Ketchikan to Bellingham

Ketchikan

The ferry ride from Ketchikan to Bellingham started off okay.  We watched couple of movies the first night - MIB3 and Battleship, which helped make time go by.  The rest of the 1.5 day ride didn't go so smooth....

We were on the Matanuska, a sister ship to Malaspina, the one I took from Bellingham to Juneau two years ago.  Malaspina was an old ship, but this one seemed even older, and it wasn't anywhere near as nice as Taku, the one we just took from Juneau to Ketchikan.  This didn't really matter too much though.  The main problem with the trip was that we couldn't get Millie to pee or poo for about 30 hours while on the ferry.  Since there are no port calls on this leg of the trip, we are given 15 minutes at 0815, 1415, 2015, & 0015 daily to feed and walk our dogs on the car deck.  It was quite distressing to not see her go pet call after pet call.  To make matters worse, I got like 2 hours of sleep the first night on the ferry thanks to a book I couldn't put down.  By the 18 hour mark I was worried sick about Millie, thinking how uncomfortable she might be and wondering whether she'd end up going inside the car where she has to stay the rest of the time.  Every other dog was doing their business but Millie and this one other dog.  The owner of the other dog seemed quite upset too and we kept asking each other "did your dog go?"  I'm not usually an emotional person but I was really worried sick and balled on the car deck.  The Watchman saw that I was upset and came over to reassur me that my dog is ok (she was wagging her tail) and it's not uncommon for some dogs to hold it the entire trip.  That made me feel better.  Due to the lack of sleep the first night, I spent quite a bit of time sleeping mid-day again.  Millie eventually did pee at about the 30 hour mark, but she didn't poo until after we got off the ferry.  (I stopped feeding her after the 2nd meal.)  I hope I never have to take a dog on a long haul ride again.

Ketchikan

View at Totem Bight Historic Park

With 6.5-20 inches of rain a month, Ketchikan is probably one of the rainiest places in the U.S.  Here we are though, for two nights, while we take a break from the 3 day ferry ride down to Bellingham.  Last time I was here it was a 7 hour layover on the ferry up to Juneau.  This time, there's no snow but plenty of rain.  At least this time I have a car to explore more of Ketchikan with.

Walk through the rainforest

The first place I found after getting off the ferry and checking into the hotel was Ward Lake.  There is an easy 1.3 mile loop around the lake that was perfect for walking Millie.  The trail here was well maintained and sheltered by the trees.  We walked around it twice to give Millie a good walk.  The next day, after checking out a few other places around Ketchikan (Saxman Park, Creek Street, and Totem Bight Historical Park), we ended up coming back to the Ward Lake area to try out portion of the Perseverence Trail.  It too was a well maintained trail.  It seems Juneau has too many trails to maintain and too many people using them so most of them are quite muddy.  Most trails I've found elsewhere in Southeast Alaska seem to be much better maintained.  Anyway, we didn't have much time to do the full trail, which was a shame, but we had to get back to the hotel before the evening rush for the laundry room started.

Our stay in Ketchikan is the last place where we will be in one place for two nights (aside from the upcoming ferry ride).  Here on out it'll be one night at each hotel, which will suck.  Well, tonight's our last night in Alaska for a while.  Tomorrow night we'll probably be in Canadian waters, and then onto the lower 48!

Juneau to Ketchikan

Since the movers wouldn't do a weekend pack, they came on Thursday for packing and Friday for the loading.  I knew by Friday or Saturday the house would be cleaned out, so instead of doing the full 3 day ferry ride from Juneau to Bellingham on Tuesday, I made plans to break it up by taking the Sunday ferry to Ketchikan and staying there couple nights before catching the ferry rest of the way to Bellingham.  It might seem an inconvenience to break the trip up like this, but it's actually brilliant and works great for us because then Millie wouldn't have to be cooped up in the car for 3 days straight.  You see, you can take pets on the ferry, but they have to stay in the car for the whole duration except when in port or during pet calls, which is infrequent.  Three days would be tough for any pet, but even more so for an active 2 year old lab.  Getting the chance to walk her in the middle of the trip helps a lot.

The Sunday ferry to Ketchikan has many stops in between - Hoonah, Sitka, Kake, Petersburg, Wrangell.  Since there are several port calls, there are no pet calls on this trip.  We wanted to walk Millie every chance we got, so we got up even for the late-night, middle-of-the-night, and early-morning port calls.  Getting up at 3am two nights in a row to walk Millie was not fun.  The odd schedule made it hard for us to get a good night's sleep so we ended up sleeping during the day a lot.  Lots of folks bring sleeping bags and even air mattresses to sleep in the lounges, but we had a comfy cabin to stay in, which was nice.  Unlike my Northbound trip two years ago, we had a window this time so we could enjoy the view, which was nice even though it was raining the whole time.  The facilities on Taku is similar to Malaspina (ferry from Juneau to Bellingham), so there is a cafeteria, bar, lounges, observation deck, solarium, and a theatre.  I don't think we did much else but catch bits and pieces of movies and do some reading.  All in all, that leg of the trip was mostly spent sleeping and walking the dog.

Auke Nu Trail

Today was our last day in Juneau.  We were going to catch the midnight ferry and made plans to take Millie for a very long walk so that she would be pooped out for the day and a half ferry ride to Ketchikan.  I had wanted to invite a friend or two to join us, but it was pissing rain in the morning so Brad & I decided to go just ourselves.  This way we could stay flexible and turn back if the hike turned into a disaster - and a disaster it was.

