Lost Blueberries

2012-05-26T14:15:00.001-08:00

Well, spring is finally here and things are growing fast to utilize the short summer months. We have been busy living and enjoying life the last month or so. Hiking, fishing, boat work, picnics on the beach and just getting out and seeing people. My work with the theater is pretty much wrapped up for the season and will get some time off before the summer STAR program and then another break before the new season starts up. In the meantime I am working full time at the lab and some small gigs here and there. So all in all things are going really well and we are loving the lifestyle we have chose.
As an example of this I got a rare opportunity to capture some truly amazing footage this week while at work. My office is about 300 ft from the harbor we live in, a 1/4 mile walk around the back to actually get there though, and it overlooks beautiful Auke Bay. Shortly after arriving at the office we saw some whales just off the breakwater. The night before had been a brief sunny evening so Sarah and I went out to have a picnic at Sunshine Cove, watched whales, sea lions and even did a little fishing (no luck), when we got back to the harbor there was a mother and a juvenile whale feeding right in the harbor. They had been there for a while and we saw them very close up but only briefly. The whales were back but this time it wasn't dark and I had my camera, so out the door I went. At first they were on the other side of the bay and they were just rolling back and forth lunge feeding, but then the young whale seemed to figure out how fun it was to breach. He just kept doing it over and over about every 30 seconds or so and as he did his mother followed him. They came across the front of the breakwater right in front of our office, not more than 50 ft. away!! So needless to say I got some great shots and thought to share them, so here goes....


This is looking across the bay, as you can see the whale watching boats didn't even leave the harbor for about 2 hours while this show went on. These folks were really getting their money's worth!

The guy in the skiff got a really nice show, he put down his pole and picked up his camera! Smart man

The whale actually breached twice right in front of him. I kept hit my multi shot button and after looking at the pics its like seeing the same jump over and over, just slightly different backgrounds. It was quite the show for everyone.

This was a nice series of shots and the boat gives some nice scale.

This is right in front of our office, I spend many evening hours fishing off that same point. This guy and his dog got a really close shot, I wish I had been down there

This is a cropped shot, the original was sent to our local paper for their local wildlife photo section

Well, the whale kept going up the side of the bay, around the point and into Fritz Cove, then came back out and ran the outer islands (Spuhn, Battleship, etc) and then went out to Favorite Channel. Most the pics as he left were not as good and eventually I just had to go back to work, but when we looked up for the next few hours we could see him playing out in the channel. Truly an amazing morning!

Not the recommended route

2012-03-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

So after weeks of working and fixing the boat, Sarah and I had to get out into the woods. So after contemplating our choice of trails (higher means snow and avalanches, lower means boring) we decided to go with boring. Well sorta. We spend a fair amount of time out at Pt. Bridget and so we decided to try out this other trail we had seen along the highway that leads into the south side of the park. Well the trail itself was a complete joke, ten minutes later and we are at the beach. Nice for an evening run out after work, but we were looking for adventure. So we decided to hike up the coast towards Camping Cove Cabin and see what the scene there was. This cabin had been on our radar for some time, but we never actually made it there, till today. The hike up the coast was beautiful, partly sunny, cool breeze from the north and a hint of spring all around us. We went through several little picnic areas and eventually found the cabin. Most this part of the trip was uneventful, it was after the cabin that things got weird. Now we have been all over this point, but not to this side. After leaving the cabin we immediately ended up loosing the trail and heading into deep snow. We brought our micro spikes, but not our snow shoes so we decided to head back down to the beach and walk up it. It didn't seem like the point was that far. Ha ha ha. Just like a mountain, you never see all the ridges in the middle. The point we were looking at wasn't the one we thought it was and neither was the next or the next, well you get the idea. At a point we decided that going back wasn't an option due to the terrain we had already crossed and the amount of time spent. The amount of daylight left was getting short and we knew if we could just make it to Blue Mussel Cabin we would be able to walk out the two miles left in the dark if we had too. This is our usual stomping ground. So off we went. Along the way we did some pretty sketchy crossings clinging to rock faces and hoping we didn't slip into the ocean. Some of these were damn near vertical. This area drops 500 ft. in less than an 1/8 of a mile. Wow! We did some crawling on hands and knees over snow that we really weren't sure of its depth or attachment. We decided on several occasions that there just wasn't any option and scrambled our way up into the trees, continue along until we couldn't get through the under brush or the land simply fell back into the sea. Then we scrambled down again and continued on the coast. Now for the family, we played it safe and we helped each other when needed and spotted some of the really sketchy spots to make sure the other knew where to put foot/hand etc. One of the other deciding factors was the tide was going out so our options would increase, although as we learned, some places just never have a beach, or a trail in the woods. It was the first hike of the season, really pushing that, lol. We got out there with a roar and both got home safe. Tired, sore and starving and a bit dehydrated, but really glad we challenged ourselves and held together as the strong team we have become over the years. Below are pictures of what I could get, at a point the camera got put away and only cell phone pics available, at some points there just wasn't picture taking time or place. Also I have included a map of the direct line circumnavigation, but this doesn't account for the up and down or the bouldering/scrambling that we did. Straight line is about 9-10 miles, but we figure it came closer to 12, at least it feels that way. Little stiff today! lol

This was the first little cove we came to, it has 3 private cabins and I wish I could live there, but the land is in a state park now.

A little further up the coast we found this camp area that is obviously well used by the same group. It even has a basketball hoop on the tree and large area to hang around the fire

They named it Camp Freedom. I like, would be a perfect place for a cabin right back in the trees

After wandering down the beach we finally made it to Camping Cabin, it sits in the most beautiful well protected little cove with a really deep bay that is so clear you can see all the way to the bottom. Going to have to stay there some time soon.

This is looking out from the cabin, as you can see there is a snow storm coming, the white out conditions it brought helped us to loose our way


The last of Mab island and off into the snow flurry we went.

Sarah looking up the coast as we discuss our options.

This is what we were looking at. This terrain continued for about 4 miles. If you look in the back ground you can see an almost vertical face we had to cross. There were deep ravines we had to go around, and headlands that we had to go over. Somewhere along this route a whale surfaced right next to us on the shore and a sea lion followed us for a couple miles keeping us company and I am sure laughing at us.


We cheer ourselves for a job well done and look to the next leg. From here it is about 3.5 miles to the truck

By time we cleared the mile of beach and looked to the trail the light was almost gone, about 7 pm, we still had 45 minutes of hiking through the snow and forest before we reached the road. There we had another mile and half to hike back to the truck. I pushed us so hard, our knees where shaking and we were tuckered out, but we were so close and all I could think about was going out for dinner and stuffing myself on some fatty foods. I sang cadence and plowed through in just under 40 minutes, a record for us in any condition!

We started our hike at the arrow (bottom of map) we then headed north. At about pt. 2 we lost the trail and started following markers that we thought would take us home, but no they ended at a cliff about 100 ft tall. From there we got back to the beach and headed north. The area marked 3 is the most ridiculous coast to walk on, there is no safe passage by foot and I recommend using a pack raft if you want to go this way. Not the recommended route!! At the north tip there is an cabin, that is Blue Mussel, but the actual trail picks up at the next cabin, near the red 11. From there its smooth sailing over ice and snow. We have since spoke to others that have tried the same trip, no one has found that damn trail from this side, most turn around but those that do what we did, understand and feel for us. All in all a great trip, next Echo to Berners!!! Not without a boat!! Lol

A week of "summer"

2012-02-07T11:11:00.000-09:00

Well we just got back this weekend from a week long trip to Oregon. The weather was awesome, like a summer day here in Juneau, ha ha ha. Fifty five degrees and sunny! We had a great time seeing friends and visiting our favorite restaurants. We also did the classic and spent time shopping for things you just cant find or afford in Alaska. Lance and Mary were kind enough to lend us their car and so we even got some coast time in. Nothing like putting your toes in the sand and relaxing while thinking of the frozen harbor back home!! So as usual we will just get to the point and present the pictures!!

