gears, etc.

Avalanche Safety

Avalanche Advisory

I don't have my snowshoes yet, so I took my Dad to Mendenhall Glacier Recreational Area today. (I usually park at the Forest Service off of Back Loop Rd.)  He really enjoyed it.  It was really beautiful there today with all of the snowfall we've been getting.  We had to walk on ski tracks, but snowshoe would have helped us stay off the tracks. 

As soon as I get snowshoes, I'd like to try to head up Spaulding Meadows or Auke Nu trail.  I don't think my dad is quite fit enough to make it to the top (I may struggle as well since I'm not used to snowshoeing), so I'll have to break him in little by little. 

The Basin Road is also a nice place to walk or ski in the winter.  It is convenient to folks who are downtown and do not want to drive anywhere.  We went there yesterday and enjoyed it, but when we went today, they had closed off the bridge to the road.  There were many construction equipment lying around, so I think they are planning to do something.  I hope it is not going to be closed all winter.

I also would like to get up on Eagle Crest.  I really miss snowboarding.  Kinda tough to get out there these days though because Millie can't go snowboarding with me.  If I'm out there all day she can't get a walk.

Winter & Dad are Here!

Mendenhall Glacier

The fall was quite tough with the never ending rain.  I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through another few months until the dryer season arrives in March.  However, this past Monday, we got 16" of snow and Juneau is now a winter wonderland.  The scenery has drastically improved with snow everywhere.  All of sudden everything is looking up.  This means trails will soon be snow covered and not muddy from the rain.  I can try out the snowshoe that I just ordered!  The slopes will also open in a week's time so that is also something to look forward to.  The downside of all of this snow though, is having to dig your car out from under the snow if you don't have a garage.  Oh, and driving in icy conditions isn't too fun either.  However, the main roads have been pretty clear the last few days so it's not a huge deal if I don't have to drive often.  Perhaps if I lived up one of the mountains like many people do, I might have difficulty with my Corolla.

Another bit of news I have is a bit of a switcheroo in the household.  My husband is now back in England for the forseeable future, so my dad decided he is going to come here for the winter to keep me company.  He is retired and seems to have nothing better to do for the winter, so might as well I guess.  He's agreed to take Millie for walks on days I work, and I am really glad for that because I hated walking Millie in the dark.  Ever since day light savings time ended, it has been dark by the time I got off work, and I expect it will be that way until March or so. 

My dad and I haven't been all that close since he was away most of my life.  We get along alright, but we've never spent more than a few days together.  I do know we're both pretty set in our ways.  It'll be a challenge, but I think we'll be ok.  It'll be a good opportunity for us to spend some quality time together.  I plan to drag him out on my days off for walks, snowshoeing, and skiing.  He's looking forward to it all too - the opportunity to be outdoors and get fit.  Today is day 1 of 134 days together.