I'd been wanting to do Auke Nu trail for a while so I took us to that one.  Neither of us had any idea what to expect on that trail, although I had heard it's a muddy one in summer.  Since a lot of the snow at lower elevation has been melting, I thought it might be all muddy today, but it turned out ok - sort of.  The first quarter mile was all ice, which we got by with grippy things on our shoes.  The trail then turned to packed snow and was actually a pretty easy walk.  The trail takes you through forest and muskeg, with the occasional stream crossings over bridges.  The forest sheltered us from the rain and the views were nice.  For a while I wished I did invite my friends along.  After about 2 miles though, things took a turn for the worst.  The trail got a bit steeper and put us higher up on the mountain where we were more exposed to the elements.  It was chillier and windier, with rain turning to snow at times.  The snow up here was also not as packed, maybe because there was less people using it, so we kept pot holing here and there.  Our pace was slow going, and it seemed like it was taking forever to get to the next and final mile marker before the cabin.  Well, if there was one, we never got to that mile marker.  Brad was so fed up of hiking in those conditions by then that he wanted to turn around.  I felt like we were so close the John Muir cabin that quitting now seemed like a shame.  However, given that we had a ferry to catch that night, we couldn't really afford to do something stupid like get stranded at the cabin in a potential white out condition or get hurt.  Seems every time I go on these long hikes with Brad it turns into some sort of a disaster.  We joked about our Eagle Glacier hike we did last April, which was actually a lot worse, and how we're going to die here on the trail on our last day in Juneau. It wasn't as extreme as it sounds, but I suppose the potential for a real disaster was there.  After I agreed to call quits we took shelter under a tree so we can scarf down some lunch and started the 3 mile descent back down.  Once back, we got a good nap, a shower, and a dinner before heading to the ferry terminal.

Top 10 Things Left Undone

I debated for a long time whether I should leave Alaska because there were things I wanted to do here that I haven't done yet.  I think I packed in quite a bit in two years, but with weather often being bad, it was hard to do much more than I did.  Here are the top 10 things I may have to come back to Alaska for:

1.  Chilkoot Trail

The breath taking views of the drive over White Pass this past fall inspired me to look into doing the Chilkoot Trail.  I was aiming to do this 4-5 day hike this coming August, but now that I am leaving Alaska, I'm not so sure I want to come back so soon.

2.  Aurora Viewing

Although Juneau does get the occasional aurora borealis, I was not so lucky to see any from my downtown home.  I did try once to go up to Chena Hot Springs but a weather cancellation of our flight led to cancellation of the whole trip.

3.  Glacier Bay National Park

The Glacier Bay National Park was a hop, skip, and a jump from Juneau; yet I did not make it.  I went on a glacier cruise of the Prince William Sound and the Tracy Arm fjord cruise in 2012, so I was putting Glacier Bay off for another year.

4.  Fishing

I was planning on getting into it last summer but it was such a crappy summer I couldn't get motivated.  I could've fished off shore, in my friend's boat, or on an organized fishing trip.  I am in the prime state for fishing and I didn't go at all (except for the one time a friend let me cast his line).

5.  Polar Bear Viewing

Well, this wasn't for lack of trying.  A big reason why I went to Barrow back in May was because I was hoping to see polar bears in the wild.  Didn't see any though....

6.  More Hikes

There are some hikes in Juneau I didn't get around to, but there were a lot more I want to do in Central Alaska.  The road trip I did in May covered a lot of ground in a short period of time, so it only gave me a taste of the various places we stopped in.  I think I got most of the 'sights' in, but there were so many places where I would have loved to spend more time and do some hikes.

7.  Katmai National Park

Katmai National Park is known as one of the best places for brown bear viewing in the world.  I saw a few brown bears in Denali, but seeing a bunch all at once would be neat too.

8.  Drive from Haines to Whitehorse

Most people do the Haines-Whitehorse-Skagway triangle but I ended up doing a Skagway to Whitehorse round trip.  It was a beautiful drive, but I hear the drive from Haines is also beautiful.

9.  Train Rides

The train rides in Alaska boasts wonderful views.  White Pass & Yukon Route Summit Excursion and the Aurora Winter Train, where two I had wanted to do.

10.  More Cabin stays

Although the hike to Eagle Glacier was dreadful, I really enjoyed our stay at the cabin there.  I tried to book another cabin weekend but that got washed out by a down pour.  I didn't get around to booking anymore cabin stays so I didn't get my fill of it while here.

Top 10 Hikes in Juneau

If you've been keeping up with my posts, you'll see that most of them is about a hike or a walk I did.  I love getting out for fresh air and nice views, and Juneau is a wonderful place to do this (when weather cooperates).  Especially now that I have Millie, hiking is a great way to spend time with her and get her the exercise she and I needs.  I knew Juneau had a lot of trails right in town, so I was really excited when I first got here I told my supervisor at the time that I wasn't leaving until I hiked them all.  His response was, "Great, you'll be here a while then!"  Well, I didn't get around to hiking them all.  (Fortunately that supervisor is no longer working here to call me out on it.)  I haven't done Lemon Creek, Herbert Glacier, Mount Juneau, Mount Jumbo, Auke Nu, Spaulding Meadow, and probably some others.  I'm still hoping I might get Herbert Glacier or Auke Nu trail in before I leave, but we shall see.  Of the hikes (trails with decent elevation gain) that I have done, here are my summertime favorites, in order.

1.  Granite Creek 

This was the most beautiful hike in my opinion.  I was quite disappointed that excessive snow and cool summer prevented people from hiking it this summer.  If I ever come back to Juneau in late summer or early fall and can only do one hike, this would be the one.  If you like waterfalls, this one is for you.

2.  Eagle Crest

Although the trail is quite steep (bring poles) to the top of Eagle Crest (a downhill ski area in winter), the hike is easy since it's on a service road.  At the top of the lift you can look down on Juneau, or you can continue on back to get a view of the other side of Douglas Island, e.g. Admiralty.  I'd say this hike probably has the best water views.

3.  West Glacier

This is a nice hike in the woods with the occasional break for a view overlooking Mendenhall lake.  At the very end though, you get an awesome view overlooking the Juneau icefield.  Definitely a unique view so if you're not planning on doing a Glacier hike, at least do this one.

4.  Mount Roberts

This hike would rank higher if the first hour and half wasn't so boring.  Once you get to the top of the tram though, you start getting really nice views of the channel and the surrounds.  If you don't have a dog with you, I recommend taking the tram up and hike from there to cut out the boring muddy bits.

