Oh. See I haven't checked in here for awhile. Fall is settling in. The air smells and feels different. Trees and grasses are becoming golden. Fireweed is no longer blooming and going to seed. Outside seems a wee bit darker than it has been. Changes. I like the smell of the air this time of year. Now and in the Spring. Finally saw Momma Bear and her two cubs out at the Glacier near Steep Creek. No pictures for you to see, just those in my mind. Had a root canal at the dentist today. Was in chair 3.5 hours. *ugh* Came home and napped for 4 hours. Glad to have that dental work finished. Back to the bears....................not many salmon in the creek this year for them to eat. Seems that several of the Alaskan Salmon returns throughout the state are lower this year. Bears were eating "Ground cones" to fill in the calories. Had not heard of ground cones. Seems they grow under Alder up here and under different trees down south. They look like a pine cone laying on the ground. I know of Broomrape and have seen that here. Seems Ground Cones and Broomrape are related. Google "Ground cones" and you will see pictures.

more pictures for Aug 11

View at end of the trail. The first picture here is where the sign was "looking" to show the community that was here during the mining days. Then a picture of me where we had lunch at the end of the trail beside the waterfall creek. Third picture shows a hillside in the basin and goats on that hillside. Really! Yes, there are goats on the hill. They are those tiny cream colored dots in the green foliage. Last picture shows flowers on False Hellibore.

Pictures for Aug 11 Perseverance Trail

First picture is me at the beginning of Perseverance Trail in front of Snowslide Gulch. Perseverance Trail is 3.5 miles into Silverbow Basin and the mining area there. Side trails go to Ebner Falls, Granite Basin and Mt. Juneau. Granite Basin is one of my favorites. Signs are self-explanatory and I think you will be able to read them as you zoom in. The waterfall is Ebner Falls and is close to the beginning of the trail. This trail is popular with tourists, local hikers, strollers, runners, and bikers. The last sign picture shows the community that existed at the end of the trail in Silverbow Basin. The first picture in next entry shows the site of that community and now just rubble and overgrowth.

Walked up Perseverance trail today. Picnic at trail's end. A 7.5 mile day. Am foot tired and weary. Dinner after at King Crab Shack.

Cold rain and fog this morning. Cannot see Shelter Island. Took my neighbor to the ferry this morning. They are heading to Skagway to hike over the Chilkoot Pass. A 5 day hike. Hope the weather clears for them. Tonight is the monthly "weave in" over in Douglas. I will take one of my unfinished projects.

First picking of blueberries and red huckleberries Saturday. Made a sauce and served over baked sockeye for dinner. Yummy!

Well...........that was unusual. Looked out my window in afternoon and saw a large cruise ship passing by. They usually leave town after 10pm and pass by here around midnight and all lighted up. First time to see one in the afternoon so got out the see far glasses to read the name. It was "The World". No other id on the ship. Looked at my tour ship schedule and it wasn't listed as one of the ships coming to Juneau this year. Then googled it and found this on wiki: (quote) The World is a cruise ship serving as a residential community owned by its residents.[1] The residents, from about 40 different countries, live on board as the ship travels the globe—staying in most ports from 2 to 5 days. Some residents live on board full time while others visit periodically throughout the year.[1] It is operated by ResidenSea, headquartered in Miramar, Florida.[2] The ship has 110 apartments where owners live and 88 "guest suites" rented out on short-term basis, as in a traditional cruise ship. The World (IMO ship identification number: 9219331) flies the flag of The Bahamas and has a gross tonnage of 43,524 tons. It is 644 feet (196 m) long, 98 feet (30 m) wide, and has a 22-foot (6.7 m) draft, 12 decks, and a maximum speed of 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h). The crew numbers 250. It has 165 residential units (106 apartments, 19 studio apartments, and 40 studios), all owned by the ship's residents. It carries between 100 and 300 residents and their guests. [edit] Prices As of 2010, a 328 sq ft (30.5 m2) studio (Ocean Studio 661) has a list price of USD $600,000. Ocean Residence 1006 (2 bedroom, 2.5 bath) list price USD $2,950,000.[citation needed] The World Suite 1108/1110 has a list price of USD $13,500,000.[citation needed] Monthly homeowner dues range from $20,000 per month (for the smaller units) and up, and cover fuel, crew, maintenance and a meal allowance for the owner.[citation needed] (end quote)