USA July 2011

Photos are hikers on the ridge of Thunder Mt above Mendenhall Glacier (about 2800 feet) and me on Gold Ridge Mt Roberts!

31 July 2011 Sunday (Juneau Alaska)
Last day of July and the rain feels like the days of autumn.....so getting ready to depart!

30 July 2011 Saturday (Juneau Alaska)
Hike today is West Glacier Trail on this very grey day and then sunny!

29 July 2011 Friday (Juneau Alaska)
I depart on the ferry next week out of Juneau (via Skagway) so busy getting all the last minute things done! Plan is to drive east through Canada then turn right near ND but not sure where since some roads are still closed due to flooding.

28 July 2011 Thursday (Juneau Alaska)
Wish we had this dry day yesterday! Busy planning my November....decided to do South America (Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina).

27 July 2011 Wednesday (Juneau Alaska)
Hike today is Granite Basin in the pouring down rain....boy, did we ever get soaked!

26 July 2011 Tuesday (Juneau Alaska)
and more rain....maybe it is time to leave....which is what I will be doing next week....on the ferry to Skagway then driving east through Canada then head south via ND to visit family in the midwest.

25 July 2011 Monday (Juneau Alaska)
and it continues to rain....good thing that we did those mountain hikes when we did!

24 July 2011 Sunday (Juneau Alaska)
The rains have returned....

23 July 2011 Saturday (Juneau Alaska)
Saturday hike is up Thunder Mountain with views of the glacier! We started up at 830am and we were out by 6pm....a long hike and my ankles are feeling it but the views were SO worth it...plus we saw a bear....but once he saw us, he just ran away! The first three hours were almost straight up to 2800 feet then a walk along the upper ridge with break for lunch and then the down (ouch)!

22 July 2011 Friday (Juneau Alaska)
Another gorgeous sunny day in Juneau.....maybe time for a hike.

21 July 2011 Thursday (Juneau Alaska)
We experienced a Jokulhlaups at the Mendenhall Glacier this week which is a glacier release of water and experienced very high levels of water on the river and lake with flooding and closing of roads and the campground.
A wonderful evening dinner with neighbour Beatrice.

20 July 2011 Wednesday (Juneau Alaska)
Wednesday hike is the Treadwell Ditch and then lunch at the Douglas Cafe.

19 July 2011 Tuesday (Juneau Alaska)
Hairs cut for the road trip! Another very rainy day in Juneau....

18 July 2011 Monday (Juneau Alaska)
A very rainy and foggy day to just stay in and catch up on paperwork and apply for social security....gosh am I that old already!

17 July 2011 Sunday (Juneau Alaska)
Morning at the kiosk visitor center greeting the cruise ship visitors then Sunday Farmers Market for fresh greens then gathering at home of hiking friends Dave and Pam to meet his sister visiting from NM.....we feasted on chocolate cake and cheesecake and admired their beautiful garden.

16 July 2011 Saturday (Juneau Alaska)
Saturday hike to Dan Moller cabin and along the mountain ridge with views of Admiralty Island.

15 July 2011 Friday (Juneau Alaska)
Going away gathering of the hikers at Amy's for Monica who is moving to Bellingham WA.

14 July 2011 Thursday (Juneau Alaska)
Clouds and rains have returned so a day to catch up with errands!

13 July 2011 Wednesday (Juneau Alaska)
I am hike leader today so we are hiking to Peterson Lake cabin....just down the road from where I am housesitting.....another gorgeous sunny day....the cabin was closed for renovation so the four of us rowed the boat to the middle of the lake for lunch in the sunshine!

12 July 2011 Tuesday (Juneau Alaska)
Great tour of NOAA facility that was built in Juneau in 2007.

11 July 2011 Monday (Juneau Alaska)
A gorgeous sunny day so drove to town to use my free tram pass for Mt Roberts and then hike above the tree line to Gold Ridge (about two miles UP) with wonderful views! Not many cruise ship visitors as you climb to the top....met Merrill who is managing our local arboretum and another woman (and her boyfriend from Spain) who used to hike in Juneau before moving to San Diego.

10 July 2011 Sunday (Juneau Alaska)
Cleaned and washed sheets at Andrea's then off to move into Marcia's....but when I arrived, I found that her truck had been broken into and the Sirius satellite radio had been stolen...bummer....but they did not take the cash of almost $50 that was in the console between the seats!

9 July 2011 Saturday (Juneau Alaska)
The Saturday Hike is up Mt Ben Stewart (at 930am) but the Audubon is also doing a hike up Mt Roberts (at 8am) with our local experts Mary Willson and Bob Armstrong, talking about the birds and the flowers.....a very tough decision! And I must be up early to take Marcia to the airport at 4am! I chose to join the Saturday hike group up Ben Stewart through the mud and almost to the top in the fog.

8 July 2011 Friday (Juneau Alaska)
Washed the van and packed it up for moving to the next housesit....a grey day today.

7 July 2011 Thursday (Juneau Alaska)
Early morning drive to town to fetch my mail from the post office....have not picked it up in a week....that is the problem with housesitting "out the road"! ...then several stops at stores to pick up supplies...then lunch with James at Chan's Thai Restaurant....then to the Uni for internet....then to neighbor's house for garage sale (she is moving south)...so where did the day go!?

6 July 2011 Wednesday (Juneau Alaska)
Hike in the rain to Windfall Lake cabin.

5 July 2011 Tuesday (Juneau Alaska)
A local woman is looking to buy a Roadtrek and found that a couple visiting with a RT had to return to Tucson due to illness and now want to sell it.....so met her to look it over....1995 Dodge with 160000 miles

4 July 2011 (Juneau Alaska)
Happy Fourth of July!
Drove the fifteen miles to town to watch the parade....threat of rain but it did stay dry with bits of sun for the hour long parade of over 100 entries.

3 July 2011 Sunday (Juneau Alaska)
There is no internet and no cable tv and no heat (except wood stove) in this house at which I am housesitting....so it would be back to cold and rainy Juneau this week!

2 July 2011 Saturday (Juneau Alaska)
Hike to John Muir cabin in the rain then garage sale at Monica's across from the trailhead at Spaulding Meadows condos....she is moving to Bellingham WA!

1 July 2011 Friday (Juneau Alaska)
The sun is back! I drove Dave to the airport early this morning (he will be fishing up in Bristol Bay). I am now housesitting near the University and because there is no internet nor cable tv here at the house, I can walk to the University library for internet or next door to the Waffle Shop for wifi. I was supposed to be taking care of their cat Honda but unfortunately, it was hit by a car on the highway last Sunday....good thing that this did not happen on my watch!