5.  Salmon Creek

I used to do the lower half of the trail to the power house all of the time.  This was actually probably my favorite short hike that I tried to do on a regular basis since it's on a service road and it was a good length to do even on a weeknight.  If you have more time though, the rest of the trail is also nice with a view of the reservoir at the end.

6.  East Glacier

This is also another great 'short' hike when you don't have too much time to spare.  The trail is mostly in the woods, but it's a good one for moderate exercise.

7.  Eagle Glacier

Even though the hike was a disaster, there's a variety of scenery here and a view of a glacier at the end.  People seem to recommend doing this in winter when snow is packed because the trail can be muddy in the summer.  After our experience pot holing the whole way, I can't recommend going in Spring.

8.  Perseverance

This trail is popular with locals and tourists alike, probably because it's fairly easy and a really nice trail.  It's not high on my list though because I worry too much about Millie when on this trail.  If it's not the cliff edge or the porcupines or bears, it's the fast flowing stream that ends in a huge waterfall that scares me.  She jumped into the stream once and got swept downstream a bit before she managed to get out.

9.  Dan Moller

There are really no bad trails in Juneau as it's pretty almost everywhere.  Dan Moller trail takes you through the woods and the bogs to a nice cabin up top.  I'm not a fan of planks, especially when wet, so I recommend going on a dry day.

10.  Peterson Lake

I struggled with this one a bit because it was soooooooo muddy.  I still enjoyed the hike though and the view up top is nice with the huge lake.  There's also a cabin up there so it might be nice to book it for a night or two and make a weekend of it.

Top 10 Things I Will Miss About Juneau

1.  Off-leash Dog Walking

The number one thing that I will miss most about Juneau is being able to walk Millie off-leash on trails.  Juneau is a very dog-friendly town and most people are used to dogs running around free.  The entire town is practically a large dog park.  It is heaven for dogs.  Watching Millie running around having fun makes my walks and hikes more enjoyable.  It also lets her release more of that energy in her so that she might be more calm at night.  

2.  Fresh Air

On my most recent trip home to Virginia, I distinctly noticed the smell of car exhaust and pollution when I tried to go for a jog and thought, "ugh".  Breathing clean air is like drinking clean water.  It's nice.  I also had a lot less problems with allergies here, and I got sick less often.  Not sure if it's related, but I bet the fresh air helps.

3.  Numerous Trails

Over the course of the years my interest in hiking grew, and I've always dreamed of living somewhere where I can hike all the time.  Well, this place let me tick that off of my bucket list.  There are many trails here of varying lengths and difficulty, all within a 30-40 minute drive, most within 5 or walking distance.  The trails can at times be muddy and weather isn't always cooperative, but I've had some of my best hikes here when conditions are good.  (I will try to do post on my favorite trails soon.)

4.  Low Population

There are about 30,000 people living in Juneau.  This means that there's hardly any traffic, lines, or crowds to contend with on a regular basis.  Having only ever lived in big cities, I appreciated this a whole lot.  I will miss it when I move back to Virginia. 

5.  Glaciers

There aren't any glaciers on the East Coast, so having Mendenhall Glacier right in your town that you can drive up to see is really neat.  I never tired of visiting it.  There are also a number of hiking trails in the area such as the East Glacier Trail and West Glacier Trail.  If you're up for a fairly long hike, there are also Herbert Glacier and Eagle glacier.

6.  Waterfalls

Since Juneau sits in the middle of a rainforest, there is no shortage of waterfalls here.  A lot of the trails in Juneau have some sort of a waterfall along the way.  Probably the largest and most accessible is Nugget falls right next to Mendenhall Glacier.  Granite Creek is also a great trail for lots of waterfalls.  You will also see lots of waterfalls in the Tracy Arm Fjords, though you'll need a boat or go on a day tour.

7.  Snow

Alaska gets quite a bit of snow as you can imagine, and it's a winter wonderland here when it does.  Walking in, driving in, and shoveling snow isn't fun, but snowshoe, skiing, and snowboarding is!  If you're lucky enough to have a snowmobile you can do that here too.  It also makes everything really beautiful.

8.  Cabins

There are a lot of Forest Service and State cabins all over Alaska.  Juneau has its fair share of them, and some accessible by hiking.  These cabins let you stay out in the wilderness and relax.  I only stayed in a cabin once (a Forest Service one), but I have visited a few on my hikes.  All were really nice cabins and a great place to warm up or have lunch while on a hike.  

9.  Long Summer Days

On the longest day of the year, Juneau gets about 18 hours of day light.  There's no worrying about getting back from a hike before dark, and you can still do nice long walks in the evening after work.  Another thing I like about the summers here is that it's not so hot.  Not looking forward to 90 degrees summer in Virginia....

10.  Ferries

Don't spend thousands of dollars on an Alaska cruise.  If you want to see the Inside Passage, I highly recommend taking a trip on the Alaska Marine Highway System.  It's much cheaper and the views are the same.  They're also quite comfy and pleasant to travel.  You can even take your car and pets onto the ferries.  See also my post on Ten Reasons Why Ferries Are Better Than Planes.

Honorable Mentions

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines became my favorite US airline after moving to Alaska.  They're the only airline in and out of Juneau, but I didn't mind it so much.  Yeah, the prices were slightly higher on the airline, but I thought some of the perks they offered were pretty good.  If you're an Alaska resident, you can become a Club 49 member and not pay any baggage fee for the first two luggage.  Since going anywhere from Alaska is a long ways away, you can also rack up mileage easily by sticking to the airline.  You can earn even more miles by getting their credit card.  The goal to MVP (first elite status) is only 20,000 miles so easily achievable.  You can also fly one way within in Alaska for only 7,500 miles.

My Office

It's not a Juneau thing, but it is something I will miss.  I had it pretty good in terms of my office here.  My commute was a 3 block walk.  I also had my own office with a beautiful view of the channel.  (I saw several nice sunrises from office window.)  I won't get either in my next job, and it's not likely I will in any future jobs.

