The Mountains Will Be Mine

The reoccuring themes of Juneau include water, pine trees, ravens, eagles, bears and, of course, the mountains.  Over the past few weeks I have greatly enjoyed experiencing most of these things (the bears are all sleeping :-) The mountains especially for me, are a joy to see and feel.  They are always with you - wherever you turn, wherever you look, silently towering over, encircling and embracing the residents of the entire city.

Scenes from downtown Juneau taken on a walk from one workplace to another this afternoon.

This raven was noisily yelling his distinctive call from a lamp post downtown when I snapped this picture.  

Interesting architectural art outside the post office

I have been in Juneau for 18 days now.  It feels so much longer than that.

Professionally I have been deeply imbedded in a comprehensive budget process that has taken up almost all of my work time since I landed in Juneau.  The process is made even more complicated by the fact that I am evaluating and restructuring long-standing fees, program schedules and staffing schedules while at the same time piecing together a budget for a long-standing facility as well as a new facility scheduled to open a year from now.  A huge job - one that has moved too slowly but is moving forward none-the-less.  The end is in sight and that is a good thing.  When this process is done I can move on to other issues that require my attention, and that also is a good thing.

With preparing to move into the hotel tomorrow and work pressures I have not had a structured workout all of this week.  On the plus side I have made a point to walk part of the way home each evening, and have managed to get in 9 miles over the past three days.  After my bike clothes arrive from Tennessee (scheduled to be waiting for me at the hotel tomorrow if UPS is as good as its' word) it will open a world for me that I have not been able to embrace since I reinjured my knee in September.  The mountains of Douglas Island will be mine to ride............... 

It will be mostly road riding for now - the mountains and the weather at elevation are both too harsh to wander off road alone.  When there is someone close that I can let know where I am I'll start to wander off the beaten paths of the island.  But not until then.  There are more than enough paved and gravel hills for me to travel until my LC finds his way to Alaska.