Some questions answered ...

Today's snowy view

Here are the answers to your most burning questions regarding Alaska, Juneau specifically.  Is it dark there all the time? No, not in Juneau.  For example, on December 31, 2011, the sun will rise at 8:46 a.m. and set at 3:13 p.m.  The shortest day of daylight is on the "winter solstice" of December 22 with sunrise at 8:52 a.m. and sunset at 3:04 p.m. The longest day in Juneau is in June, and is sometimes referred to as the "Midnight Sun". There are 18 hours and 18 minutes of daylight that day, and the sun never really "sets" -- it just dips below the horizon, where its glow keeps illuminating the sky until it reappears the next morning just a few hours later.  When Bill was in Juneau over the 4th of July, the fireworks weren't fired off until well after midnight.  Sometimes in the winter, because it can be cloudy more often than sunny, it seems like it is dark all day.  For instance, today is snowy and the mountain and ferry dock are obscured, but it is still "light" out and still beautiful.  However, if you go to Barrow, on the north coast of Alaska, it is dark all the time in December.  In fact, they don't even record a sunrise/sunset from November 20 (sunrise at 1:05 p.m, sunset at 1:20 p.m.) through January 24 (sunrise 1:07 p.m., sunset 2:11 p.m.).  One of the reasons why I don't live in Barrow.  Is it always cold/snowy/rainy in Juneau?  Short answer - yes, it can be all three on any day in Fall/Winter.  Summer on the other hand is beautiful with temperatures in the 60's & 70's, with some rain but nothing all day.  I'm wondering about thunder storms, though.  I will miss them if we don't have them.  I'll have to check on  that!  Snowfall averages 94" a year, with 26" of that coming (on average) in December.  However, as far as temperature goes, the day time high is always above 0 degrees, with an average in Dec-Feb of 29.  Now, if you see Fairbanks weather, it can be below 0 for a daytime high well into March.  In fact, just within the last few weeks, the high for 10 days straight in Fairbanks did not get above minus 10 degrees, with lows about 30 below.  Again, don't want to live in Fairbanks.  Mail service - cell phone service?  The U.S.P.S. delivers everyday, with the standard time being about 4-5 days for a letter to be received from the "lower 48".   I've found out that some online sites (Amazon, for instance) still will ship free with minimum purchase and my things arrived within five-seven days of ordering.  I switched all my magazine subscriptions to my new address and did not have to pay a "surcharge" although my weekly Entertainment Weekly magazine does not come until Wednesday the week following (I used to get it on Fridays).  My other magazines have arrived without problems.  Cell phone service is available (we currently use ATT) but have a problem with getting enough coverage going around the mountains.  Sometimes it just takes turning 180 degrees - 4 bars!!  What are  "Xtra Tuffs"?  What?  This wasn't a burning question?   Sometimes called "Alaskan Nikes" Xtra Tuffs are a brand-name knee-high rubber boot that everyone wears due to the wet weather.  They are khaki green with a brown sole. Seriously - people where them with everything and wear them all day.  Bill now has a pair ($79 on sale at Fred Meyer's).  I'm still waiting for a pair in basic black....  (they only come in green - no kidding). 

The last two weeks have been emotionally challenging.  I hesitated for the last few days to try to explain myself since I don't want to have anyone "read between the lines".  Today, however, is a bright, sunny day and I want everyone to know that things here in Juneau are good.  Last week, after the buzz of the move wore off, I found myself in a strange (but beautiful) place both physically and emotionally.  I missed my house, I missed my kids/friends/family, I missed having that feeling that everything was familiar.  I started questioning whether we had done the right thing.  Those of you who know me best realize that this is a foreign thought - I've always known that this move was the "right thing" (right?).  However, I started thinking that maybe I had read all the "signs" incorrectly - was this really what we should have done?  Did we ignore other messages about our future?  I was a bit weepy at times.  Then, this week, we watched something on television that touched me - it was a story about a guy who walked the entire width of Alaska, showing the incredible natural beauty of the state.  At the end, he used a quote from Mark Twain:
 
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

 This is what we have done - sailed away.  However, it is not "from" something but "to" something else.  Is there failure if we return to "port"?  I don't think so - we all need to try something outside of our comfort zone.  Go and sail away from your "safe harbor".  While difficult, it will be worth it.  Believe me.
 