Dressing Like a Bum

You don't see many (or any) people in Juneau trying to make a fashion statement.  Given the wet, yucky weather here, people tend to dress practically.  This usually means something waterproof with Extra Tufs (Alaskan wellies).  Attire in the office can be described as "Alaskan casual", and I wore jeans & boots to work just about every day.  With my primary activity here being walking or hiking, my weekend attire was always something comfortable too.  I've never been one to dress too nicely, so it was nice not having to feel self-conscious.  I could walk into a restaurant with hat hair and not worry about what other people think since there's bound to be someone else with the same.

Saving Money

Although the cost of living is high here, I didn't really have anything to spend it on here so I was able to save a bit.  It's not like there's a lot of restaurants to go eat out at or bunch of places to shop.  Money really only got spent on necessities here.  Being able to dress very casually here also saved me money since I didn't have to buy any fancy clothes.  Alaska also has a really high COLA, which I will miss dearly....

Top 10 Things I Won't Miss About Juneau

My adventure in Alaska didn't come without a price.  Here are the top 10 things about living here that I didn't like:

1.  Rain

When I first arrived in Juneau in February 2011, it was all sun and blue skies.  It eventually started raining here and there, and after August 2011, it didn't stop raining.  I'm not kidding.  I think it rained every day in August that year, most of the days Sep-Nov.  It rained all of December 2011, and most of January 2012.  It wasn't a good Spring in 2012 and the summer sucked as well.  It wasn't until later in the summer this year and the fall when we started seeing more clear skies.  By then though, summer was over.  There's lots to do outdoors here, but a rain literally puts a damper on your plans.  I've gotten used to walking Millie in the rain, but it doesn't really encourage you to get out and do long hikes.  Not to mention it's depressing....

2.  Ice

This is Alaska so naturally you get a lot of snow and cold weather.  The climate in Juneau is fairly temperate for Alaska though, so there are warm days that melt the snow, and when it gets cold again, it all turns to ice.  The roads and sidewalks often turn into one big skating rink.  While I'm fortunate that I have a short walk to work, it's not easy walking to work on ice.  Wearing snow trax is recommended for bad days.  Oh, and if it's not ice, it's a big slush of snow and runoff so wellies are handy here too.

3.  Housing Situation

Everything is expensive in Alaska, and housing especially so in Juneau.  For a dog friendly town, it is especially difficult to find a place to rent if you have a dog.  I got lucky that I found a 3BR/2BA place with a fenced yard close to work, but it wasn't without a price.  Rent was an arm and a leg, and it was an old house with several problems.  It's drafty so oil bill this winter is so far running quite high too.

4.  Isolation

There are no roads going in and out of Juneau so you're only way in or out is by ferry or air.  The only connecting airports you can get to from Juneau is Seattle and Anchorage, and you can get there only on Alaska Air.  While Alaska Air is a nice airline, it's not cheap to get out.  A flight to Seattle will run you about $600 unless you find a deal (they do have 'em often).  The good news is you can rack up miles easily since getting anywhere is a long flight.

5.  Lack of Social Life

I found it really difficult to make friends in Juneau.  My next door neighbor hosts a ladies night every month, but after two months of hearing these ladies talk about nothing but their kids, I got tired of going to them.  Two of the three people I hung out with the most I met on the ferry coming here.  The third I met at work.  This isn't to say I didn't have opportunities to get out and do more or make new friends, but it's definitely been slow going, and it was harder for me to want to get out and about in crappy weather.

6.  Lack of Dining Options

It seems every other restaurant here is a Chinese restaurant.  There's no real Japanese restaurant and the only fast food choices in town is 1 McDonald's and 2 Subways.  I don't like Subways.  There's couple of Mexican places, a popular Thai place, couple of seafood places, and some others.  After a while you get sick of eating the same food all the time.

7.  Mud

Since it rains so much in Juneau, the trails here are often muddy.  Waterproof hiking boots are a must, and some even hike in Extra Tufs (Alaskan wellies).  I need my ankle and arch support so I stuck with boots, but it was definitely hard and not fun trying to navigate around deep muddy areas that were common on the trails.

8.  Cold Temperatures

Duh... you live in Alaska so it's going to be cold.  Well, what I didn't expect was for my house to be so darn cold.  With thermostat set to 64 on average and the temperature in the house actually hovering a bit lower than that, the cold gets old.  I usually feel warmer when I'm outdoors bundled up and walking the dog.  Yeah, cranking up the thermostat helps, as does a space heater.  But did I mention what my oil bill was last month?

9.  Berms

I have street parking and whenever it snows I have to dig my car out.  That wouldn't be so bad on its own but when the snow plows come through, they often leave a berm of snow right up against the cars parked on the street.  It's a good work out, but I'm just not cut out for it and often end up with back pain :(

10.  Wild Animals

I love hiking, but it's not so nice having to hike while worrying about whether there's going to be a bear around the next corner.  Bears are often seen running down the street in my neighborhood too.  Then there are the porcupines Millie have had a few encounters with.  And the wolves... I hear they are making a come back up near the Salmon Creek Reservoir.

Happy New Year 2013!

Well, another year gone and boy am I glad because I have high hopes for 2013.  I was recently offered couple of jobs back in Virginia.  After all of the debating I did this past year on whether I really do want to move back, I finally decided that I do.  It helped that the job I took was about as good as it could get.  For starters, it's with the same agency (though different job), it's a promotion, it comes with relocation, and it's in an ideal location.  Most government jobs in Northern Virginia are either in DC or immediate surrounds of DC.  I didn't want to be that close to DC.  Where I'm going is actually really close to where I used to live, so I have many friends in the area.  It is also in the suburbs enough that it is more affordable and less congested.  I could probably afford a house with a yard for Millie. If I was ever going to take a job back there, this had to be it.

Although I will miss some things about Alaska, there's a lot I am looking forward to - shows, concerts, sunshine, more time with friends & family, traveling, etc.  I am really excited about moving back now!

Walk Across the Lake

This December has been pretty cold so Mendenhall Lake was frozen over enough to walk on.  On 12/22 Richard and I walked across the lake to the face of the glacier.  It was an easy ~1.5 miles to the face, though we couldn't get too close to it since we saw cracks in the ice when got close the glacier.  Since it hadn't snowed in a while, there wasn't much snow to trudge through either.