After a few days of eating and drinking we needed a hike, so we went to the gorge, not really needing to go play in snow, plenty of that back home! For those that don't know this is Multnomah Falls in the Columbia Gorge, shot from parking lot to include the wonderful old building.


Final destination of our hike, triple falls

small but nice looking little fall on the way up

my good friend Anthony, was good to see him and get out in the woods together


Silliness in the woods, these two with their smart phones are "fishing", seriously guys? your in the woods, ha ha ha. (Matt, Sarah, Anthony enjoying the wonderful world of technology)

Out at the new garage at my folks house. My niece is so cute!! Sarah is trying to hide her Alaskan eyes from the sun! lol

Seal rock beach, just down from the folks

More Seal Rock Beach

Beautiful sunset!

Took my sister's new dog down to the beach, it kept chasing and biting the waves, sometimes getting its whole head buried, absolutely hilarious

We also visited the aquarium, thought this one turned out pretty good

Sea otter at the aquarium

After buying shades Sarah was much happier! Last stop at the beach, Agate Beach, before heading back to the valley

BW artsy shot of Agate Beach head


Visited the boys a couple of times, this time Cody played us some songs he has written, pretty good! I don't know where they get it, definitely not from me as those of you unlucky enough to hear me sing know! lol

After the coast we stopped to see Fred and Jessica for a night in McMinnville, but there isn't photo evidence of those shenanigans, ha ha ha


On the shuttle plane from Portland to Seattle, sun lit the prop nicely!

All in all, we had a wonderful trip, thank you to everyone for a great time, we miss you all already. Next time you get to come up here! lol

Winter in Alaska

2012-01-27T13:34:00.001-09:00

Well hello to everyone. Been very busy with work and play up here. Not too much to say right now, just thought I would post some shots taken around the harbor after one nights snow! It has been coming down pretty good, but this all occurred as we slept. Crazy!

Overall snow accumulation is the front part, this took two days to collect. I tend to keep the plastic cleared off, but left this for giggles

So much snow fell that it couldn't melt fast enough and covered the bay in snowbergs

The wind pushed all the "snowbergs" into the individual fingers of the dock

Looking from main dock to the beach next to my office. Harbor dept and ramp are in the far background

My part time job is at the building on stilts, took this picture in reverse of prior, shows just how much snow accumulated in the harbor over night

My truck was completely clear at about 9 last night, today it still hasn't moved and the plows buried me, almost cant even see it! lol. Gotta take her out tonight and clear it.

Afternoon view from office to the harbor.

Unfortunately there was a loss with all the heavy snow. This old wooden sailboat just couldn't keep up anymore. I have no idea what the plan is for salvage, but presently the dock is holding it up. So very sad.

We still live. ha ha ha

2011-11-28T12:18:00.000-09:00

Its amazing how lack of Internet on the boat could lead to such big breaks in the blog! With two jobs and Sarah and I both taking classes there hasn't been many moments to do anything else. Developments on the boat are minimal. We have been re packing and figuring out where to put stuff. We have been doing some work on the engine and such. Oh, I guess the big thing was that I built a snow cover for the boat! We are completely protected and the snow load just slides right off. This hopefully will allow me to get some deck work done over the winter and replace or re-seat some leaking port lights. We also had a sad occurrence in that one of our cats has flew the coup. He started some really bad habits of peeing on things and spent the night on the back deck. I guess he decided to move on. He was sighted by a few folks up running around the subdivision above the harbor, hopefully he found one to make his own. We miss him greatly!


Tongass, the wild one! No he didn't wear his pack when he left. Lol

So lately we have had record snow levels for November. Got the cover on just in time.


First snow, as you can see the water in the harbor even froze a little that week. Crazy weather

We have a really good heater on the boat and stay right around 65 depending on where you are in the boat. Its really amazing we have lived on it for 2 months now. Seems like we have always been here, so comfy and cozy. We anxiously await spring to go and play amongst the whales and waves!
This last weekend being a holiday weekend we actually had enough days to get things done and take an afternoon to ourselves. We decided due to short day light and time in our schedule to drive out the road. As the weather proved we should have gone the other way, we drove right into a snow storm! Ha ha ha. Its was fun though to drop the truck in 4 wheel and Cruise along. We did get some sun breaks about Eagle Beach and with the tide really high it made the area look totally new and strange. It all looked like islands due to the snow cover and high tide. Got a couple good shots and thought to post up the pano that I put together.


Such a gorgeous sunset!

So all in all things are going good, term in school is wrapping up and we should start to have more time in the future. Hope all had a great turkey day and wish all well!!!

Boat update 2

2011-09-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Alright, having some formatting issues again so I just moved on. It took a couple of weeks to get the first part done. Next I had to cut the plywood for the bunk. My boss at Perseverance used to build sailboats for a living so he showed me a really cool trick for getting complex curves. It involves a template of scrap wood and a block of hardwood. Attach template material to area you want to cut shape too. Then moving the block of wood along and making little lines on the end away from curve onto the template. Then take the template and attach it to the wood you want to cut, take the same block and line it up with your marks, then mark the wood to be cut on the opposite end of the block. Connect the marks into a line and cut. The more marks the more precise. It worked like a dream!

First piece in and second laying on top of it.

Both pieces in. The bed space is 4' 6" wide and removable by a few screws. The outside area of that are separate pieces of ply that were permanently attached and will hold our storage cabinets for cloths and such. I also attached sacrificial 2x4 blocks to the support beams for more surface area to land the plywood and to screw into. This should eliminate damage to the actual supports. I also boat a new LED light and switch for the storage area, switch seen just under 2x4 on upper right hand side of bulkhead. It lights when the light is on so we won't be accidentally lighting the area.


Next came the nice Oak end cap for the mattress to keep it from sliding off. This was attached to the 2x4 supports. Starting to really look like a bed! So excited!


Sarah spend the whole day and made a canvas cover for the foam we bought and we slid it in. Perfect! This shot show a little better the side boards that will be our storage cabinets for cloths etc. We will also leave about 4" on either side of the mattress just for some more room. On top of this foam will be a thin memory foam pad that came off the bed at home, she is tailoring that today.

Sorry, boat was rocking pretty good. This shot is too show the new lighting on the boat. I took out the old 70's style camper lights and replaced them all with marine grade LED lighting. It really made a huge difference. This cost me about $300 to completely install but so worth it. 3 ft one over the future kitchen table, 18" one over the galley, 1 foot light on bulkhead of v-berth door facing into the room with a switch right there, also 2 small directionally adjustable lights for the front of the v-berth to read by, and an under the shelf adjustable one for the cooking area. I also bought an 18 inch one for the head. It has clips that attach it to the wall and internal batteries that charge and hold for 3 hours. This allows me a light I can pop off the wall and take where its needed. Pretty cool. Sarah also bought us Christmas lights for a mellower lighting that I put up just after this shot.


