It it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium

I don't think many of you remember that movie - something more current would be "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" - but that it was it felt like as I attempted to return to Juneau after a wonderful week in Louisville visiting the grandkids.  I was aware of the weather in Seattle, which is the hub for all flights going to Alaska.  It is rare that you would travel through any other airport either to or from my adopted home state.  My original flight home was through O'Hare on Thursday morning, flying to Seattle later in the day and then directly to Juneau that night, arriving home by 9:00 p.m. Alaska time.  Here is what really happened:  Flew from Louisville on an early morning fight to Chicago - no complaints!  In Chicago, I had to walk most of the airport to reach the gate for my 11:30 a.m. flight to Seattle.  Josh and I had been watching the mid-week weather on the Pacific coast, but thought that everything would be ok by Thursday.  Not so much.  Our full flight of 75+ passengers were told that our flight was "delayed" - airport speak for cancelled.  Indeed, 20 minutes after our scheduled flight time, it was announced that there would be no flights into Seattle that day, and to go to customer (no)service for re-booking flight arrangements.  I called a friend who checked on flights to Juneau out of Minneapolis or another airport, but we didn't find anything that would work.  I thought about staying in Chicago for the night, but decided to see what the airline had for me.  After waiting 1 hour 18 minutes in line, the only option I had was to fly to San Francisco Thursday night, layover there for an early Friday morning flight to Seattle, and from there a "milk run" to Juneau.  The milk run is flying into Ketchikan (or Petersburg or sometimes both), flying to Sitka, flying to Juneau with the flight ending in Anchorage.  Each of the first flight segments are about 25 minutes in the air, with another 45 minutes from Juneau to Anchorage (for those going that far).   For those who don't like taking off/landing, this itinerary isn't for you.  Other than Juneau, the airport runways are suspect at best - short, over water and between mountain ridges.  In fact, the Sitka airport runway is on a paved causeway that juts out over the ocean.  Deceased tuberculosis patients from the nearby Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital were buried on airport grounds and had to be relocated during construction. That section of the airport is still unofficially called The Mausoleum.  Safety hazards include boulders from the causeway washing onto the runway during storms, high winds because of its exposed location, and large flocks of birds that live very close to the airport.  Airfarewatchdog.com lists this runway as one of the ten most thrilling landing experiences in the world.  All was well as I heard my 4:30 a.m. wake-up call on Friday morning in San Francisco, getting me to the airport for a 7:05 a.m. flight arriving at 9:00 a.m. in Seattle, and an 11:05 a.m. milk run from Seattle to Juneau.  On board at 6:45 a.m., the flight out of SF was delayed for ONE HOUR 18 MINUTES because the plane was too heavy (per code) to land in Seattle.  When we finally left SF, it meant that we would land in Seattle at 10:30 a.m., and I might not make by Juneau flight.  Landed, ran through the airport, in time to see that my Juneau flight was cancelled due to high Taku winds over southeast Alaska.  There was serious concern that no flights would be flying there that day!  I was re-booked on a late afternoon flight, and we did board on time, watched the de-icing of the plane, and finally take-off.  Quick but bouncy flight to Ketchikan, a dicey landing in Sitka, and I heard the steward say that they may bypass Juneau due to the high winds and fly directly to Anchorage.  NO!!!  I was never so happy as when I heard the pilot say they were going to "try" to land in Juneau (when would they decide that it wasn't going to work??) and against all odds, we did.   Since I had to spend so much time in airplanes, I have a few "observations":

• The creepy guy you see at the gate will always sit next to you
• the airline magazine in the seat-back pocket will always have the crossword puzzle completed
• if you sit at the window, you will have to decide if drinking something is worth having to ask two people to move for you at some point in the flight
• why is it that only men are sitting in first class?
• the items in the SkyMall catalog look very tempting when you are in the air

Anyway, I'm happy to be home.

It's snow beautiful!

Rainy day on the walking path

WOW!  It has been snowing a LOT in Alaska!  You've seen the news stories about Cordova, where the National Guard had to be ferried in (roads were closed due to snow and avalanches) to help with removal of more than 15 feet of snow in the last three weeks.  In fact, a news story today mentioned that Cordova is OUT OF SNOW SHOVELS!  What??  Do they break?  I can't imagine that anyone would steal any since I'm sure everyone has to have at least one!  The National Guard has brought in snow melting machines since there isn't anywhere left to pile up the snow.  Some stories mentioned that people were trapped in their houses, with snow piled up at the doors.  Avalanche danger is high and, with only one road in and out of Cordova, a closed road means no supplies or emergency vehicles. 