On 12/24 Matt and I walked the lake on the other side at Skater's cabin.  That's where most people go skate skiing across the lake, but we didn't have skiis.

On 12/25 couple of people supposedly fell through the ice.  The risk of falling through always exist, so take precaution and if the ice looks dodgy, don't walk on it!

Winter Wonderland

View from Airport Trail

Winter had arrived in Juneau shortly after returning from our Hawaii trip in October.  Temperatures had dipped into the 30's and we received some flurries.  This fall has also been unusually dry, which was a much needed break from all the rain we've been getting for as long as I can remember.  I was expecting this fall to be bad, so I had planned a three week trip back to Virginia... unnecessarily.  Still, it was good visiting all of my friends and family back East.  I felt like I had a life again.  Life in Juneau had been quite laid back.  My life here primarily consists of working and walking the dog.  The upside is, I like my job and seeing Millie run around off-leash makes me happy.  This is probably the best place I can be for dog walking, and not just because of the beautiful scenery.  I'm not sure what I'd do if I moved back East.  I guess I'd have to settle for leash walking and dog parks.  That will be sad.  Part of me wants to stay here for all of the nice trails that Millie and I love so much.  Part of me wants to go back to Virginia to be near family and friends.  Part of me wants to go where I can have a social life and the beautiful outdoors.  For the time being though, I am enjoying the winter in Juneau.  It was snowing on the day I got back, and has snowed a few times since.  We have about 20" of snow on the ground in our yard, and everything around town is blanketed in white.  It is very beautiful right now.  I think I might like the winter when it snows more than the summer.  At least in winter you don't have to worry about bears and Millie jumping into mud puddles :)

Millie and Charlie in Mendenhall Recreation Area

In addition to being dry, this winter also seems colder than last.  Definitely bundling up more.  Our house is also quite drafty and old, so it is cold in our house.  (Ok, so we're also cheap and try to save on heating.)  It's not uncommon to see the thermostat in some rooms dip to the 50's.  Thermostat in the living room is set to 64, but I don't think it's actually that warm in here :(

After all the traveling I did in October and November, I plan to lay low for December.  Not sure what 2013 has in store for me, but I hope to be doing something early in the year.  This might be my last post for the year, so I'd like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Skagway & Whitehorse

View from Klondike Highway

I took advantage of a four day weekend over Labor Day to take a short trip up to Skagway and Whitehorse.  The trip started off with beautiful weather and a very nice 6.5 hour ride on the ferry to Skagway.  After arriving in Skagway, I headed straight for Whitehorse over the White Pass on the Klondike Highway.  I had heard it was a nice drive, but I didn't realize how beautiful the drive was!!  I've been to some really nice places, but this was probably one of the most beautiful drives ever - more than New Zealand, Switzerland, or the Canadian Rockies.  There were lakes and mountains everywhere.  I stopped at just about every pull over for a look and photo.  It was such a nice drive that I was really disappointed to arrive in Whitehorse earlier than expected.  Even with all the stops it only took about 2.5 hours to get there (versus the three I expected).  I wish I had spent more time  getting there since it was all kinda downhill from there with the weather turning for the worst. 

Miles Canyon

Day two of the trip was gloom and doom.  Well, just gloom.  I managed to check out Miles Canyon, fish ladder, and S.S. Klondike in the morning before the bad weather started setting in.  By mid day it was cloudy, windy, and cold so I wasn't really much in the mood for exploring despite there being few other touristy things to do.  I ended up spending rest of the day getting through A Clash of Kings and chatting with some of the other travellers at Beez Knees hostel.  I met a lot of Canadians, including a woman who stereotypically kept saying "eh", a guy from Montreal, and another two who had just hiked the Chilkoot Trail (I want to do this some day).  I also met a Japanese guy who has been travelling for five straight years!!  I wish I could do something like that, but I'm not sure I could sleep in a tent for weeks on out or bike to Prudhoe Bay like this guy did.  Plus, I'd get home sick after a few months.  Kudos to him though for being able live such a lifestyle.  His blog (in Japanese) is at http://shimoba.jugem.jp/.  Then there was this Canadian couple who is traveling around the world on their motorbike.  I think they're just a few months into the trip, but plans to travel for the next five to 40 years.  They plan to work along the way, as the Japanese guy did, to fund their travel.  Their website is http://theperfectworld2012.webnode.com/. 

Day three was the drive back to Skagway.  Weather cleared up a bit and I was enjoying the beginning of the drive very much, although for some reason I wasn't recognizing the scenery.  I didn't think much of it though until about 50 miles later when I saw a sign saying "East" and hundred and some kilometers to a town I didn't even recognize... not Skagway.  By now I figured I was going the wrong way and pulled over to look at the map.  Sure enough, I had missed the turnoff to Klondike highway.  I wasn't paying much attention because I thought it was a straightshot, but it wasn't.  As I drove back the way I came, I wondered if I have enough gas to make it to Skagway.  I thought it'd be close, so I ended up driving back to Whitehorse to fill up.  Moral of the story: 1) pay attention to where you're going, and 2) fill up on gas whenever you can... just in case you make a wrong turn.

As I finally turned onto the right highway I saw a hitchhiker with sign for "Skagway."  Picking up hitch-hikers is not something I do much but I did this time.  He was Martin, a man probably in his mid or late 20's from Dresden, Germany.  He was scruffy, unshaven, and smelly, but a very nice guy.  We stopped at some view points along the way and at Carcross Desert, the world's smallest desert.  Once back in Skagway, Martin went on his way to find a camp spot, and I checked into Alaskan Soujourn Hostel.  This hostel, as well as Beez Knees, were very clean with ultra friendly staff.  They are highly recommended as a place to stay.  The only thing I really don't like about hostels these days though, is you can get stuck in a room with someone who snores.  Then again, half of my friends and my husband snores, so I can't really get away from it :( 

I didn't do a whole lot in Skagway since I was mostly interested in finding out a bit more about the Chilkoot trail.  I got some info from the visitors center and watched a 20 minute video on it.  Since I had to be at the ferry terminal at 0500, I turned down an invite to go hang out at the Red Onion by some other travellers.  I am probably going to make another trip to Skagway at some point to spend some more time there. 