Took a moment to enjoy the view. Our boat in the foreground and another Rawson right behind us and Mt. McGinnis in the back ground. Great view!


View from my back deck tonight as the sun began to set. Love it!

Well that is it for now, we are in full move and organize mode now and some final touches to the v-berth. Will post as soon as I can. We are so ready to be done with the move and settle in. Snow came down on the mountains to the shoulders last night and want to get on with making the boat ready for winter. Looking forward to enjoying our nice new bunk and warming next to the Dickenson stove.

Boat Update

2011-09-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

Alright, so been super busy with working the two jobs, school and the boat. Haven't had much time to post but I thought I would just stick up some pics of the progress with quick explanations and leave it at that. So without further adieu...


After sanding and cleaning I fiber glassed in the new bulkhead board for the bed support. We also glued in Reflectix insulation (1/4 inch thick) to the walls and epoxied in blocks to the hull for the attachment strips. This took a couple of days to finish. All wood is either oak (blocks) or 3/4 inch CDX plywood.


another shot to show the initial insulation and block method.

Next we connected the blocks with 1/2 inch thick strips of luan, which is a hard wood material that comes in 1/4 inch thickness, cut strips from a 4x8 sheet. Its very flexible and allowed for the curvature. Next we cut and inserted 1" thick polystyrene that also has a reflective side into the "boxes" the strips had created and stuffed extra Reflectix under the strips in the hollow spaces. Not shown in this shot it we then used ducting tape to seal it all together and eliminate drafts. This will help to keep the interior and the hull isolated from each other and has basically eliminated sweating in the v-berth. Worked better than I hoped. Should also keep us pretty warm this winter!


another close-up of the wall look. Still feels like living in a jiffy pop! lol

So after the insulation we stapled in this plastic sheeting that is very flexible and almost indestructible to the strips and covers the insulation. This gives a water barrier on the inside for sweating and is also easy to clean until I get the wood panelling up and protects the insulation from our cats and incidental damage. I also cut a large door that pulls out into the bulkhead for access to the storage space under the bunk. Then the 2x4 bed supports were attached and support (cat blockers) blocks installed on the bulkhead top. We don't want the cats being able to get below.


This is the floor of the v-berth storage with an 8x8 inch access door for cleaning out the front of the keel. This area used to collect a lot of water, but since sealing the windows and the bowsprit along with the lack of sweating it has been bone dry for 3 weeks. None the less thought it was good to be able to check it quickly and easily in the future. As you can see I used hurricane straps to connect the 2x4 supports to the bulkhead. I am not sure how they will hold up, but once the rest was done they were redundant so I will watch and see.

Skagway Train Trip

2011-09-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

So Lance and Mary came to visit us here in good old Juneau, and as per classic Juneau, it rained most of the time. LOL. We did get some decent weather but for the most part it is now fall up here, the rains have returned and the trees are beginning to loose their leaves. While they were here we did some pretty classic tourist things, ie lots of fish and chips. Halibut is so good when its deep fried! Also while they were here we went on a trip to Skagway. This is just north about 150 miles in the back of a glacial cut fjord. As a child we went there a few times, rode the train and even hiked the Chilkoot trail with my scout troop. This trip was to do some window shopping and for a train ride. Woohoo, Choo Choo!!! I love trains! Sarah and her folks had never been to Skagway so it was exciting for them to see a different area. I am continuously amazed how much the land changes in such a short distance. The types of trees, ground cover (or lack there of) and the general geology is so vastly different from our soggy moss covered forests of huge evergreen trees. The weather in general was decent, high overcast, but no rain, so that was good. Temps averaged around 55 and got chillier in the passes. I have a friend of mine who said the very next week those same passes got dusted with their first snow of the year, here it comes! So anyways, going to post up some pics of the train ride and such and will explain along the way. All aboard that are going aboard!

Mountain view from the ferry of Eagle (left) and Herbert (right) glaciers on the north end of Juneau

Lance and I hanging outside, enjoying a nice break in the weather and the views

I love the mist moving through the peaks, seriously rugged country up there

One of hundreds of waterfalls along the way, this one is really large though, some drops of 100ft. or more

It really amazes me this place we live, like a national park everywhere I look

Eldrid Rock Lighthouse, quite the establishment in the middle of nowhere

Sarah in front of the largest snow blower ever! It is now decommissioned, but it used to right the tracks and clear the snow, drifts of 20 ft or more!

The snow blower in its entirety

The family in front of a classic icon of Skagway. Pretty sure my folks have pics of me and my sister in the same place. lol

Looking down through the trestle as we pass over it. Exciting

One of my favorite shots, shows the steep elevation of the area and some awesome geology.

This is shot from a moving platform at full telephoto, so not so clear, but not too bad

An old trestle no longer used, sure glad its in really bad shape

The trail of '98, look carefully and you can see the gold seekers foot trail in the ravine.

The border. We were not allowed to leave the train and this is where the engine was disconnected and put on the other end of the train and down we went.

View down into the ravine under the old not used trestle!

This is the replacement trestle and a nice view point to catch the train and the mountains in the background

As always I was intrigued by the local geology and found these rocks of particular interest. It looks natural to a point but some later views showed that possibly they dug into this for mines, also not a bad place to set up camp!

Sorry for duplicate

So there has been some issues with this post, things double, don't show up and delete one and everything is gone, so this is the best I could get it, couldn't remove the double sheep shot, it is supposed to be a different one, also formatting is totally out of my control, so anyhoo here it is. Figured enough trying to fix it, just post it.
The trip was awesome, love the area and the train ride. Really glad we got to experience it and was great to travel with Lance and Mary. We at our fill of Fish and Chips while they were here and Lance and I had venison burgers made from the dear I helped haul out last fall with a friend of mine in Sitka. Tasty!!

So anyways, there ya go, good trip for all and a safe return.

WE BOUGHT A BOAT!!!!!!

2011-08-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

Holy smokes! Sarah and I have taken the first step in following a dream we have had since we first met. Fifteen years later and we are now the proud owners of a 1967 30' Rawson sailboat. We are nervous, excited and just a weeee bit stressed out. Ha ha ha. We plan to live on it and cut down some of our overhead, allowing us to pursue other dreams that will require more capital than we are able to pull together while renting a large house and all its utilities.
The hull is fiberglass, hand build as part of a short series, but still basically a production boat. The designer is Gardner and he and Rawson designed and built several different boats, from sailboats to gillnetters. The Rawson name is recognized as a good builder and the reviews online are very favorable so we feel we made a good choice.

The boat is however older than I am, so like me it is a bit rough around the edges and needs some TLC. The hull as far as we can tell seems to be in great shape, will need to be hauled next summer and some bottom paint etc done, but all in all good condition. The motor is an inboard Westerbeke 4 cylinder. Due to no hours used gauge or log book we have no idea how many hours the motor has on it, but it start and runs smooth. That will be a project for next year or so, in the mean time I will be focusing on the interior and details. It has a head, galley, v-berth and a salon area. The salon, or kitchen table, has been removed to create another double bunk so that will have to be rebuilt, but first comes the v-berth so that we have somewhere to sleep. Most of the wood used in the boat interior has only been painted, not sealed for the most part, so first step was removal of the old. I completely gutted the berth and prepared the interior of the hull for insulation. I am following the advice of another blog, the Frugal Mariner link, as far as the insulation and wall reconstruction. Due to my living in isolated Alaska I will have some differences as far as materials. I am using the Reflectix material as a base and looking at polystyrene sheets for my second layer. I am unable to locate a source for bulk camping pad material such as he used. Also this is a bit thicker and so will only due one layer of each, also it is considerably cheaper! I also will be doing my final wall installs slightly different in an attempt to save some money and time, also to not give up too much space as our boat is smaller than his and I am hoping to retain as much cubic feet of living as possible. In place of the single bunk I will be putting a customized double bunk with individual storage and hanging for cloths on either side. As I progress along I will post pictures and show the developments. Should be a fun ride! So on to the pics and more explanations......


