Wind Songs: The Time For Comfort and Home

After spending yesterday morning Out the Road, going home, then going to work in the afternoon, going home, going back into town last night for something work related, going home, then going back into town again first thing this morning for still more work related activities, I feel like I have been on the run a lot this weekend.

By 8:45 this morning I was heading away from town and heading back towards home yet again.

Since I had no real food in the house I begrudgingly decided that I probably needed to stop at Fred Meyers on the way out of town.

I learned that Freddies is quiet on Sunday mornings even a few days before Christmas.

After buying everything from spaghetti sauce to ice cream bars to ham to bread to some-nasty-pseudo-food thing that LC likes known as Cheese Popcorn I was finally ready to break free from the Juneau city vortex and thankfully head back out into the country.

As I was heading into town this morning I passed a clock/temperature gauge combination outside the UAS Bookstore in Auke Bay that told me it was 12 degrees outside.

No matter. The day was promising to shape up as an exact duplicate of yesterday - ridiculously and beautifully sunny and cold.

After passing through the Valley I stopped at "The Trail Next To Safeway".

I pass by this place twice a day every day during the week, stop often, and if not able to stop at least always look over at the river, the mountains, and a very good view of Mendenhall Glacier.

I took beautiful pictures here during the summer when the trail was completely filled with wildflowers.

And took more pictures in the fall when the entire world around this trail was filled with shades of orange and yellow and brown.

It is gorgeous in summer, gorgeous in fall, and yes........gorgeous in winter..........

The real name of "The Trail Next to Safeway"...........

There are paved and dirt trails throughout this area.

The paved trail is widely used by walkers, joggers and cyclists.

Surprisingly my first choice, the dirt trails, are not as widely used, and I jogged here off and on throughout the summer.

Much easier on knees and ankles and shins and backs, all of which have been injured over the years..............

In the summer this field is filled with wildflowers taller than I am.

Also in summer the parking lot is often busy with buses filled with noisy and enthusiastic cruise ship tourists..........

This lovely home is on a narrow side street at the back of the trails, but when you see it from the trail it really looks as though it is actually within the park/trail system itself.

Right now the front balcony is lit with a string of Christmas lights, and I love this house that is surrounded by river and pine trees and mountains and glacier............

The main trail parallels Mendenhall River.

This past summer my Mountain Boy stood protectively watching me as I made my way through the wildflowers to the bank of the river so I could take pictures of it.

Now it is partially frozen.

As I walked alone in the quiet, early on a Sunday morning, I could hear the creaking of large pieces of ice breaking off and banging into other pieces of ice.

Juneau is so beautiful during every season, but there is truly something magical about what this place looks like when it increasingly becomes buried in snow and ice............

It was cold, I had groceries to unload, laundry to do and a house to clean.

A scene from the trail as I headed back to my car..........

One more picture taken of the river and a native Alaskan icon on the bridge

Too many shades of blue to count............

Fully intending to drive straight home I instead pulled into the parking lot at Auke Lake.

Sure........cold, groceries, laundry, cleaning.

Got it.

But this was Auke Lake, and every day last week I drove by it in the morning, looked over at the mountains and remembered every single day just how beautiful this place is. And had no time to stop and enjoy it.

By the end of each day it was dark.

So on this Sunday morning I pulled in, and as with most every other place I stop these days, did not have to share it with anyone else.

This is the bridge that was built this past summer between Auke Lake and the UAS campus........

Views in both directions from the bridge..........

Looking back towards the parking lot and my Craigslist POS car.

That has served me very well this past 9 months............

If I had taken these pictures, and the ones at "The Trail Next To Safeway" only an hour later I know that they would not contain as many shadows as they do.

By the time I took these pictures it was at least 9:30, but the days are short - a late sunrise, and sunset coming far too early.

Regardless, an extraordinarily beautiful place and I was happy to spend a few minutes in each of these places, walking and picture taking and enjoying the winter-view...........

Snow covered steps leading up to a home across the highway from Auke Lake...........

One last stop before REALLY heading home.

There are three driveways in Auke Bay that access Statter Harbor, and I stopped at the third one for a few minutes to take some pictures of the very quiet harbor and the very quiet water............