I love ferries, but having to check in so early is pretty brutal.  The weather on this day was crap, so I slept pretty much most of the way back. 

Eagle Crest Hike

Perhaps I was a bit premature with the last post since we got another day of summer today.  DeAnna and I went somewhere we haven't been yet - top of Eagle Crest.  Although you can't find this information in the trail guides, you can take the service road from the lodge to the top of Eagle Crest.  It is 1400' elevation gain, probably over about 2 miles, and takes about 1.5-2 hours to walk up it.  Once at the top of the lift, you can continue behind it on trails that lead to spectacular views of the channel, and even Admiralty Island.  I did not know this when I went up, so it was a very nice treat.  From the top, the trails are only about another 1/2 mile and few hundred feet gain.  This hike is a great one to do if you want the views but don't have all day to hike one of the other mountains from sea level. 

Winter Is Coming....

Next weekend will mark the end of the summer, and I'm actually looking forward to the upcoming winter.  Don't get me wrong, it can be miserable here with the rain and the darkness.  I don't enjoy driving in snow or shoveling it either.  However, there's something peaceful about the winter here.  Maybe because all the tourists and fair weather residents are gone.  Also, this summer was quite disappointing with the frequent rains.  I made it out on a few hikes, but only to one new trail.  I didn't even make it out fishing like I had planned to.  Oh well.  At least I have a few trips coming up this fall - starting with a trip to Skagway (or Whitehorse) over Labor Day weekend, Maui in October, and home for Thanksgiving.  I always like change in seasons.  Too bad there are only two here as far as I'm concerned.

Peterson Lake Trail

I've been a bit of a slacker lately, getting way too engrossed in Skryim.  This past Sunday though, I finally got off my butt for a decent hike up Peterson Lake Trail with Matt.  The trail, which starts at mile 24 on Egan, is 4.3 miles each way with a 700 feet elevation gain, so it's not too easy and not too strenuous.  However, the trail is not that well maintained so navigating around muddy spots and walking over protruding roots made it much more difficult than it should've been.  The fact that it was a bit of a rainy day didn't help.  Sometime I wonder why I put myself through a hike like that.  I could've been home on the comfy couch in my dry warm home getting many hours of game time in.  Actually, I was really glad to get out and get some fresh air even if I was wet and muddy by the time I was done. 

At the end of Peterson Lake Trail is (tah dah) Peterson Lake.  There is also a newly renovated US Forest Service cabin that can be rented out for $35 a night. 

Tracy Arm Fjord Cruise

One of the most recommended day cruise out of Juneau is a cruise through Tracy Arm Fjords.  I've been wanting to go since last year, but finally was organized enough to book before a weekend when I knew the weather was going to be good.  There are couple of operators that do the cruise, but DeAnna and I went with Adventure Bound.  We took the boat Captain Cook, which sat about 50 folks.  The trip is all day long, departing at 8am and returning at 6pm.  It took about 2 hours to get through Gastineau Channel and Stephen's Passage, and another 2 hours through Tracy Arm Fjord to Sawyer Glacier.  If you think the ride through the channel is pretty, the ride through the fjord is even better.  The scenery is very beautiful and waterfalls are everywhere.  The boat also slows for any wildlife sightings, icebergs, and also gives passengers close up views of some of the larger waterfalls.  The boat also stayed at the Sawyer Glacier a long time waiting for some calving. We saw some small ones but no huge ones.  We had a pretty good views of wildlife on this trip, too.  First we saw a brown bear, then a lot of harbor seals near the glacier, and then some whales on our way back to Juneau.  I highly recommend this trip, but only on good weather days.  It'd be a bit of a shame if you had to sit in the cabin most of the cruise because of poor weather.  You'd also miss out on the beautiful views of the fjord, which is the main purpose of going on this trip. 

Top 10 Stupid Tourist Questions

Alaska is a popular tourist destination and Juneau gets its fair share of them.  On any given day in the summer, there are two to six cruise ships bringing about 5,000 tourists each.  My husband interacts heavily with these tourists on a daily basis as it is his job to provide security in downtown.  He often tells me stories from his work.  Some can be as mundane as "I had to keep tourists from trying to get too close to a bear to take photos."  Often though, they are quite funny... in a sad way.  He once told me of a guy who came off the cruise ship huffing and puffling whilst clutching his heart that asked, "Sir, how high are we?  I can feel we are quite high up."  Um... look around you... we're at sea level.  I've asked my fair share of dumb questions in my lifetime, but some of the questions that these tourists ask are amongst dumbest of the dumb.  Here's the top ten list of dumb Alaska tourist questions, as well as my husband's response to them below in italic.

10. "Where can I find igloos?"

Down the road and to the left.

9. "Really?! There are bears in Juneau?!"

Uh, yeah...
8. "Where are all the eskimos?"

Sounds like the tour guide sold you a duff deal, sir. The true eskimos are much further north. You have to be careful about calling native americans "eskimos" here, because they don't take kindly to it.

7. "What is that white stuff on top of the mountain?"

Shaving foam. We have a terrible shaving foam shortage in Alaska, that's why you'll see many of us roughing it with big beards. Every year, the helicopter's will dump us our years supply and that's all we get for the season. We just have to make do.

6. "Where abouts in Australia are you from?"

I'm British.

5. "How often do you guys wash the glacier?"

About once a week. The convicts help with it. If you go down there on a Sunday afternoon you'll see all the prisoners in orange shirts with their vacuums and mops. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
4. "What do you do with the igloos over the Summer? Don't they melt?"

They go into cold storage. Down the road there you'll see Taku Smokeries, it looks like a big warehouse. Behind that building are the igloos.

3. "How do I open this trash bin?"

You stick your hand under the handle and lift the lid. What's that? - No, nothing inside will bite you.

2. "Do the mountains stay there all year 'round?"

Yes, ma'am. There's no escape for them around here.

1. "What is the glacier powered by?"