This is a pic of the outside after finishing our first day of cleaning on the boat, beautiful night for waterfront property. Ha ha ha


Sorry a bit blurry, but she does so much love her boat!


So one of my first issues is fixing the broken window above the controls, it is really smashed and leaks some when it rains heavy. The doors are original and in satisfactory condition, I will be working on them next summer to make a better seal and such. They used to be Dutch doors and I have thought to re-create that in the replacements.

V-berth looking forward to anchor locker space. This is how we found it just after the prior owner moved off. The anchor locker space we are planning to use as a kitty cubby, we don't want to introduce the anchor line and all its moisture etc into our living quarters, so it will be stored on deck in a plastic tub. This will give the cats a place to hangout and call their own, maybe underfoot just a little less. lol


Looking to the port side of the v-berth. As you will notice the entire thing is sealed in a single layer of Reflectix and as I work on it there will be replacement, and increased usage. This will get covered with poly sheets and then a plastic sheeting used in commercial kitchens (virtually indestructible) and ultimately trimmed with wood for a nice warm glow and feeling.


Looking towards starboard v-berth. As you will notice they have used standard household carpet to line this wall, this is the first thing I tore out. Also as stated earlier, wood they used for shelves etc is mostly untreated and I gutted that also, you will notice the rotted black wood in this stack. Once all that was removed the boat took on a whole new feeling, cleaner!

This is the galley, the stove/oven is a Dickenson and seems in good shape. The top is old and bit rusted so if anyone has tips on doing a good strip down cleaning and re-sealing would be great. I figure its cast iron so do it like a pan, although pretty hard to temper it in the oven as I would a pan. Suggestions appreciated. Also notice the box of Potato Buds, a gift found down behind the oven. Yuck!


This is the head, looking over toilet at the cupboard build into the ceiling (on boats the wall are ceilings)


Mirror, counter and sink of the head


Cupboards open, as you can see lots of storage here too.


This is what is left of half of the salon area. The bench is still there, back rest is gone and cushions are gone, so a bit of work will be going on here. The refer is under the bench and is fairly new and in great shape.


Looking aft at the salon area and berth/storage under the cockpit. This too had some original carpet on the walls and I have removed it in prep of future work. As you can see the headliner is in pretty good shape and just need to reattach in some areas where the screws stripped out.


Starboard just aft of the galley, two person couch (that is the flat panel heater that came with the boat) behind that another large storage area. The electrical was all replaced and run through a few years ago and conveniently placed in this panel.


Well, this isn't pretty, but it had to be done. After first day of tear out this blue bulkhead and the old wood panelling on the wall came out, the fiberglass was scraped, and cleaned and prepared for new insulation.

So now that the area is stripped and ready I will come in and do the insulation. More pics to come and hope everyone enjoys seeing the beginning and end of our boat project, at least enough to be able to move in a little over a month from now. Till then......

Summer goes by so fast

2011-08-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

So the summer has been moving along really quick now that I am up and active. Spent most of my time working on the set for Perseverance Theater summer STAR show. The plays were Beauty and the Beast (jr.) and James and the Giant Peach. The cast are kids involved with the summer acting camp and their shows alternate nightly and share the same stage. That was a challenge for the technical director and his assistant, yours truly. We built a two story pentagon shaped gazebo that represented the east tower in Beauty and also the peach. This was accomplished by different backdrops being hung inside, around or behind as needed. We also put in a trap door to the second floor and removable ladder for James, and two hidden ladders on the back for the cast to ascend the structure. The uprights were constructed of 13 foot 2x6 ripped at 36 degrees on one side so that when glued and nailed together they created the main support. Under the second floor were 5 foot versions of the same design attached to the inside of the 13 footers and gave us a place to rest the joist system on. Then all joists were bolted and hung by joist brackets as any deck would be, but with the twist that no two sides are parallel to each other. In the center we mounted a 4x4 for structural support. The whole thing was amazingly stable and we joked about selling it to someone for their garden. Unfortunately to remove it means to destroy it. So no sale.


The gazebo


Although difficult to see, we put a fake roof on it and mimicked the pentagon shape in the center

The other side of the stage was a progression of platforms elevating to a height of 4 feet. We mounted step for each level. Rather simple in design but yet challenging to keep it safe and sturdy.

So Sunday was strike day and I snapped these shots just before demolition began, now after another day of clean-up and trimming at the shop the entire set is nothing more than lumber waiting for the next show. Ah, the life of theater!

Well I'm healed up and out enjoying life again

2011-07-24T10:05:00.001-08:00

So things got pretty slow around here with the broken clavicle. I have finally healed up and the doctors have given me the go ahead to begin enjoying life once more! yay! So we started of slow and did some longer hikes and such just to see how things feel. We recently went up to Windfall lake and enjoyed a great day. The weather was good, overcast, but warm and nice. The trail group up here went through this trail last year and did some really nice improvements. New board walks and large areas of graveled path. Its a popular trail for the mountain bikers so it was built with them in mind and limiting the damage done. Really nice! The view once you get up into the muskeg are spectacular and lend themselves to some great pics.


One of many skegs we crossed on their wonderful bridges

One of those bridges, not wonderful for railing etc. but impressive 4" slabs cut from local trees


The sky was grey so I thought to use the water to show it off

Along the way we saw many fungi, these are about the size of a dime


Found many really nice Bear Bread also, about a foot in size for these


On a spur trail, that is a log with boards nailed to it to cross, bit sketchy


Fields of Arctic Cotton, wondering if you could really make something....

On the spur trail that took us to the lake end we did some wandering around and I thought I may have found some gold. I have taken up prospecting a bit and I think I will have to come back and look around some more in the future. Panning has only turned up a small amount of flake and flour, of which I am not convinced that it is real, don't want to be a "fool", ha ha ha. So much more study and practice, maybe make it rich someday, or at least make my wife a wedding ring from gold I have prospected. That would be neat.

Once we got to the lake, took some lunch and enjoyed the view and of course the immense mosquitoes! They was a family in the new cabin up there, so we respected their space and stayed clear, so maybe some pics of that next time. Seems really nice though and just looking at it Sarah and I are sure that is all the house we would ever need. Too bad you can't live here, lol.

View of Windfall lake from our lunch spot. The cabin is to the right, but was trying to give them some privacy. Will have to go back and try on a day not so overcast. The cabin comes will all needed comforts of home, even a solar powered light in the outhouse and a small skiff and canoe for lazing on the lake. This is the same lake we tried to get to last winter from Montana creek, ref blog from Jan 9, 2011.

For reference of that blog post follow this link.....
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7616464475458021379

July 4th and 20th Reunion

2011-07-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

(Well this is funny, I wrote part of this blog and then saved it meaning to come back and do some more work on it, then totally spaced it, so its late, ha ha ha.)

