"Whan That Aprile...."

With all apologies to Geoffrey, the April showers are leaving me a bit bummed out.  Pilgrimage?  The only place I want to go to is a warm beach, a sun bathed stretch of sand. That, my friends, is where I long to go on pilgrimage.  But anyway, lit references aside, how has YOUR April been?  Ours has been gray with a few sunny days sprinkled in just to keep our chins up.

Sunny days that make it all worth it

Mae had a birthday at the beginning of the month.  She's 2!  That seems like a milestone because when I got her, the rancher who gave her to me said that she would really settle down and be a much easier dog by the time she's 2.  Let's all laugh at THAT!  Sure, she's a bit easier and she's really filled out and is a SUPER athlete.  But Mae, my beautiful Mae, will never be an easy dog.  She is a damned cute girl though hey?

Birthday girl

Have a lovely spring!  Entertain, experience, accomplish, be deliberate, ENJOY.

Spring in the Mountains

Technically , the end of winter, but Spring is on it's way to the mountains.  March started out with  5 feet of snow in the first 9 days and quickly became all about rain.  It's been looking fairly dark and gloomy out there, but we are still out and about, waiting for some blue sky and sun....might be awhile?

February, Season Extender

I haven't posted much lately.  I have no idea why.  NO motivation to do so, honestly. Stuck in a snowdrift perhaps... 

We've had a few breaks in the ice storms, freezing temps and mega snowfall (normal pass weather finally!) and have been out and about around the neighborhood.  Though last week we had over 3 feet of snow in about 4 days, another highway closure, and a small dose of cabin fever. Mae and I have been enjoying our outings.  It's so pretty!! And it will extend the snowboard/ski season!  Hooray!

I finished the '30 day Yoga Challenge with Adriene'...it did take me 43 days, but I did it and am now completely sold on yoga.  What about you??

Two songs on my mp3 player, on repeat:

I am a Rock  Give it a listen...."I have my books, and my poetry to protect me"
I never noticed what a dark song it really is.  But I LOVE it.

And the Jerry Douglas, Mumford & Sons cover of The Boxer .  It's simply fabulous.  

And your February??  How is it?  Possibly no one is enjoying it as much as Mae.

Mountain Life, A Snow Day

You would think, living in the mountains with an average annual snowfall of over 400 inches of snow, that we would get a lot of "snow days", stuck at home, roads closed, no place to go.  Actually, it's fairly rare! But yesterday we had freezing rain in the forecast so I, mentally checked out, spent the day in the house doing laundry, binged watched some Nicholas Cage movies on Netflix (don't judge me man), baked brownies, played with Mae.

Unfortunately, today is a REAL "snow day".  The freezing rain, which came down like a sand, accumulated to about 8 inches or more, and I-90 is closed in both directions for today AND tonight.   Slides and debris have covered parts of the highway and conditions are too dangerous for crews to be out clearing. Trees are across the road and more are falling. It's going to be a long time before they get the highway cleaned up and open!  Locals are saying it's the worst ice storm they can remember in over 40 years of pass living.

What to do?? Well, Netflix is out right?  I mean how many bad movies can you stand?  (A lot actually).  I'm not making any more brownies, cakes or pie.  Maybe I will make an apple crisp though.  I've already done yoga and a weight work out....I've been out walking Mae twice .  I think we should venture up the mountain, do a little skinning, take a few turns.  

What does Mae think?  She might have the right idea....

Snow, yes please

Some lazy shots (From my window) of the BEAUTIFUL weather and new snow.  Finally, it's winter here!

Mae's Day

Will ya look at this lucky dog?  Will ya look at this gorgeous weather?!  Today we are celebrating Mae's first birthday.  She's 1!  And she's out doing her favorite thing, running around on the mountain!

We've been blessed by absolutely perfect weather this week and still have enough snow on the mountain to skin up with our split boards. It's been great.  Mae is learning to just run ahead of us, which is terrific, because her herding instinct, trying to keep us together, doesn't make for very good snowboarding. 

I think this is a great way to spend a birthday, don't you?

Signs of Spring

Dirty snow, broken sleds, holes opening up everyhere and soft, wet snow…these are our local signs of spring.  I’m excited that it’s March 1st!  February was rainy with two weeks straight of rain that really melted our snow pack.  But then we had some great sunny days and my husband and  I were able to get out and take a few runs together one day last week. It was gorgeous!    I can always count on him to get some great action shots.  Like this one:

That’s right, I’m tightening my boot!  But look at all that sunshine and nice snow!  Then there’s this one…..I’m actually SIDE SLIPPING.  Is it my first day on a snowboard?  NO.  Ha ha ha, but maybe he was looking at the view, and not at me.  In my defense (yes, I feel like I need to defend myself)  just out of view to the right was a group lesson of tiny skiers!  They were so adorable!  They make huge turns and I was trying to let them get ahead of me.  Well, that didn’t take long for most of them. Gosh they are fast!

