An Unexpectedly Good Day

A picture taken from Douglas Island looking across at the bridge and part of the city of Juneau.....I am beginning to wonder when the sun will come out again......

My work had an employee bar-b-que at Savikko Park this afternoon.  I had plenty of work to do - working on pieces of a budget again.  It is difficult to do that kind of tedious work where my office is, because of constant interruptions. 

It was incomplete by lunch time so I headed over to Douglas South intending to eat, visit will fellow employees for a while and then head back to my office.  Work was calling and it was something that needed to be done.

When I arrived at the pavillion there was already a big and warm fire blazing, in an attempt to ward off the chill and constant dampness that was in the air. 

It was about 50 degrees, and today I realized that this is the coldest summer I have ever experienced.

The food - pulled pork and chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, peach cobbler and ice cream, hot chocolate and cold drinks.......what a great meal!!

After eating, some employees threw softballs, and horseshoes and volleyballs and tug of war ropes were pulled out. 

Even though I consider myself fairly athletic, ball sports are something I have never been good at, so truthfully I did not plan on sticking around for very long.  Work was calling.

And then a lady who I see fairly often, but who I do not know well, asked me if I wanted to walk on the Treadwell Mining Trail.  I eagerly accepted.

And she unexpectedly took me on large sections of the trail system that I had not seen before. 

I was surprised because I have been onto these trails three times since I arrived in Juneau and thought that I had seen all there was to see.  I was mistaken........

I ended up staying on Douglas exploring for the remainder of the afternoon.  Unexpected.  Very nice.  Huge fun.  Budgets did not get finished, but tomorrow is another day, I'll find a quiet place away from my office, and it will get finished.

I took these pictures of the lovely boat harbor (that is located in a protected cove) early in the afternoon, before eating far too much with colleagues.

Part of one of the wide open and accessible gravel trails, and wonderfully getting off the beaten path a bit on one of the technical dirt and root covered trails that I did not know existed until today. 

The dirt trail intersected with a beautiful waterfall that dumped into a small pond.

As with the other trails that I had already previously explored, the trails that we visited today were covered with a huge array of interesting mining artifacts - relics that provide a silent history lesson on an important part of Juneau's early incarnation as a gold mining town.......

I thought this was interesting - tree roots growing on the banks, on either side of a small stream.....

How could I have visited these trails before, and have lived in Juneau for six months, and not know about the zipline??  I can't answer that, but was surprised to come across it none-the-less. 

The kids smiled and posed for me when I told them that I was going to include their picture in my blog....

And a whole slew of very interesting things to see.  I would love to take a walk one day with someone who is very familiar with the Treadwell Mine and all of its history.  It would be so interesting to learn the details about all of these wonderful relics and buildings. 

Right now everything on these trails is just very interesting, very unique, many times very architectural in appearance - just interesting........things.......

Somehow I think that a tour with someone knowledgeable would bring all of these things to life for me......

A few minutes after I took this picture it was filled with young people wearing zipline helmets........

This entire trail system is something really special.  It is beautiful, surrounded by mountains, edged by the channel, and contains never-ending ghosts of mining history.  I really love this trail for those reasons.

A zip-liner doing his thing.

My colleague and I spent a good couple of hours walking, talking, picture taking, having a really great time.

After making our way back to the picnic shelter, with fireplace still raging and employees sitting and visiting with each other, we took a walk down to the boat dock with one other employee who is selling his live-aboard.  I wanted to see it.

This man has lived on boats with his wife for many many years, and recently, after getting custody of his grandson made the huge decision to buy a house on Douglas and get used to land-living again.  Stability for his new charge.

That was a few months ago now, and although he has gotten used to living on land this aging free-spirit obviously misses living on the water.

He has spent many years rotating six months at the harbor on Douglas and then six month at the harbor out at Auke Bay.  He will continue to live on land at least until his grandson is grown I think. 

And so his 42 foot boat is up for sale.

It needs work.  But not much.  And I loved it.

Unexpectedly it turned out to be a hugely interesting and enjoyable afternoon.

I got to know a very nice lady a little better.  I visited in a relaxing environment with my co-workers.  I got to see new parts of a trail system that I thought I knew, but realized that I did not.  And I got to see a boat that I had been curious about, and can now picture a little better just how people live aboard their boats in this water environment.

It was a great day..........

A picture taken of Juneau before crossing back over the channel.

When is the sun going to come out again??  I miss it.