Well this was an interesting weekend. My 20th reunion spanned over 3 days of festivities, blending into the fireworks on the third and the parade on the 4th! Wow! The reunion was a hoot. Fun to see people you haven't seen in forever. Got to spend time with old friends and reminence. The weather here was down right crappy as it tends to this time of year, and weren't quite sure if the fireworks were going off or not, but they did. I actually was totally burned out and personally didn't see them, but my neighborhood had a pretty spectacular show for two days straight, so when the bomb is bursting over your house all night no need to go anywhere. Got to sit home, watch the show and drink some beer!

The parade was good as usual and got a few pics to share, all in all a great weekend!

Been Awhile

2011-06-27T12:53:00.000-08:00

Well sorry to everyone, it has been a long time since I last posted to the blog. So in short for those who don't know, I had a little incident that resulted in breaking my clavicle, and well typing a blog one handed didn't seem like too much fun. Now about a month out I am out of the sling and I can type with both hands. The actual bone break is healing well but other injuries incurred at the same time, such as my shoulder, knee and other bump and bruises are proving to be slightly slower in the healing and there seems to be some serious bruising. Everyday though I get stronger and feel more and more like myself.
One of the sad things of this injury was the inability to use my camera so there haven't been any shots to even post, but with the ability to lift my arm again, the pictures have begun again. Yay!
During the last month or so of healing I have changed my job, and I am now the Asst. Technical Director for Perseverance Theater here in Juneau. Meaning that I have a full time paying gig building sets for this seasons up coming shows. So hopefully there will be some challenges and such that warrant mention here, such as the router jig that started this whole blog thing.


One of the first hikes I was able to do, lighting was bad, but these flowers in the field were very nice

On another hike in the rain, I found these during a rain break

For summer solstice Sarah and I went for a picnic at Sunshine Cove, it was so beautiful

While having our picnic and beating back the insane bug population we were able too watch humpbacks out in Lynn Canal feeding, then suddenly there was a different blow sound and fins cutting through the water. Amazing, an entire pod of Orcas came by just outside the island heading towards deeper water. We sat and watched them fish for over an hour, eagles soaring in the sky and peace and quiet. Couldn't ask for a better solstice!
As a final note to this blog, I also just got hired by UAS to work on a project that will create a modeling program to culminate data from multiple agencies throughout the gulf of Alaska and compile it to create a better understanding of glacial runoff into the ocean. This research will encompass multiple aspects and hopefully give us the ability to predict and understand the effects of snow pack, precipitation, and glacial recession on the local system including the food chain and its timing. At this point I only have a basic idea of the outcome, but it sounds really exciting. I am working with my favorite professor at the university and looking forward to it. So, this has been the summer of change, I finally have found jobs, as Sarah says "grown up jobs", that interest me and have a future. Things are going to get kinda crazy when these two and school all line up but I am looking forward to the challenge. I have finally found careers that interest me and excite me.
On another note, we are looking seriously at a couple of sailboats that we hope to purchase and move on to by summers end at latest. Main issue at this point is pulling enough capital together, this will decide which we choose. One is a real fixer upper but it is cheap and would be immediate, the other is a real gem but costs more. The question now is how much debt and time doing repairs do we want. The larger boat could seriously be the "end boat", large enough to live on for some time, the other would be a stepping stone to something substantial. We are leaning towards the larger boat right now, especially with time needed for new adventures. Well we shall have to wait and see. This is a very exciting time for us right now, so close to realizing some dreams that we have had for over a decade!!
Well that is all for now, weather is nice out so hopefully I will get some more photos to post. Till next time, peace to everyone and I hope life is treating you decent.

Summer and the livin's easy....

2011-05-19T17:58:00.002-08:00

So suddenly I find myself in Alaska, in the summer, and copious amounts of time on my hands. Yes, yes I have become recently unemployed. :)

Its a good thing. I am pursuing a couple of leads that have been there for far too long. Wish me luck. I am about to attempt to break out of the 8 hr day after day, and see if I can make a living doing things I like to do and somewhat be able to set my own schedule. This would allow for more photography at the times I need to do it, not working indoors. I really hope I can make this happen!!

So anyways, today I learned how to play disc golf. Yea yea, I know, seriously? Depends on your take. It is fun! It is also very challenging and good exercise. Apparently since I moved away someone has opened a course, and seriously, its 5 stars. Incredible uphills, through trees, in and out of old growth forest. Which by the way trees are not friends of gently gliding discs. Tree hate or love depends on where is bounces. All in all it was a real blast! So to all those that tried to get me out there before, sorry, should have! So much lost time and courses I could have played. Ha ha ha. I also managed to have the lowest score, thus winning! Beginners luck strikes again! Thank you to a great teacher! So anyways, that is about it for right now, weather has been awesome and I pulled off this shot of the vista view from the course. What a beautiful morning!

Yes, there is a hole down in there! Tree hate!

Friday I am thinking about trying my hand at some gold panning! Gotta bring home the bacon, right? :)
My Easter basket was a new gold pan and I have been itching to get out and try it. I need to check some rules tonight, don't want to claim jump! ha ha ha Peace to all, Earnest

Its summer vacation

2011-04-26T17:55:00.001-08:00

Well that is it, turned in the last project, what's done is done! Now I get to look forward to a great summer of adventures and fun! I miss the ice, it makes a great piece to photograph, but happy that the tree buds are starting to come on, some grass is poking out of some peoples lawns (not mine, it has more moss and weeds than grass, ha ha ha). So long last summer is here! Went for a hike this Sunday, Easter, to Pt. Bridget. Figured it was a good day, sunny and all, to go out work on the tan and relax.Ha ha ha! Along the way we ran into one of Sarah's co-workers and hiked together. We all agreed it was truly a wonderful day. As we sat there we heard the whales off in the distance blowing, but too far to get photos of. Then soon they were near us and rounding the point. It is truly amazing how fast they move with so little effort. As we scrambled over the boulders to get a look at them we heard the sound. They were feeding just on the other side of the point. It was so loud, we could feel it through the rocks. I wouldn't want to be in the water when a big whale does that, it could blow your eardrums. We looked at each other with excitement and almost ran the last few hundred yards. When we climbed up to the top of the point just past Blue Muscle Cabin we heard it again and then they were gone. We waited patiently, but no sign. Its a pretty deep hole right out there so we kept expecting them to surface as a group, hopefully as a bubble net. Alas it wasn't meant to be and the next sighting was just as they passed the next point headed south, about a 1/4 mile or so away. I called it quits and decided we would never catch up with them, kicking myself the whole time for not going out to the point to begin with. Oh well, it was still amazing and the day was worth it, just to hear them is amazing.


The last siting as they rounded the point

So, of course without whales to shoot I did some landscape shots and of course, Sarah. Ha ha ha. The kids will recognize this pose, although I don't think Lewis and Clark ever made it this far.

Unfortunately there was a hazy blue hue over most everything as is usually the case here but I did get some good shots of mountains on our side and of the Chilkat range.


I waited forever for the sun to light up this face, oh well, I thought it looked good to climb, not me, someone else. ha ha ha

I liked the perspective, you can never capture this place, but this gives a sense of the enormity of it all

Chilkat range, awesome spire, straight up vertical on this side and the ducks wanted in the shot too.

Then on the way home Sarah spotted a whale really close in and these kayakers in the distance.