It was a beautiful day out there.  Since then we have had more rain and are losing more snow.  There are holes like this one opening up all over the place.

But it’s all good.  We can ride around them!

Happy March!  In just a few weeks it will officially be SPRING!  Hooray for that!  I’m certainly looking forward to it.  Aren’t you??

Blue Sky, Bobcats and UFO's

It's been a busy week or two here.  We've had some beautiful weather and warming temps which have resulted in spring snow conditions.  My husband and I have been able to get up on the mountain, skinning up on our split boards with Mae along of course. 

Just LOVE a blue sky day!

We had two very interesting "sightings" this week.  One was real....I happened to look out the window one morning to see this kitty. It took me a few seconds to realize what I was seeing and when I grabbed my phone to get a photo, well, it wasn't a good shot!  The birdfeeder got in the way, but that is a bobcat!

The other sighting was a bit more dramatic and unreal....ufo's! My husband went out to walk the dog and came back in yelling for me to come outside, there were LIGHTS IN THE SKY!!  Unidentified of course...

a ufo sighting in the mountains

I want to believe!

We watched them for about 15 mins.  There were 5 of them in a line at first, then they changed formation.  We couldn't tell what in the world they were! They were silent, moving together, would disappear and reappear. Other people on the mountain reported seeing them.  Well, it turned out that a group of people staying in a mountain - side residence had let off several Chinese lanterns....I was so disappointed!!  ( Now I know how Mulder feels) It was a lot of fun while it lasted though.

The weather has returned to fog and rain, a bit of snow. It may be awhile before we have another blue sky day.  We are planning on going to a few Seattle Breweries tomorrow for Valentine's beer, I mean Valentine's DAY.  I hope your holiday weekend is a great one!  Did you get outside? Have an adventure?  I hope so!

Morning in the Mountains

No one would ever describe me as a morning person.  But when you wake up in the mountains and get outside to such incredible scenery, well, it certainly wakes you up!  Had a very enjoyable morning walk around the mountains with Mae.  There was sun, blue sky and fresh snow.  A few photos....

The fog is starting to roll in now, which is fairly common here, but we will get out again later for some more snow fun!   Hope your Groundhog day is going well! 

Green Grass

One of the things I truly love about where I live is that I can be on snow, xc skiing, snowboarding or just running around , maybe sitting on a snowbank....

....and then with a 30 minute drive?  I can be in a completely different place, usually 10-20 degrees warmer and the grass is green!  By February the Seattle area has flowering trees and shrubs in bloom, everything is green, though a bit soggy, and it really feels like spring!  But with the snow pack we have this winter, we will be enjoying "winter" sports well into May.  Not a bad deal really.

It was actually a bit warm for her at 50 degrees!  Used to the snow and cold weather.

Snow Day With Mae

Yes, perhaps I do have too much time on my hands today ?  You think?  What better way to spend it than playing in the snow with Mae!

Late Spring Snow

Here's a little proof that if you are patient you can still get in some good days even in a lousy snow year.  Our neighbor took this over the weekend up on Silver Peak .  Pretty good looking snow with decent coverage!

In other mountain news….the same neighbor spotted what he believed to be a wolf on the side of the highway, I 90, on his way down to town Sunday morning.  He contacted fish and wildlife and unfortunately, the wolf was hit a bit later .  Fish and Wildlife confirmed (well, it’s been sent for DNA testing) that it was a female wolf, weighing in at 185 lbs, all black and most likely from a known pack to the Northeast of us.  The wildlife officers on approach thought it was a young bear because of it’s size and dark color.    This spot on the highway is a regular “road kill” area as Elk like to feed on the side of the road there.  Last year a cougar was hit in the same area.  Anyway, I wish I had seen the wolf!  It’s interesting to know that they are around us….Though I’m not sure I’d want to see one while out running or hiking.  Would you?  Have you run into any large wildlife while out in the forests?

SNOW TODAY

A LITTLE LATE TO THE PARTY, DON'T YOU THINK??

What February Looks Like

  Well, the ski area has finally thrown in the towel and sent out a message that they are closed until further notice due to lack of snow.  For a place that has an annual snowfall of close to 500 inches, that's just sad and so many other things.

Today it's 56 degrees, partly sunny and looks like this...

Freezing level is around 8000 feet

What should February in the mountains look like?  Well, here are a few shots from seasons past.  

THIS was February 21, 2013

Mt Baker Banked Slalom, February 2013

Mt Baker Banked Slalom, February 8, 2013

This year the Mt. Baker Banked had to be "postponed" for lack of snow.  They are optimistic that a reschedule may happen in March. In the mean time, it's a beautiful day here in the mountains but would be so much more fabulous if there was snow!!!  And while I've been telling my east coast friends to take a run or two for me, and telling all the lucky riders who have snow to whoop it up and think of me, I'm tired of riding in thoughts only.  The real "rub it in" moment came  when I called our dentist today to make an appointment and found out that he won't be available for another week....he's skiing in Idaho!!!  