Working in Juneau

I have been fortunate to have been able to make major occupational changes in my life. Many of these changes occurred out of the necessity to earn a living; providing yourself and family food and shelter are highly motivational factors. My background in Industrial Maintenance led me to the Field Service Technician Position. Employers are often seeking people to travel to exotic locations such as East Chicago or Detroit. If you possess the skill to sleep in a rental car, you may have an edge over the other person competing for your job. When we began researching jobs in Alaska, it became a completely different experience. There are very few manufacturing plants in Alaska. The questions became, how far can my knowledge of mechanical and electrical carry into other totally unknown occupations? We had two very difficult hurdles to overcome: We wanted to live in Juneau and I needed to have a good paying job. Searching for jobs in Alaska is easy, in Juneau their are usually one or two jobs on the internet to apply for. I found the one job I felt I could apply for: Working as a HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning???) technician.  It was perhaps not that I had the best skills for the job, but that I (we) really wanted to move to Juneau. Apparently most people don't, go figure. I have been in the job since May. I service many of the buildings in downtown as they are controlled by our systems. It has not been an easy transition as it often involves working on things I have never seen before in my life. My days are often spent in noisy rooms hidden in rooftops or mezzanines of large buildings behind doors that are stenciled with the words "Mechanical Room Authorized Personnel Only". I am now the "authorized personnel" they speak of. In these rooms reside things called boilers, chillers, huge noisy fans and lots of moving air. What controls these devices is my domain. Hidden in these rooms is a control panel with a computer designed to make all these devices work in harmony to keep people comfortable. When they are not comfortable, my cell phone rings. Every day is usually a new experience and I tuck those away to make future jobs easier. Some days are physical when I am installing wiring or controls. Other days involve work at the laptop trying to figure out why one area control will not talk to another. Why can't we all just get along? Well so much for what I do. We are where we want to be and yes it does rain a little. (posted by Bill)

Tongass National Forest

the sun coming up over Shelter Island

the Auke Bay picnic area

one of the houses on the "hill" looking over the ocean

a view from my walking route

this is the mountain overlooking my condo & parking area

We live in Auke Bay, considered "out the town" (not "of") from Juneau.  It is north of Juneau, 13 miles from the end of the road and 13 miles from downtown Juneau.  It is part of the Tongass National Forest, and the mountains around our neck of the woods are covered in tall pines.  The very tops are snow covered, and when it snowed last week, it looked like a picture out of a book.  Otter Road is just outside of our drive way (National Park Service Road) and is a short dead-end street, ending at a turn-around at the Auke Bay Picnic Area, and has become my 1.5 mile walking route.  At the turn-around point, there is a set of stairs going down to the picnic table and fire ring, and looks out on Lena Cove and Shelter Island.  The road winds between houses built on the water and those rising up the mountain side.  I want to drive around and get some perspective as to the views from various parts of town so I can compare since I can't imagine anything else quite so beautiful.  The views are incredible everywhere, especially of the mountains.  Since Juneau is built between the ocean (Gastineau Channel, part of the Inside Passage) and the Fairweather Range, there is little room for roadways and businesses (or any buildings).  Downtown, of course, is called "little San Francisco" because of the steep roads (there are stairs in strategic locations to help those on foot) and is home to the Federal buildings, the state buildings, Governor's mansion and tourist attractions.  In the Valley, which is where the Mendenhall River empties the run-off from the Mendenhall Glacier into the ocean, there is plenty of room for the Walmart, Fred Meyer, gas stations, Home Depot, and even a branch of the downtown Library.  North of the Valley, there is no business to speak of, save for a gas station and a convenience store and a few restaurants.   I know my way around pretty well now - with the lack of stores to buy things at (like shoes), I know where the things are that I need.  There is no "window shopping" in Juneau - you get what you need and get out.  Not sure how I'll survive on Black Friday - I'll have to settle in to Cyber Monday!  Next time, I'll give you some comparison to the grocery costs now that I've done a fair amount of grocery shopping.

