The Most Beautiful of Days - Dream On

As in previous days, first thing this morning the weather was very foggy and the city was again socked in - but the promise of another beautiful sunny day in Juneau loomed large, and I waited eagerly for the fog to burn off so I could take my borrowed mountain bike out for a road ride.  My plan was to ride out to Thane.  Thane is one of many areas of Juneau and Borough that I know nothing about (other than it is renowned for avalanches during normal winter weather, which this winter most definately has NOT been).  I knew that the road ended at some point, but had no idea what was out there or how far "The End" was.  Another quiet adventure on a beautiful day....

While I was waiting for the fog to clear I went back to the Salvation Army store  that I bought the quilt top from the other day (the store is just a short walk from the hotel) just to see what they had in, and was very excited to leave with a pair of khaki REI nylon trekking pants (with the zips) for $1.  I was a very happy camper, because I have paid $55 for exactly the same pair in years past.  

Also while I was waiting, I called my auto insurance agency to try and get insurance on my new/old car.  Only Hartford does not provide auto insurance in Alaska.  Oh.....Well OK......I called a couple of other providers whose names I recognized and they apparently don't work on Saturdays.  A "must do" for Monday morning I guess

By 10am the fog was laying very low and thick along the entire length of the channel, but the mountains were clear and so was the road outta town.  That was my cue to head out, and I happily got geared up and dressed to ride. 

The tide was out, and once I was out of Juneau proper, I very quickly came to yet another interesting boat graveyard - boats that have been abandoned, sunk, lost or forgotten in their past lives, and which now lay quietly and solemnly in the sand and rocks of Juneau's sometime-shorelines.  Fascinating objects.  Whenever I see these graveyards I wonder what the story of these boats is.  Who abandoned them and why?  Are any of them salvageable?  What's their story??

I see beauty in this wild and wonderful part of the country regardless of the weather - rain, fog, snow, sunshine - every day this northern world changes depending on what is happening in the skies.  But the beauty is always the one constant.

But having said that, sunshine lightens the heart and is good for the soul.  And the blueness of the sky when it finally clears in Juneau can leave you both breathless and speechless. 

For all the differences between Tennessee and Alaska, this is the first time that I felt like I was riding on something familiar.  Just a simple, winding, rolling hills country road - I have ridden hundreds (maybe even thousands) of miles, on roads just like these over the years as an adventure racer. 

Fish Hatchery

Surprisingly, "The End" is not very far from town.  I don't have a bike computer, so have to estimate the distance as being 5 miles or so from downtown Juneau.  I quickly realized that there was a trail at the end of this road, so secured my bike to the "End" sign, stashed my helmet in my pack, and set out on foot to explore the trail.

It began as an open, well kept trail of moss and pine-needles - very easy and enjoyable walking.  But after 30 minutes or so, the trail became increasingly difficult to walk (roots, large rocks, and lots of downed trees and mud).  I was much more interested on this sunny day in walking along a beach than I was walking in mud and down trees, so after walking on the trail for 45 minutes I made the decision to head back and retrieve my bike.

Now that I knew exactly how far it was back to town (not that far) I stopped at every single pull off along the road on my return trip - to listen to the waves, to capture the mountains and sky and water in pictures, and to explore the shoreline.  I asked a lady on my first stop if she would take a picture of me.  I had left my bike up by the road.

More pictures taken at pull offs on the way back

I had noticed this old man on the way out of town this morning.  He was shovelling sand (or rocks or shells) into a bucket, then taking the bucket to the water.  He would then wade into the water and do......something.  I had not idea what.

A couple of hours later, while I was taking my time making my way back to the city, I saw him again.  This time I stopped, dropped my bike, and walked down to the beach, so I could do what I had been doing the entire trip back - just relishing in my continued spring fever. 

I watched the old man for a few minutes, and almost headed back to my bike without an answer (still wondering what he was doing).  On a whim I changed direction and walked across the beach to talk to this stranger.  And I am glad that I did, because I spent a good 15 minutes talking to a very nice man.  He was panning for gold - at least officially - going through the motions of panning for gold anyway.  But in reality he was just doing what I, and everyone I had run into so far that day was doing - finding a reason to be outside. 

At one beach front (directly across the channel from the Treadwell Trail that I had walked with colleagues a month or so ago, that also contained such artifacts), there were rusted.......items.......scattered throughout the area.  I don't know if these items (and the hundreds of others that I did not photograph) are all remnants from the mining era of this town, or if they are just rusted metal objects unthinkingly abandoned and discarded by area residents over the years.

And finally, the interesting architecture of what must have once been a busy boat wharf. 

A song for my Eastern TN Mountain Boy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua-4NUURZjg