Then to end the day the whales went north again, and the sun showed us one last show and off we went. All around a great day! Happy Easter

Howdy ya'll

2011-04-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Well once again life has gotten away with me and there hasn't been much time to post, or any pictures either. Things are finally warming up here in the north. It is a surprise sunny morning for Easter and its about 45 or so outside right now. Its been raining and such lately so most the higher elevation trails are in really bad shape and avalanche danger is a major concern in some areas. So with work being, well, work and school and bad weather haven't much to put up or time to do it. Sorry everyone. :) So I thought I would take just a couple moments and get up a few pics from the last months and get caught up because soon I will be done with school and the play time begins! Then I will have many more shots. So on with the pictures!


In March we took an afternoon and ran up Eagle River trail, great hike!

We ran into a lot more snow than we expected. We surveyed the head of the trail and decided that snow shoes would once again not be necessary and added weight for no reason, like the last hike we went on. So we left them in the truck and wore our micro spikes instead. As we got further back in the valley it became apparent that the shoes would have been nice, we did some post holing but not too bad.


Close up of the above peak, just to the north of Earnest Gruening Mountain


Little bunny tracks in the snow


A spire of granite sticking out of a glacially carved valley. Pretty amazing.

The cabin at the top, on the lake and looking to go back this spring!

Eagle Glacier, for my folks...man its a lot smaller now!


It was really windy but by the looks of the snow, calmer than it had been

This is one of my more favorite snow shots this trip


Sarah looking pretty bad-ass! ha ha ha

The hillside next to us for about 1/2 mile, 500ft. tall, oozing with ice all over it. pretty cool

This is about where he started post-holing, about 3-4ft deep and increased from here

We are not totally sure what animal, but the cool thing is this is frozen in relief, meaning raised foot print, wind blew all the loose snow away leaving just this behind. Pretty cool!

We recently went to the State Museum and looked at a few photo shows they had there. One of the artists was really into sand and snow in the abstract, so this last shot was inspired by him. I didn't alter it or anything yet, will play later if time, but he did some great stuff with photo shop that made his pics really unique.

On the way home we just caught the sunset over Eagle Beach towards the Chilkat Range

Well, that is it for today, Happy Easter to everyone! Hope its a good one and will try to finish catching up soon. Now its time to go and get more pics of the wonderful place we live. See ya!

Been a while

2011-02-27T13:32:00.003-09:00

Hello everyone, its been some time since I posted, sorry. Life has been good but very busy. With work I received a new position, I am now the Food and Beverage Manager. This includes all my prior Kitchen manager responsibilities along with new ones, ordering, planning and well just about anything that has to do with food and beverages. Ha ha ha. School is going well also, but between the two I am a very busy person. Most of my meager free time has been taken up with enjoying the place we live and sleeping. So I thought with this post I would simply put up pictures and give details as they are needed. Today's weather is gorgeous but cold, about 5 degrees at the airport which means it is colder back here next to the ice cube. Also we have winds about 40 mph here in the valley and 65 mph downtown and in exposed areas. They are saying the wind chill is about 20 below and I just poked my head out a few minutes ago and feel that they are being very generous with that number. Brrrrrrr! So today will be a homework, blogging, house cleaning and calling family kind of day. So without further aideu, onto what you all want, the pictures......

For new year we went to Auke Rec and had a weenie roast with some friends, it was dark and cold, but it was a total blast, it was a sober party and a great start to a new year!!!

Looking across Benjamin Island, Shot B&W Because the colors were flat but the light was good

Shortly after winter break a big storm rolled in and rained all the snow away. When the sun came back it was really windy and so Sarah and I decided to go for a drive out the road. The colors were pretty flat but lighting was interesting, so I went for a black and white shot, Ansel Adams style.

Horse Island in Sunshine Cove


Winter storm on Benjamin Island, where we kayaked this summer with whales, not going out there now!

Looking across Favorite Channel

Panoramic of Favorite Channel and Benjamin Island


A hidden cove just past sunshine, packed full of ice blown in off the ocean

my sweetie pie, staying warm in the truck, notice the ice face covering the rocks behind her?

So for those that read Sarah's blog, you have already heard about the new ice skates. I took a few pics of our first outing. We hadn't had them sharpened yet and so control was questionable at best, all my shots are from view of me on my butt. ha ha ha!

Zoom, Zoom! Look at her go!

Such a happy day, Sarah got new skates!!!

My new skates, soooo coool!!

The weather was awesome, clear and not windy. We found we could travel so much faster with the ice skates. We took off across the lake and found some really cool icebergs. There is nothing more photogenic than ice and sun.....

During the last thaw large pieces of the lake lifted and icebergs rolled over, looks really cool

One of my favorite shots, this was about 15 ft tall, I am fully under it.


During last thaw these were pools cascading down, I centered it with the glacier for the continuous look


Same erratic from other side, the whole cube glowed except where the rock and dirt was

The reflections were just so awesome, ice and sun, a great combination

The rock is about half the size of VW Bug

Cathedral of ice, Superman's hide out?


I love the mimic effect of the mountain

Some poor puppy left this on the lake and it froze in, kinda cool


landscape of ice

Last Day of Winter Vacation

2011-01-09T17:43:00.003-09:00

Being the last day of my winter vacation before heading back for another exciting semester at UAS, we decided that a trek in the woods was called for. We rose early with the sun, which is about 7:30 for first light these days, ate some chow and slammed some coffee and hit the trail. Due to recent thawing and freezing cycles we decided to stay low in elevation to avoid potential avalanche dangers. This led us to go up Montana Creek trail just 5 minutes drive from our house. As usual we packed for every conceivable thing we could think of and hit the trail. When I was a kid we used to drive up the road in our old Landcruiser, but these days they have it blocked at the archery range. This first part is now open to recreational motor vehicles, but early on a Sunday morning there isn't a whole lot of snowmobiles on the trail. It was quiet and crisp, a balmy 17 degrees or so in this narrow valley. For those that don't know the area, this watershed is on the back side of Mt. McGinnis which is on the west side of the Mendenhall valley. Eventually the trail reaches Windfall lake and a cabin. Overall the elevation gain isn't much, but this is a very windy little creek, so it is estimated to be about 7 miles to the lake, one way. Due to short day light hours and what ended up being a very strenuous trail we only made it about 5 miles in, this of course means 5 miles back out. Very tired and a bit sore right now, ha ha ha. Here is a satellite image of the area and our roughly estimated route.

We got soooo close! We just didn't have the time or the energy to go any further. Upon reaching the end of the first little leg on the old road we got some wonderful views of the back side of McGinnis.

As you can also see, Sarah was ready to go and full of that spunky attitude of hers, ha ha ha.


Looking down the creek, towards the sun.

After this rest we headed up the trail. From here there were no more motor vehicles and the trail was very lightly used. We passed a family that were playing along side the creek and had reached a point they were not going past with the children. We plowed on ahead, making tracks in freshly fallen snow, no one had been this far in some time. About a mile or so in there is a bridge to cross the creek, this was a good chance to show the massive ice dams that we had been walking next too. During our last thaw a serious amount of water and ice moved down the valley, in places it was 2-3 feet thick and pushed up into piles even bigger.

Looking up river though it looked better so we decided to keep going, this is when the area started to get pretty treacherous.

We didn't seem to get lucky with the avalanche danger and crossed several small chutes, and two very large ones. These two required us to dig out foot holds and cross very carefully, Sarah wasn't so impressed with my attitude of adventure. Ha ha ha

This is the lessor scary of the two, the top is solid ice and under is about 2-3 feet of powder. Bit sketchy!

I wish I had gotten a shot of the really big washout, but I was just so glad to have gotten us both across safely both ways that I didn't think about it. Then after we returned to the old road part we were greeted with a nice sunset on McGinnis.

