President's Day - it's a good thing!

Frozen waterfalls on Thane Rd

A view of Douglas from Thane Rd

View of the mts above Thane Rd

 Today was a holiday of sorts - both Mr. Meier and I had off for President's Day and we had already done all of our errands over the weekend.  I had made a big pot of chili for supper and prepared some fruit for dessert  (pineapples were looking good, not so much the strawberries!) so that we could spend the day doing something fun!  Alas, the weather didn't cooperate as much as we would have liked.  But then we decided that this is where we live and this is February in Juneau so we set out for a drive.  We had been to the end of the road (north of us, "out the road") many times, but I hadn't been to the south end on Thane Road since our first visit here years ago.  That is where we started today, driving through the quiet downtown (federal and state workers were off so the library and all city buildings were closed, too) past the cruise ship docks, past the Thane Oar House Salmon Bake venue, and finally to the "end of the road", a turn out at mile 0.  The road is narrow and winding, with the mountain on one side and the water on the other - in some parts, that side of the road drops off down the hillside!  There is still a threat of avalanches, though the February rain has melted most of the snow in the lower elevations.  Water falls are everywhere, running out of the rock and freezing upon

Driving north out of Douglas

contact with the chilly air, making for some stunning ice formations.  We made our way back to town (it took only minutes to drive the six miles from downtown to the end of the road) and took the Juneau/Douglas Bridge across the Gastineau Channel and turned south, driving through beautiful downtown Douglas (being a bit sarcastic here!) to the end of the road.  There, a trail head marks the beginning of the Treadwell Mine area, a very interesting place - we hiked the trail back in 2007 when here, but weren't able to get back there this past summer.  Now, due to very wet, slippery conditions, it is closed until Spring. We then drove back through downtown Douglas (no better this way!) and through the round-about at the end of the bridge and out to the north end of Douglas Island.  We have driven this way many times and it is really beautiful - the road is wide open and gently curving, right at sea level so the views are 

Our friendly harbor seal

tremendous.  Lots of pull-outs and hiking trails, leading us to promise each other to come back here often this summer!  We stopped at Fish Creek, where there is a nice bridge over a salmon stream, but alas it was icy and we decided that our hips might not survive a fall, so we instead walked to the small cove with the ice was just disappearing from the surface of the water.  It was very quiet and serene - might be a nice place for a little wine and cheese picnic on a nice day.  Salmon fishing is allowed, so Bill can catch dinner while I enjoy the scenery!  Then back home, past more familiar spots along a road that we drive many, many times but still find incredibly scenic.  The eagle sightings are becoming much more frequent and we were also treated to the sight of our friend the harbor seal today during high tide.  Tomorrow it is back to work - but a day off once in a while is definitely a good thing!

Bill checking out the "fishing hole" on Douglas