Outer Point Trail in the Snow

Hi there everybody! It may not look like it, but in this picture I'm being whipped in the face by 70 mph gusts of wind. The air temp was about 20 degrees, but I didn't let that stop me! Here are the pictures from my journey today!

Here's a snowy Mt. Juneau lit up by sunlight with the Juneau-Douglas bridge in the foreground. I took this bridge and am looking at downtown from Douglas Island.

Here's a unique view that not many get to see. It's downtown Juneau from the middle of the bridge.

The south end of Gastineau channel, the body of water that separates Juneau from Douglas.

A view of Douglas from the bridge.

I decided to keep going, following the sun. The angle of the sun has changed dramatically since summer. It now sets on the other side of the island. I'm driving north on Douglas Island to check out my favorite trail.

Here it is! Outer Point Trail.

It looks so different in the snow, doesn't it?

Here's a fun artistic shot of a frozen stream in the forest.

Looks like someone broke the ice! Balancing on these snowy boards was quite the challenge.

Almost to the beach!

It's a good thing I am wearing my extra warm cowl. I can wrap it around my face and wear it as a hood to cover my ears.

A beautiful snowy coastline. The winds were very strong, so what is usually a very still beach was crashing and roaring.

Shaman Island in the distance.

More of the beach.

Snowy boulders rest on the shore.

It was so peaceful here.

Snow rests atop this dead tree.

Some gulls gather around to see what the tide is bringing out with it.

Snowy spruces grow right up to the beach.

Even though there are so many things to look at all around, it is important not to forget to look UP! I found this blue sky against the treetops mesmerizing.

If you don't remember what this trail looked like during the summer, click HERE to check it out. It's amazing how differently things look with a little bit of snow on them!

Until next time!

Frozen Lake and Icebergs

Hello everyone! Today was nice, so Jonny and I decided to go out to the Mendenhall Lake and look around the glacier for some more winter fun! Here are some of the pictures we took along the way!

There have been a lot of wind advisories lately. The Taku winds are in full force, especially downtown and on Douglas! See all of the powder blowing in the wind off of the glacier? You can also get a nice size comparison here by looking at the tiny figure of a man walking on the ice at the glacier's base.

There were many others out enjoying the day on the lake as we walked. Jonny seems to be a magnet for dogs. Here, a friendly dog trudges through the snow to say hello.

It's amazing how the landscape is transformed by a little snow.

Jonny and I get our picture taken underneath a large blue iceberg frozen in place on the lake.

The sky in the distance looks rather ominous, as if a big storm is brewing.

I just loved the way that this berg looked. It's almost like a huge ocean wave, frozen in place.

Much of Nugget Falls was frozen when we approached it. Eventually the entire thing will freeze over and only the bravest souls will attempt to climb it.

Walking back along Nugget Falls Trail, Jonny spotted a peculiar sight- a frozen spiderweb underneath a bridge. You can see the delicate ice crystals lining each strand of web. I wonder where the spider has gone.

Because of  the beautiful full moon tonight, we decided to go back out onto the lake with our good friend Julie to look at the ice in the moonlight. She brought a nice big thermos of hot chocolate and we set out in the 15 degree air. It was so cold that the hair that hung around my face froze to my scarf! But I think it was definitely worth the journey to take these pictures.

Jonny stood behind the berg we had visited earlier and shined a bright light through it. I think the effect is fantastic.

And here's the berg in the moonlight.

Hope you enjoyed the photos! See you next time!

Cooking with Jonny!

There's not a whole lot to do around here, so we've been practicing all sorts of things. Jonny's been really into cooking lately. Apparently he filmed himself making a typical dinner, so I thought I would show it to you guys. The finished outcome is a Hamburger Helper type of thing. He takes these seasonings he's mixing and puts them in a pan with browned turkey meat, water, milk, and tomato paste. The meal tastes very similar to Italian Hamburger Helper. I'll try to get some actual photos of the food next time, but enjoy this for now!

Click HERE to see Jonny's special blend of spices!

And here are a couple of pictures of what the winter sky looked like yesterday.

See you next time!

More Winter Fun

Hi everyone! Jonny and I have been saying nice and cozy, but we still have our adventures! Take a look!

Here, Jonny and I are out taking a snowy walk. My bear hat keeps me nice and warm! Thanks mom!

Today, we built a snowman by our condo. Jonny rolls the base.

Almost done!

Here he is!

Our creation is complete!!

After building our snowman, we thought it might be fun to go sledding. Unfortunately we don't own a sled, so we just slid down the hill without one!

If you'd like to see us sliding down a snowy hill, just click HERE!!

That's all for now! Stay warm everybody!

The Snow is BACK!

Uh oh! The snow is back!  This is the scene we woke up to this morning. Looks like it's time to bust out the ice scraper once more.



Jonny enjoys his cup of coffee on the porch.



The snow was really coming down!



Of course our little kitty was quite curious about the snow. This is her first time being out in it. She's licking the snow off her whiskers.



She enjoys running around in the woods right next to our condo. This may be the last time she can feel the moss under her paws.



A closeup of her adorable footprints.



If you'd like to see Kiwi's reaction, click HERE.

The spruce boughs were piled high with snow.

We decided to make our way to the glacier to look around at how things have changed. We won't have to worry about bears any more!



On the Moraine Ecology Trail, you can find many beautiful things, no matter what time of year.



Snow is starting to gather on the top of Jonny's hood.



I'm nice and cozy in my knit cap!



I find it absolutely amazing how delicate snow can be. It balances on the tiniest of places. Here, snowflakes cling to the head of this grass.

The snow piling up on these dead plants gives the illusion that these are puffy snow flowers.

Snow balances on the tops of these alder "cones."



The snow on this branch has shifted. It actually no longer rests on anything. The only thing keeping it there is the snow around it. See how it droops below the branch?

Jonny leaves a trail of footprints as he makes his way through the winter wonderland.

The last tinge of color in these autumn leaves is being blotted out by the snow.

At the beach we normally take our guests to for our Whales and Trails tour, everything is whited out.

Ice and snow cover the edges of this stream which flows into the lake.

Snow rests on this beaver dam.

Looking around in the shallow water, you can see snow resting on the tops of the sticks and pebbles in the stream.

The stream from afar.

A very white day at the glacier.

We then decided to make our way to the Trail of Time. At the start of it, we found a mossy trunk covered with snow. See the green moss hanging down?

A beautiful snowy trail.

One of the best things about this trail is the waterfall that gently cascades over the rocks. Well, it's too cold for that, so instead there were TONS OF ICICLES!

 

Rows and rows of long, sharp icicles.

Standing close to these things, we could hear the water dripping from their tips.

The green of this path has been replaced by white.

And to finish off our walk- a snow angel!

If you'd like to see some of our walk on these trails, just click HERE!

Hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did!