The left peak is Stroller White and right is McGinnis

Some time in the summer, not now, we are going to summit this and run the ridges! Yay!

Anyways, it was a fun hike, most of the area is so wooded and deep that I couldn't really get any good shots, but its the act of being there, not just the photo ops. As we headed to the truck I thought to take a picture of the snow that we had been walking on all day, it is very interesting what happens when the evaporating moisture freezes instantly!

Its hard to capture, but it looks like thousands of little mushrooms, each flat surface is a hexagon of crystals on a pedestal of ice, very cool

Winter Fun

2010-12-31T14:45:00.000-09:00

Sorry it has been such a long time since my last post. Seasonal fun and all. Work has been busy with the holiday festivities, but now is starting to calm down just a little. I received a promotion this week, more responsibility and pay to match. Should be fun and challenging!
Anyways, our son Christopher came up to visit for a few weeks. Unfortunately this was right in the middle of my busy time and we didn't get to have all the adventures that we wanted to, we did go out and enjoy the copious amounts of snow we received and even squeezed in a trip to Peterson Lake cabin. Funny, its the same cabin we stayed in when he was just knee high to a grasshopper (No longer the case, ha ha ha) We arrived just before dusk, around 3 or so and got the fire going and dropped our gear, I stepped out with my camera and caught the final tips of pink on the distant mountains.

Chris brought some multi-colored light sabers and we became inspired to play in the dark with them and try some photography. We got some pretty cool shots, some new ideas and inspiration for future attempts. Our creativity seems to build on each other. So without further adieu....

Basic sword moves

More like a ninja this time. ha ha ha

looks kinda like Hubble pictures from space

Chris playing imaginary drums, this began some serious inspiration

Then we decided to make Chris visible and play with the lighting effects

What can I say, Chris being Chris. LASER EYES!


This one is really cool, less for the lighting, more for the effect is had on Chis, he looks like a video game character.

Then after playing in the cabin we decided to go out into the night. It was around 5-7 degrees and clear as a bell, so play time was a bit short.

Almost a full moon, just days before the lunar eclipse.

Chris running across the snow, really cool

now he is running at me waving his arms, one of my favorites

doing a little dance and pretending to drum, he was letting his "spirit" loose. ha ha ha

"Fire in the trees" When several


With multi color

We tried a bunch of other things and some worked some not, most inspired other ideas to be tried in the future. We both couldn't feel our fingers or our noses, so it was time to head into the warm cabin and enjoy some hot cider.

View from the porch of the cabin

Everything looked so magical in the morning sun

Boat ramp on the lake

View of distant mountains through the trees

Photography of Ice is so fun, and challenging!

2010-11-24T17:33:00.001-09:00

Mendenhall with a frozen lake

Well now that the snow has come, the temps are warming up and the next stage is the freeze. This means time for me to catch up on the blog again. Last weekend was a spectacular couple days of sun and very cold temps, night lows around 15 and days at about 25-30 depending on your location. Standing in front of the glacier on Friday, a 10-15 mile an hour wind blowing in my face it felt closer to zero, but the view was amazing. People were wandering out on the ice and climbing on icebergs, but that seems not so smart to me. One little calving from the glacier and it all could turn to mush! I did spend a fair amount of time throwing rocks on the frozen ice and listening to the echo underneath between it and the water, very cool sound. Also its like bowling if you aim for other rocks, or maybe curling. Ha ha ha. Anyways for those that know the area, Nugget creek falls is just out of frame on the right and the large rock on the left is the peninsula that was covered in ice when I was a child. The visitors center is roughly a mile behind me and I am standing on a new terminus left from the face of the late 70's and early 80's. It is absolutely amazing how much it has receded and how the lake bathymetry has evolved. Here are some other pics from that day, hope you enjoy them!


Panorama showing how far the glacier has moved from the falls, amazing!


Mt. MiGinnis across the lake, just before snow level dropped to sea level


Nugget falls is starting to freeze up, crazy ice formations, also the iceberg looks like a cow, ha ha ha


There had been a great wind storm a day before and blew all the ice up on the beach, very cool


Its amazing the different types of ice from one glacier


A little abstract, but I like the lines, notice the frozen bubbles that tried to escape, they are to perpendicular lines in the ice? Different angle to see the bubbles


Light through ice, notice the chip that looks kinda like a clam? A favorite past time for the locals is to throw ice and break it, also throwing rocks on the ice as mentioned earlier.


With the final rays, a block lights up and glows


like gems, diamonds, so very cool

And with the final rays of the sun, I head for the truck and the heater that awaits me.

Hunting deer in Sitka Alaska

2010-11-20T10:50:00.000-09:00

This is the river valley on Chichagof that we hunted

Hello everyone, sorry haven't posted lately. Life has been very busy with work, school, and a recent hunting trip. Also for a while there the weather was terrible and there were no pretty pictures to post. So to catch everyone up on things...a couple weeks ago I flew over to Sitka and went on a 5 day hunting trip with my dear friend Jon and several of his buddies. As I said the weather was terrible and I was lucky to get in on my flight during one of a few breaks in the weather. Then, once in Sitka we got pinned down by 60 mile an hour winds that bashed the coast, 15 foot seas breaking in Salisbury Sound, so none the less we didn't get out for a full 24 hours. The following day we made a run for it between squalls to Hoonah Sound. We met up with two other boats on a mooring buoy in a small cove on Moesser Island.

There is a cabin in there, where half the crew slept.

The wind was calm so we decided to go for a short afternoon hunt. One of the boats dropped us off on Chichagof Island on the other side of the bay. We scrambled along the shore line at high tide and headed back into the river valley. There were multiple groups so we decided to fan out and hunt different zones of the valley. We hiked, sat, called and repeated a few times when suddenly a buck and doe ran into the clearing in front of us. At first Jon didn't see them because they were on my side, I waited for them to enter the clearing a bit more and get a better shot, this was my first mistake. When Jon saw the doe, he took his shot. I was using his gun and hadn't had a chance to shoot it yet, so while making my checks and lining up on the buck, he got the doe. This was my second mistake, because at that point the buck took off across the clearing and I pulled off a shot, of course missing the deer. So while getting another round in the chamber, Jon shot the buck. He was a bit confused at first because he hadn't seen the buck and couldn't believe he missed the doe. We went over to the buck and then I told him what I had seen and so we search for the other deer. Sure enough, two deer in less than an hour!! The buck ended up being the largest anyone had seen in that valley. We then took took turns dragging the two deer out the 1/4 mile or so to the beach and got picked up. Pretty dang good for the first day!! When hanging next to other bucks that weekend, it was a full 8 inches longer and considerably more robust. The next morning was sad news for us, we needed to run the boat to charge the batteries, but she wouldn't start. We decided that this was more important than deer and spent the day working on it. It was breezy and raining a lot so it was nicer to be on the boat. By the way, his boat is a really nice Sea Sport, fairly new, and this was the first time he had a problem. We finally figured out that a fuel filter was fouled and had caused a large air lock in the line. When we finally got it running and felt it was good and batteries charged, it was 2 in the afternoon. With the sun going down at 4 or so, this doesn't leave much time to hunt. So we hung out drank beer, took naps and relaxed.