A complex refrigeration unit. I couldn't even begin to tell you how complex it is.


Honorable mentions

"Do you live around here?"

No, this uniform is just for fancy dress. I'm going to a costume party.

"Somebody's pet bear is running around behind the shops!"

Nobody has pet bears in Juneau. That's a wild bear.

West Glacier Trail

Looking down on Mendenhall Glacier from top of West Glacier Trail

Brad and I did the West Glacier hike again yesterday and found it a bit more difficult than when we did it last year.  The trail itself is considered a difficult hike, gaining 1300 feet over 3.4 miles.  This year, though, there were several downed trees you had to navigate around, and the trails were more muddy and slippery due to all of the rain we've been getting this year.  There was also bit of water crossing that I don't remember doing last year.  The view up top is wonderful and worth the hike, but it's not one I'd casually do on a regular basis. 

The Spring in Juneau this year has been unusually wet and cold.  The temperatures have been hovering in the mid-50's mostly, with rain almost every day.  This means there aren't as many flowers in bloom, trails are extremely muddy, and snow from the winter are taking longer to melt.  It's a bit of a disappointment since we were looking forward to a nice summer, but what can you do?  I hope that we will get an unusually dry fall to make up for it, though I'm not counting on it.

Alaska Road Trip

Since I do not know if I will be here next summer, I want try to see as much of Alaska as possible while I can.  As such, I took off on a little(?) road trip with Jackson that started in Anchorage on the May19th and lasted about a week.  Although I didn't have to do the driving, it was a long stretch from place to place.  The trip went something like this:

Day 1:  Anchorage to Seward

We took the scenic Seward highway from Anchorage to Seward, stopping at various view points along the way.  Unfortunately weather wasn't on our side, and it was mostly overcast with some rains at times.  We wanted to do a walk somewhere, but it was quite windy in Turnagain Arm so we skipped that.  The drive South took us across a mountain path, and it was still winter up there.  At lower elevations trees are just starting to show leaves.  Up there, the trees are still bare.  We did a side trip to a town called Hope and saw our first of many mooses.  We also stopped in Kenai Fjords National Park to see the Exit Glacier.  By the time we made it to Seward, it was already dinner time.  We ate halibut and then walked around town a bit for photos.  We stayed the night in Seward.


Day 2: Whittier and Glacier Cruise

We headed out of Seward with plans to catch the 1030 "tunnel" going to Whittier.  You see, to get to the town of Whittier, you have to take North American's longest and most inconvenient tunnel.  The tunnel is one-way, and shared with the trains.  A 15-minute slot an hour is alloted for vehicles to get into Whittier.  If you miss that slot, you have to wait for the next one.  We had a cruise booked that departed at 1230, so we wanted to be sure we had one other opportunity to take the tunnel if we missed the first.  We made our first.

The cruise that we took was Phillip's 26 Glacier Cruise around Prince William Sound.  Again, the weather that day was shit :(  Still, since it was early in season, the cruise was only half full, and the boat was really nice and comfortable.  We saw tons of otters, few whales, and lots of birds.  We didn't really see 26 glaciers, but we saw enough of them.  Not a great day for photos, but it was a nice 5 hour ride nonetheless.  I would do this cruise again if I was in the area. 

Once done with the cruise, we headed back to Anchorage for the night.

Day 3: Anchorage to Denali

We had a roughly 4.5 hour drive to Denali, but we took a side trip to Eklutna Lake and the Independence Mine on the way.  The drive up to Hatchers Pass, which was still snow-covered and closed, was very beautiful.  We passed some nice creeks going up, and saw some ground squirrels once there.  The mine was actually a bit further in there where our car could go though, and snow was too soft to walk on.  We had to look at it from a distance. 

Once back on the Parks highway, we found an view point where you can see Mt. McKinley (or Denali as they call it).  We saw the base of the mountain, but the summit was cloud covered.  Shortly afterward, we arrived in Denali, checked into our hotel, and drove into the park.  The park only lets you drive the first 15 miles into the park.  Still, that was enough for us to see caribous, moose, and a wolf. 

Day 4: Denali National Park



Today we took the park service shuttle to mile 53, or Toklat River.  The shuttle, which looks like a school bus, will stop when there are wildlife around for viewing.  Our driver was also very good at commentating and giving us lots of information.  There were also stops for bathroom breaks and view points.  Initially we though we might get off in places to more time off the bus, but we found it just easier to stick with the same bus.  We were also doing really well with the wildlife sightings.  Caribous, moose, Dall sheep, and grizzlies!  The highlight of the trip was a sow and 2 cubs.  The cubs were so tiny (and cute) - they had just been born this past winter.  They came down a mountain, crossed the road in front of us, and continued down.  We also saw another, lone grizzly later on the trip.

Our shuttle trip was done by 2:30, so we headed back into the park again afterward with our car.  We were hoping to see that wolf again, but no luck.  We drove as far as we could, to the Savage river, and did the 2 mile loop around.  I really enjoyed this particular walk.  If you're looking do hikes in Denali though, there aren't too many options.  There are some trails near the park entrance, but none in the park past mile 15.  You pretty much just go where you want.  The park actually encourages people to explore.  Be sure to read up on all of the rules and safety info before venturing out though.

Day 5: Denali to Fairbanks

Another long day of driving....  The ride to Fairbanks was actually only couple hours and a bit, but it was the hour or so to Chena Hot Springs that made the day long.  I wanted to see what that place was like since I was planning to go this past winter (only to have my flight and trip cancelled due to weather).  Can't say I was overly impressed with the place, but I can see how it'd be a charming getaway in the winter.  We did the ice museum tour, a 3 mile walk mainly for the exercise, and checked out the hot springs (tho we didn't go in).  Back in Fairbanks, we stopped at the Gold Dredge No.8 and crashed some tour that was going on.  It wasn't quite clear if it was open to the general public yet since we kept getting ushered around with the other tourists. 