First week, continued

see all the ducks?

the view with our snow (last Friday)

Tuesday and Wednesday last week, I spent the days shopping for "incidentals" including a new lamp for the bedroom, more hangars (did I really need to mail all my clothes?), a wall clock (still used to my work day routine!), and some plastic storage containers.  Our condo has lots of closets and deep shelves (too deep?) but I don't like things just rattling around.  I also need to look for a rug to "anchor" my living room.  There is a consignment furniture shop in the valley that I may go look for today.  On Tuesday, I was fed up with my no-cable cable.  On our lease (as in most cases here in Juneau), it says "preferred cable television included in rent", but when we plugged our 24" HD flat screen (that I packed in the car) into the cable, all we could view were the three channels.  Yes, there were hundreds on the list, but no picture/no sound.  What is nice about living in a small town is that all your "services" are represented in areas of town that are easy to get to, so I looked up the local cable company, checked my map and saw a nice lady who said that indeed I did receive cable with my lease (per my address) but that I needed to sign up in order to use it.  Sign me up, I said.  Instead of a $100+ cable bill monthly, I now pay $6 per month for the DVR capability, the rest covered in my rent.  As soon as I got home - voila! - hundreds of HD channels, including the music channels ("Sounds of the Season", here I come!).  Another blog might be about how addicted I am to television. 

view of the harbor

The Hat Trick - fresh prawns

fry 'em up in a pan!

On Saturday, as we were driving back from Home Depot (with picture hangars), we noticed a bright pink sign on the road advertising "Prawns" with a name (Hat Trick) and phone number.  We saw the sign again as we were going past the harbor (for those of my family who traveled here - it is where the "Hot Bite" is), and turned in, Bill assuming that the "Hat Trick" was a boat in the harbor selling it's catch.  We walked down the gangway to the wharf and saw the Hat Trick, a small fishing boat.  The owner was selling prawns for $10/pound, fresh caught.  We bought 2lbs, freezing some and making the rest for dinner by sauteing garlic in olive oil, adding the shrimp, 2 T. brandy, hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  They tasted like lobster with absolutely no grit or fishy taste.  Wonderful.  I hope I see the sign again.

My first week

Greetings from 3105 National Park Service Rd, B9.  This is the view from my 2nd story deck, overlooking a tidal basin.  The tide comes in twice per day, usually once in the morning and once overnight (or early a.m.).  This picture was taken on Wednesday morning, when the sun came up about 8:30 a.m.  By 11:00 a.m., the water was up to the pilings which hold up the lower and (my) upper deck.  From my patio door, it looks like I am living in the ocean! You are looking at Auke Bay, which is home to the ferry dock.  Two high-speed ferries and two normal-speed ferries sail between Bellingham, Washington to the south and Haines to the north, with stops in-between at smaller towns and over to the major section of the state of Alaska, via Seward and Homer.  Other than air, it is the only way to travel outside of the city of Juneau.  Juneau's main north-south highway stretches for 45 miles along beautiful coastline and with incredible snow-covered mountain views.  I'll take some more pictures (when it stops raining!).  Our apartment is called the Auke-Nu Condo's, with about 20 (10 lower and 10 upper) units and are all separately owned.  We are renting our 1 bed/1 bath with loft condo from the current owner of the unit.  Rents in Juneau are a bit steep (I think) but this location can't be beat.  Plus, I got most of the things I was looking for - dishwasher, washer/dryer in the unit, deck with a view and covered parking.  The loft will make do for the 2nd bedroom for our guests (this means YOU!).  We arrived last Sunday and Bill had to work on Monday.  I woke up to a house with two lawn chairs, one coffee table with three legs (Bill had fixed the fourth one with a really long screw) and the television that we bought from home (which, without cable, pulled in three stations - one a "live shot" of the Juneau flats with classical music playing), and a full-sized mattress set that Bill bought in May when he arrived.  We had done some grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon and picked up hangars, some garbage cans and laundry detergent (did I say how much I appreciate not having to go to a laundromat to wash my clothes?) but not much else.  Monday found me a bit overwhelmed with what we had done - what was I thinking??  I had about 30 boxes to unpack, but I couldn't because I had no place to put anything.  I reorganized all the kitchen cupboards, decided that I should get the top drawer in the bathroom vanity and washed the sheets on the bed.  Then it was 10:00 a.m.  I didn't have the car because Bill's company truck was being used by another person who was filling in while Bill was in the lower 48 for three months and we wouldn't see that truck until Monday night.  I watched "Price is Right", an episode of Bonanza and then played Pandora radio on my computer.  I made a grocery list, organized my scrapbooking stuff (which I brought with me in the car since it was way too heavy to mail) and waited until Bill came home.  I said "let's go shopping" before he had his shoes off.  He couldn't (or wouldn't) say "no" so it was off to one of two larger furniture stores in Juneau.  I had measured the space to make sure the furniture we bought wasn't oversized and with Bill's help, purchased a nice mid-size leather sofa, two swivel/rocker "bucket" chairs, two leather upholstered counter-height bar stools and a queen-sized mattress, headboard and large dresser.  When asked when I wanted it delivered, I said tonight, but the store clerk said Wednesday would be the earliest.  I could live with that.  Then, since it was already almost 7:00 p.m., we decided to stop at a local bar that Bill said served food.  Well, it had changed hands since he was last in Juneau in August and the food menu was still being determined.  After we ordered our beer (Alaskan Brewery now sells in Milwaukee!), some gentleman deliberately rang a large ship's bell at the bar.  Twice.  The dozen or so people on the stools thought this was a great thing - and I did like the sound.  The bartender (Bill liked her - it was Halloween and she was dressed... barely) asked what we wanted "on the bell".  My eyebrows must have formed a question mark, because she said that, when someone rings the bell, they are buying a round for the "house".  So, now two beers and still no supper.  Luckily, we were near the campus of U of Alaska-Southeast and there was a waffle/sandwich/coffee shop in the same building as the bar.  Waffles for dinner - sounded just right by me!  Strawberries, whipped cream and homemade belgian (or is it "Belgium"?) waffles with a cappuccino on the side.    Furniture, a good little buzz and strawberries & whipped cream.  What a good day!