Captain Jon on his Sea Sport, lamenting the lost day of hunting

Later when the other parties returned we found out that no one even saw a deer that day, made us feel a bit better. The following day we decided to hunt a different valley due to the amount of people around, we had at least 10-12 guys up there, and also how much tramping around in their area had gone on. Unfortunately for us we were hunting in 40 mile an hour winds at our backs blowing right up the valley we wanted to hunt. Jon and I found what looked like a buck highway, sign everywhere and very fresh, but we didn't see a thing. Two friends were hunting the low valley while we hunted the hillside, two shots rang out. We did a radio check but something was wrong with theirs, turns out the battery had died. We looped around and returned to the rendezvous spot, a few moments later the other two showed up. They had been walking along the tree line when they spooked a doe that had been bedded down. After the got her, they waited and sure enough a buck came in to investigate. They had dragged them half way back, but wanted to make the rendezvous time and Alan had recently dislocated his shoulder on a goat hunting trip, so he wasn't doing well with his buck. We went back with them and helped him haul it out. It was a beautiful 3 point with the most perfectly balanced rack. This was Alan's first Alaskan buck!!! We called it a day because the weather was getting worse and headed back to our cove. The next morning was calm and beautiful, but alas also the day of my flight. So, I hauled and helped with a lot of deer, 7 hanging by time we left, but none where mine. I did have a great time, I learned a lot, drank much beer and ate like a king, lived on a boat in the wilderness for 4 days, so all told, well worth it!! Not mention a new group of friends in Sitka! There are many more stories to be told, but what happens on a hunting trip, stays on the hunting trip...LOL. My main goal now is to find myself a rifle and go out again. Unfortunately the rut is now over for the season, but there is always next time. There is some deer pictures, but they haven't been sent to me yet, will post when received.

Weekend Adventures

2010-10-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

This was on the way home from work this week, looking north over the Gastineau Channel

So today was the first day of what looks to be a four day weekend. Due to some time off coming up for a hunting trip, I am covering other managers while they get some time and just so happened to create this nice chunk of time. Which is good, cause Sarah and I really needed to get out in the woods and experience some "wild" time. As it works out, the weather was pretty good, high over cast skies with the occasional sprinkles, but all in all a good day, not so good for the photos though. This is a major bummer due to the stark contrast on the mountains with all the freshly fallen snow. I could barely see the difference between them and the clouds so I didn't even try with the camera. We decided that due to the late get up and go time, coffee and reading on the couch seemed better at that time, we wanted to stay low and keep it short. Sheep Creek it was! This for those that are not from around here is a quaint little valley that runs somewhat parallel to Silverbow basin and was also at one time a major gold mining area. Now it supports a local dog sled team in the summer and acts as a power corridor for the local service. Also the mouth of the creek has a hatchery, but the run is terminated at sea level. Its about 800 ft. up at first at a very steep pitch and then into the valley floor. The mountains and hanging glaciers in the back of the valley are just awesome and sprinkled throughout are ruins from the mining days. Found some old steam parts from the mining train and other various things, but never felt to pull out the camera. Then on the way back I found a side trail and landed in a private area, posted, oops! Anyways, there are some pieces of equipment around and looks like someone tried to mine but possibly a cave in stopped their progress, also there was an old house that I remembered from my younger days and so I got a shot of it too. Not too much else, after that headed out the road for a drive and just caught the tail end of a very pretty sunset.

This was apparently the superintendents house of the mining railroad

pretty handy looking contraption, wish I could use it to shovel the drive. ha ha

How would you like to commute to work in this thing? Into a hole in the ground?

View south from the trail, looking over the tip of Douglas Island

After the Storm

2010-10-11T20:33:00.001-08:00

The weather broke today, oh what glorious sites too see!! The snow level has dropped yet again and is down to the tree line. Thunder Mountain has snow on its top peak and all the mountains around the glacier are capped in fresh white snow. Most of the sky was cloudy on the way home, but just as I headed towards the back of the valley the sun shone through onto Mt. Bullard and oh what a site it was. I had to immediately pull a tourist move, slam on the brakes and hit a side street to get a few shots. The glimpse only lasted a few seconds and this is the best shot I got. Then unfortunately it was home, change and off to school for me, more Shakespeare awaited my arrival!! Oh whoa is me, to have time to play in the trees and beget thy studies!! ha ha ha

This was another good shot for lighting, but the composition is not as good.

Fall in Alaska

2010-10-09T12:54:00.001-08:00

Haven't had time to post lately, sorry. We actually have had some pretty great weather lately off and on and managed to get out and enjoy some of it. The rest of our time has been filled with work and school. Things are going pretty well up here, enjoying the beautiful place we live. Today the weather is pretty cool. We are enjoying a huge wind storm with some rain. 45 mile an hour winds in exposed locations, but strangely warm due to the fact its coming from the southeast.


Picture of fall colors that I enhanced slightly to look like a painting

We got out one evening and ran around Dredge lake area, near the glacier, and caught just the tail end of the sunset. The fall colors were out and the sky was clear that day. Unfortunately I was too lazy to carry a tripod and so most images were not worth posting, but I got a few and thought to share them. Those that know the area remember that this used to be overrun with ATVs and they really tore it up, but now it is protected and the area is beginning to heal. The loops of trails now are utilized by walkers, joggers, and mountain bikers and with no loud engines one can here the birds and such. This area is across the main road, Back Loop Hwy, from the neighborhood we live in, thus giving us two areas within walking distance to enjoy the outdoors, yay!!


Mt. Bullard in the reflection

reflections on Dredge Lake

Then unfortunately the weather went south on us. When next we could see these mountains they had a dusting of snow on them. First the towers at the back of the glacier and then Stroller white got dusted and then McGinnis got a dusting too. As of yesterday the snow level seems to be about 3000 ft. and dropping, fast.

So last Sunday the weather was pretty good and Sarah and I headed up to Herbert Glacier. Its a smooth easy trail that is frequented by runners, bikers, and hikers. They have really done a lot of work in the last few years to this trail. We got to the end of the trail and continued up the side of the river and got some great views of the glacier. For my folks these shots of the glacier will be surprising just how far Herbert has receded.

I call these Rose Fungus, some really look the part.


As we headed up the trail, the sun came out, this is steam rolling off the forest, kinda cool


First view of Herbert and the river delta at the terminal moraine


The glacier is split in half now by this small mountain and this shot is of the division.


This the right hand side, much smaller and less melt off, river coming from left side.


Coming around the corner to the left side, notice the dark line in the ice


Upon closer inspection, one can really see how a glacier moves rock. Amazing


Looking up to the slopes for goats, found some, but too far for photos

All in all a great hike for first of October, I also found some gold flake in the river sand. Sarah just laughs at me, but, "THERE IS GOLD IN THEM THERE HILLS", ha ha ha. Maybe try my hand at some panning sometime, would be cool! Well that is all for now, time to grab another cup of coffee and watch the trees sway in the wind. Take care everyone, ttyl.

Why I live here

2010-09-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

The week is busy with school and work, but before class last night I rushed out and took some photos. It was another gorgeous day in Juneau Alaska! For any of you that wonder what the pull is for Sarah and I, well maybe this will help. Lol


Shot from side of road on way out to the glacier, just looked kinda cool


shot from my truck in the parking lot, didn't even have to get out. ha ha

The real reason for this post though is the panoramics that I shot. They give some really nice scope and view.


Shot across Auke Lake on the Campus of my school, UAS


standing on the private kayak dock at UAS, full 180* shot.

So anyways, running off to class to sit and gaze out the window on this view all night, well till it gets dark, which is earlier every day. Have a great one and hope you enjoyed the shots, more to come.....