Day 6: Barrow

We didn't expect there would be much to do in Fairbanks, and the drive to the Arctic Circle seemed like a really long way.  So we planned a day trip to Barrow, the Northern most town in North America.  Well, planning meant we had our flights that would get us there around 10:30am, and leave at 8pm.  We weren't exactly sure how we'd get around though since we couldn't get a hold of any car rental or tour companies.  Once there though, we somehow bumped into a guy looking for someone who had a car reserved.  Although we weren't that person, we needed a car so we went with him and got us an SUV for the day.  Definitely much better than cabbing it everywhere like we thought we might have to do.  We took the car and drove as North as we could go, and all around town.  We wouldn't get too far on foot either, and it was quite cold up there (it was ~32F but wind chill made it colder) as you would expect.  We saw the Arctic Sea and the whale bone arch you see in all adverts on Barrow.  We also went the Inupiat Cultural Heritage Center where we learned more about whaling and saw some traditional dances of the natives there.  What I really wanted to see in Barrow though were the polar bears.  We drove all around looking for them but had no luck. About the only thing I left with were bragging rights for having been there.


Day 7: Richardson Highway



We had a very long drive today from Fairbanks to Copper Center on Richardson Highway.  We got some nice views of the Alaska Pipeline on the way down, as well as of the surrounding mountains and lakes.  Man... I was really exhausted by this day.  I didn't want to do anything by the time we got to the hotel.

Day 8: Wrangell-St.Elias National Park

Today we visited our largest National Park, Wrangell-St. Elias.  It's not a very accessible park though with only like 2 roads going into the park.  It took us nearly 4 hours just to get to a footbridge near McCarthy, 60 miles of it on gravel road.  At the footbridge, a shuttle ran every hour to Kennecott.  We didn't realize we had to take the shuttle there, since we couldn't drive past this point.  Luckily, we just happenned to arrive 10 minutes before the next shuttle.  Once in town we signed up for the 1:30 tour of the old Kennecott Copper Mine.  It was very interesting to see and hear about the history and operations of this quite impressive mine.  We had hoped to do some walks, like to Root Glacier, but we didn't plan anywhere near enough time for that.  Since we had a long drive back, we took the next shuttle out of Kennecott and went back to Copper Center for the night.

Day 9: Back to Anchorage

The trip back to Anchorage took us over many mountain passes, which made our trip a lot longer than expected.  The weather was quite crappy this day too, so that didn't really help.  I was so exhausted I slept half the way back.  The only notable view on this trip was the Matanuska Glacier.  It was quite an impressive one that you can see from a view point on the road.  We did arrive in Anchorage relatively early compared to the other days, but we were pretty spent from the drive back.  The last evening was a fairly relaxed night.

Overall, it was a good trip, but it could have been better in many ways.  For one thing, we could've hit better weather.  We were also on the shoulder season, so not as much greenery in some areas, and too much snow prevented us from doing some of the things we had planned to do.  If I do this trip again, I think I'll try the shoulder season at the end of the summer, instead of the beginning.  Or, suck up the crowd and try to hit it in season.  I would like to go back and do some things again, like all of the national parks, and see more of Chugach State Park.  If I'm still around Alaska next year, I may go back to one or two of those areas and spend more time ther.  If not, well, I've at least got a taste of it all.

An Ex-Soldier at an NRA Banquet

Cartoon source: http://www.usdemocrazy.net/2010/12/01/gunning-for-schools/

Alaska has historically been a Republican State and is well-known to be extremely conservative when it comes to gun ownership.  Those in the lower 48 either thinks or jokes that the everyone in Alaska owns a gun.  Well, it doesn't seem to be far from the truth.  There is a lot of hunting opportunities in Alaska, and some enjoy it for the sport.  Then there seems to be the folks that have them because they are right-wing nuts.  As a liberal, I have been fortunate to have been sheltered from most conservative rhetorics, aside the occasional democrat-bashing or god-worshipping spam I receive from an acquaintance or a friend.  I try to overlook a person's political views in making friends, especially since I do disagree with some aspect of Democratic views, like excessive free handouts (i.e. welfare and unemployment).  My dislike with Republican politics stem mostly from their constant theme of trying to make the rich richer and trying to impose their religious views in deciding what's good for the nation.  I never really had an issue with their stance on guns though, since I stand in the middle on gun control.  Last night, however, my husband's experience at an NRA banquet only reaffirmed my view of Republican politics as self-serving and out of touch with rest of the nation.

My husband is an ex-soldier in the British Army.  He also currently works in an environment that requires him to carry a firearm.  As such, he has had a lot of experience with various types of weapons and has an interest in them.  Therefore, when a colleague invited him to an NRA Banquet evening, he was excited to go.  For whatever reason, we've had difficulty making many friends in Juneau, so I had hoped he would have an enjoyable evening out.  Well, he came home a lot sooner than I expected and told me the evening was more than disappointing.  Turns out he spent the entire night being picked on by rich old men for coming from an unarmed country (England) and not having had a "collection" of guns.  He managed to hold his own by emphasizing he had other priorities at this stage in life, yet he got the sense that some were offended at him putting the importance of guns down.  My husband is also somewhat of a conservationist, so he was quite irked by all the boasting of who killed what.  When asked how many animals he killed, my husband could only reply, "Can that number include humans?"  Everyone he spoke to assumed he had no knowledge or experience with guns, but the fact is my husband could probably outshoot 90% of the people there.  The evening got a little better with some support and backing from the friend who invited him, but there were other aspects of the event that left a bad taste in his mouth.

The most offending part of the night seemed to be the celebratory attitude they took towards guns.  They touted the Second Amendment and claim "gun = freedom".  The NRA chairman said firearms are "peacekeepers" and that they save lives.  At that point all my husband could think of were his squadmates that got their legs shredded by 50 caliber rounds and will never walk again, or of the mothers of his dead combat buddies.  My husband agrees that the Second Amendment is a mark of freedom and is something to be preserved.  However, he does not think that guns should be valued so much that people must make void and thoughtless comments to try and justify their use.  In my husband's words, "No gun is a peacemaker.  Anybody that has seen combat will tell you that a gun is a tool of death.  It is designed to kill, nothing more.  Must we hold celebratory events in order to brainwash gun owners into believing that guns are instruments of peace?"