Princess Needed To Walk

This morning we woke up to light snow and a temperature of 12 degrees.

With freezing temperatures and very high winds for the better part of a week Jamie had not spent a lot of time outside, and yesterday we resolved that regardless of the weather today my dog needed to head out on an adventure.

Like a small child with too much energy to burn.........

We loaded her into the truck mid-morning with increasingly heavy snow and headed for the Valley.

Brunch at MiCasa, a quick trip to rent a handful of movies new and old, an even quicker trip to the grocery store and we were all happily heading away from civilization and back towards the quiet of Out the Road and home.

The snow was getting heavier and heavier and our dog was barking and whining wildly - princess had spent way too much time sitting in the back seat of the truck and was not shy about showing her displeasure.

My dog needed to walk, and truthfully so did I.

LC pointed the truck towards Auke Village Recreation Area and when we got close we were both surprised at how much snow was now actually covering this side road, and also how many vehicles were parked along the side of the road.

Jamie is not the only one who had cabin fever it seemed.

As we headed towards Auke Village after brunch and shopping I had noticed the temperature gauge outside the UAS Bookstore in Auke Bay.  It read 20 degrees, and it had not been even close to 20 degrees for over a week.

Now that the gale force winds had abated and now that the freezing temperatures had finally moderated people (and dogs) wanted and needed to be outside...........

Two dogs greeting each other on the trail.........

We walked on a snow covered trail and eventually popped out onto the open beach.

This was the first place I ever walked alone after arriving in Juneau, and I walked all the way out from the condo where I was staying with a colleague near the ferry terminal to this small almost-island (accessed only by a small strip of land that leads from the mainland).

We walked out to the island today in the snow and cold.

The mountains surrounding us were almost completely obscured in the snow and the grey, and we were greeted with the silence of winter..........

A small group of ducks swimming in the choppy water close to shore.........

We were the only ones on the small pine-tree filled island, but watched small groups of people and dogs walking on the beach.

It was a grey and damp and cold day, but it was also a calm day and a good day to be outside..........

Although I do not think that I would have wanted to be on the water in this open boat today........

My Jamie-dog loving every minute of exploration.

My Tennessee Mountain Boy unsure if he is loving any minute of exploration, but we walked and talked and took pictures of grey anyway............

Pine cones in the snow..........

As with many places throughout the area, I have taken pictures of this place in all seasons and in all weather.

I see this picture of grey and also in my mind can see the picture I took of this place when it was 70 degrees and the sky was completely blue.

Beauty by many different definitions..........

As with all walk-to islands in the area, this one is filled with tall pine trees once you move away from the rocky beach..........

There was one eagle that circled continuously immediately above us and I took a number of pictures while he was flying, trying unsuccessfully to catch him on film.

I was surprised when I downloaded this picture, and did not realize until then that I had finally captured him so well as he came in for a landing.........

In my travels I often see small flocks of birds swimming immediately above the surface of the water.

These ducks were the same flock I took a picture of just minutes before while they were swimming close to shore.

They were scared into flight by the eagle..........

The beach in Alaska in the winter.........

We spent quite a while walking in the pine trees in the center of the island in addition to walking along the outside of the island and on the beach.

As we were heading back towards the trail we saw our same eagle again fly over our heads.

We followed him and saw him land on a high branch on one of the old and huge pine trees that can be found at this place.

If you click on the picture it will enlarge and he is there........

We slowly walked along the beach taking pictures of our eagle as we went, never quite sure when we would get too close and he would take flight and leave us.

Sometimes eagles get skittish pretty quickly and leave far too soon.

But many times in my brief experience in Alaska, I have found that once they get comfortable in one spot they often stay in one spot for a very long time.

They know where we are.  And they know when we are close.  Of that I have no doubt.

But they also seem to know when they are not being threatened.

LC has gotten within 10 feet eye-to-eye of an eagle in the past.  He talked softly with this wonderful creature the entire time as he continued to move forward, stopping only when he himself began to feel uncomfortable with the proximity.

I have taken many pictures of eagles when I stood directly beneath them.  They were watchful but not alarmed.

They never cease to amaze and charm..........

I took this picture, and right after I took it LC said to me "Look to your left"

I turned and looked out towards the channel and was startled to see a seal looking at us in the water and close to shore.

He disappeared under water before I had a chance to take a picture of him and did not reappear.

They are very very sweet and curious creatures..............

Standing in increasing snow and waiting patiently for me to be done taking pictures of our eagle.

Thank you thank you thank you for waiting patiently.........

One last picture taken during a brief reprieve in the snow showers.......

I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.........Andrew Wyeth