In Nome, the big story is cold.  The temperature has not risen above 30 degrees below zero for 10 days.  And, it has not been above 0 degrees since December 23rd. 

Sunny view of "my" mountain

Valdez (of oil spill fame) has had 272" of snow since October.  The record yearly measured snowfall in that small town is 560", recorded in the winter of 1989-90.  At this point, they are on a path to eclipse that record.  This is why we don't live in Cordova, Nome or Valdez.   As you may recall, Juneau is a temperate rain forest, with temperatures very rarely going below 0 degrees (last time was in 1998).  Average snowfall for Juneau is 98.4", and rainfall amounts to 56.6" per year.  In contrast, Milwaukee averages 52.4" of snow and 34.8" of rain. Rainy

View "out the road" on a cloudy day

days have clouds lying among the mountain peaks, puddles in the parking lots and people walking around WITHOUT UMBRELLAS.  That's right - Juneau-ites just suck it up, put on their Xtratuffs and keep on keeping on. So the next time you complain about no snow, think of Valdez or Cordova.  And, if the cold gets to you, consider living in Nome.  Otherwise, figure that there is always someone worse off than you are - at least, weather-wise!

Happy Hour

Arne enjoying "happy hour' at our condo

Jill, Phil, Mary, NeNe in the storage unit backroom 

 I may have talked about many "happy hours" spent in the back room of a storage unit just up from our house. The units are very large; in fact, Arne is completing the renovation of a fishing boat in his unit.  We spend almost every Friday night in the back of Tim and Kathy's unit, as many as 15 of us crammed into the unheated back area, sitting on camp chairs, overturned buckets, tool lockers and even some really nice folding chairs that still have tags on them (good luck getting one of those!).

Tim yelling "freeze" with ice cube weapon!

Everyone brings beer or whatever they would like to drink (rum and cola is very popular in Juneau).  What you can't see in these pictures is a full-sized refrigerator with a tap in the door.  That's right - you don't even have to open the door to get yourself a cup of beer!  Which is a good thing - since everyone has to "shift" to get the door open!  Once there, you don't want to leave first or you will get the "everybody loves a pooper that's why we invited you" song.  Note:  Arne (married to Eleanore) loves to wait until the first person leaves then makes a quick get-away, noting that he has never had the song sang for him!   Another note:  the bathroom is a porta-potty located around the back of the unit - women use the porta-potty, men do not....  This last weekend was Jill's ( married to Ken) birthday, and we had pizza and cake. 

Jill's birthday (Phil is behind her, next to
Tom, NeNe and Mary)

Normally, we maybe will have some microwave popcorn, but no one usually eats anything and everyone is gone by about 8:30 p.m. (we meet around 5 p.m.).  Laughter is frequent, jokes are numerous (and better left inside the storage locker) and politics are only discussed with tongue firmly in cheek!  Bill met these people early in his time alone in Juneau last summer through Jeff (married to Cindy), while doing some maintenance work at the University of Alaska - Southeast.  Many of those here have known each other for quite some time (years) while some like us are new to Juneau. 

Sharon, Ken and Bill at Happy Hour

All are welcome, and if any of you come to Juneau to visit, it might be a fun stop!   We don't just meet under cover of a storage unit, however.  Mary (Tim's sister, dating John) has had everyone over to her house twice (once just before Thanksgiving and this past weekend on New Year's Eve), Arne and Eleanore had everyone over for a pre-Christmas dinner and Bill and I had everyone over to our house during the holidays, also.  Tim (married to Kathy) have lived on a boat for 25 years, so that is why they open their unit to all every Friday (and some Mondays through Thursdays as well!). 
We also had a get-together in December to celebrate the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year. 

Sharon, Cindy, NeNe, Ken and Tim at Solstice

However, these well-seasoned Alaskans drank to the fact that Spring is on the way!  We met at the Auke Lake Recreation Area, just up from our place, on a cold, windy evening in December, using one of the large picnic shelters as our meeting area.  We started a huge fire,

John, Tim and Bill by the fire

had even huger hotdogs (is that even a word?) and plenty of beer and other libations.  It was beautiful, though photos weren't possible because it was pitch black.  Mike (married to Phyllis) told us that if you come to this shelter in the summer, late in the evening when the sun never sets, you can hear the whales singing in Auke Bay.  As I sit here in the snow and dark, I'll  close my eyes and hold that thought, thanking God for new friends, and inviting all of my dear friends from far away to visit to hear the whales sing!