Forgive my "french" canadian...

the seaplane cove in Prince Rupert

Our stateroom on the Taku

the cafeteria where we spent most of our time

My one foray into the "open"

but the ferry ride to Juneau SUCKED.  Let me rephrase - it SUCKED BIG TIME.  It started with our four hour entrapment in our car (read a book until the light was obliterated by the monsoon rains), then used Bill's head lamp to play a game of Scrabble (with the tiniest letters ever).  Tried to snooze but we weren't tired.   So we spent the time going in-and-out of the ferry terminal to warm up a bit.  Thank goodness I had that "poutine" which filled me up for quite some time When we did load the ferry, we found our "stateroom", left our things and headed for the bar.  Yes, the Taku Bar is on the ship and was fully stocked.  The bartender was on her "seven days on - seven days off" schedule and on her second day of those seven 'on' days.  She was very friendly, and served up our beers even with the rocking ship under her feet.  While there, we met one man who had moved from the lower 48 years ago and we small-talked about our trip so far.  Then, it was after 10 p.m. (and well-past Bill's bedtime!) so off we went.  When we left  port, the weather was getting quite nasty, with heavy rains and high wind warnings.  What we thought might be a "bit" of normal wave activity turned into Bill-almost-fell-out-of-the-top-bunk seas!  We rolled around sideways, then lengthways, listening all the time to the engines as they sputtered and strained against the ocean. We didn't want to see (nor could we since it was pitch-black on the water) how high the waves were.  In the morning, it seemed things had calmed down but we could see towels under the exit doors near the bow passenger areas.  The good thing is that neither of us felt one bit of sea-sickness, and celebrated with a good, old-fashioned pancake and eggs breakfast.  The weather outside left nothing for us to see for the entire trip - simply gray skies, sheets of rain and a distant "mound" which we could only assume was land.  No wildlife (again) so we waited until the bar opened at 11:00 a.m. and went to see our friend, Carol, the bartender.  This time, we met a younger man and his dad who, we found out, out drove us by starting in Vermont, doing Vermont to Prince Rupert in five days of 12-14 hours of driving.  The younger man would be starting a new "career" managing the Eagle Crest Ski Area on (our favorite) Douglas Island right here in Juneau.  He said that his wife was still at home, and the thought would be for her to arrive sometime between January - April.  We have heard him twice now on the radio, explaining what is in store for Southeast Alaska's premier ski hill.  I'm going to bake some bread this weekend and go "welcome" him to Juneau - no, not in the hopes of getting a discounted season pass!  Well, maybe.  Anyway, we read, did a jigsaw puzzle and ate dinner, then hit the bar again for a night cap.  The gentlemen were there again, and we exchanged names and numbers - and had a coffee with baileys, and a shot of whiskey, which was recommended by the drunk on the next stool.  Oh wait - that was Bill!  (just kidding - he didn't recommend the whiskey....)  We got our early morning wake up call through a loud speaker in our cabin - "30 minutes to Juneau" - at 3:45 A.M.  We were in our car, down the one mile to our condo and back in bed by 4:40 A.M.  Now the adventure REALLY starts!