Taku Winds

Something I’ve been hearing about for a while, but never experienced (until last night) are the Taku winds. Because of how the mountains are situated in the downtown and Douglas area (which just so happens to be where I live) wind get funneled down the channel at gale force speeds. Taku wind season apparently is between October and April, and occur on average 4 times during this period. I guess that makes last night one of those 4 times as wind gusted up to 50mph! (Again, my metric friends, that’s upwards of 80km/h) It really was wind like I’ve never experienced before, not to mention the fact my house sort of juts off the side of a hill, making me feel a tad more vulnerable. Apparently, though, you get used to it. My hubby didn’t even flinch all night long as I lay wide awake and worried about our house popping off the mountain and ending up in the channel. (My imagination works in wonderful ways in the middle of the night!) This picture shows what looks like clouds around the top of the mountain, when actually that’s a full blown snowstorm going on up there. (Not unlike a dust storm in a dessert, I imagine…) Wouldn’t want to spend much time on the tops of those mountains during these little out bursts!

Well, I promised updates, and then I go AWOL…what do you do? We all have our weaknesses right? It may because there really hasn’t been much to report recently but I’ll see what I can dig up…

I think the most impressing “thing” (for lack of a better word) that has happened since I’ve come here is the Thane Road avalanche. First, I’ll give you a little background on the roads here in Juneau. Or maybe I should say, the lack thereof…

Although Juneau is not an island, by ANY stretch of the imagination, it is “landlocked”. The main road through Juneau is about 40 miles (64 km for my metric friends…) from end to end. Yes, it ends at both tips. From downtown Juneau, you can head north about 30 miles (albeit beautiful miles) and then you run into the ocean. Or, you can head south about 10 miles and just plain run out of road. That 10 miles is known as Thane Road and as become one of my most feared roads. As you drive out Thane you have the Gastineau Channel on one side and a steep mountain side up the other, and as a result it is known for it’s avalanches. A dear friend of ours, in his mid 90’s, having lived here 70 odd years out on Thane, is able to predict to the day when an avalanche is coming. Apparently, when it snows heavily one and then warms up a few degrees and turns to rain the next, an avalanche is as good as guaranteed, in his mind.

On February 8th that’s exactly what happened. We’d had a huge dump of snow, 8 inches or so, and then it go beautifully warm and yes, poured rain. This is a picture a few weeks later from across the channel, even after a bunch of avalanche shooting and plowing.

Luckily, no one was hurt, but that hasn’t always been the case with Thane Rd avalanches. It is the only road into town for the residents out there. Another good friend of ours had a scare of a lifetime when her late husband was caught in an avalanche and swept out into the channel. Luckily the tide was out. (Let it be noted is was NOT the avalanche that killed him!)

Nothing like adding a little excitement to your drive into or home from work!