You got snow?  Lucky!!   What's February look like where you are?

On A Mission, to FIND SNOW

Our snowfall amounts here are still seriously low.  It's rumored that the ski area is going to throw in the towel on the season soon!  Boo hissssss.

My husband went out searching for snow in other places and had a couple of successful snowboarding trips to Mission Ridge over in Wenatchee.  They don't have a great natural snow depth either but.....they make it!  AND, importantly, they GROOM really really well.

blue skies and a view

lunch spot at the top of Mission Ridge

sea of fog below

Groomed

Finally today we had enough snow for the groomer to cut track out on the Iron Horse Trail!  We saw the groomer go by and got out for a quick, early xc ski, the FIRST of the season.   It was a good thing we hit it early because about an hour after this photo was taken some blustery snow turned to freezing rain.... 

So glad we got out on this very gray day and had fresh cut track!  It may be awhile until this happens again!  Have a great weekend....and if you are a football fan, I have one thing to say to you....GO HAWKS!  

Four-Letter Word Thursday?

So as an alternative to "wordless Wednesday", I'm offering up 4-letter word Thursday.  And here is my photo .  Caption it RAIN.  What did you think I was going to say?  That's right, I took that today, December 11th.  The Magic Carpet isn't looking very magical, the chairs are stuck in a wan, weary place. My snowboard sits lonely in the garage.  My new snowboard jacket is hanging itself in the closet.  There is NO snow, no snow in the forecast for the next few days at least.  Got another 4-letter word you want to offer up to me?  

Summit at Snoqualmie, December 11 , 2014

Snow Rain Sleet, Repeat

For color, part of our vintage snowboard collection

And don't forget the fog.....I think that is the recipe for November.  We always remark every year that November is the worst month on the mountain.  There is not enough snow to go full out in winter activities, but just enough to make running, cycling, dirt biking, hiking, even walking the dog just a miserable or impossible task.  Though this week twice now I have risen to the occasion and gone out for two adventures.

You've seen this before?  Ya, I think I need new running clothes!

The first was a hike up my usual route to the beer can and then along the road and eventually just going straight up the ski slope through the area that slid a few years ago.  By then it was foggy .  The footing was about two inches of crusty snow which honestly, provided some traction.  Except for the spot that looked good but turned out to be a snow covered, ice covered boulder!  I fell down, like a clown....But it was fun! I made my way back through the slide , bushwhacking for a bit to the access road and managed to have some sort of workout for over an hour.

Yesterday, I kept waiting for the rain to end or change over but finally just went out.  I headed down the rail trail, which in winter is a groomed xc ski trail.  Once I got past the section where the local kids had been driving their lifted trucks the night before, it evened out and wasn't too bad.  No, I wasn't on skis.  I was running, like I was wearing army boots in sand....It was a blast!  So tiring though that I had to only run part of every minute, counting off the steps, lifting my legs high and then stepping where the snow crust was smooth.  I saw Bobcat tracks.  LOVE to see animal tracks....as long as they are small.

Anyway, that's November.  You have to either fly to Hawaii and forget the month or go out and make the best of it.

Finally, it's here!

It's a little late, but finally, we have SNOW!  Ok, ok , it's really 1/4 inch of snow with frozen crust on top and as I write it's turning to freezing rain.  We call this....A BASE.  

We have more "base building" in the forecast, unfortunately it's just above us at about 4,000 feet.  At least the tops of the mountains will get some!  Yay!!   I know you look at this photo and think it's LAME, but in my eyes, it's just the start of snowboarding, xc skiing, sledding,  snowshoeing season!  Not to mention the dog rolling in snow, snowball fights, snow forts and cocoa! yeah baby!!

Mid November....

Well, here it is mid-November, where's the snow?  It's not here.   It's not on the ground. It's not in the forecast, not a flake.  Even all the way out through next week.  There's a chance of rain but the freezing level is going up to 9000 feet!  It's mid-November. 9000 feet?  Come on!

This past week the skies have been crystal clear, but temps have been in the teens and a windstorm left us without power for 24 hrs.  We even dragged out the generator so we could watch a movie on the laptop.  Romantic?  No, not really.  The only upside of clear skies is that the crew working on the new chair lift has had some great days to get cracking on that.  It's not every day you see a new chairlift being built and it's been pretty cool!  I wish I could show you the shiny new towers but the day I hiked up I forgot my camera (duh, right?).  That's okay, I will be able to show you them in action this winter.  In the mean time, here's a picture of the Chinook that was helping the crew place the towers and remove logs from the slope.  It was here in the neighborhood for 3 or 4 days and even flew on the day with 40 mph wind gusts.  It was a lot of fun to watch!

As you can see, some of those logs were really, really big!  That one in the bottom picture in particular was probably hundreds of years old.  Coincidentally, we had just watched the X-Files episode about the loggers ....the ones who went missing...the ones hunted down by insects hatched out of old growth timber?  And Scully and Mulder end up trapped in giant cocoons.....??  Remember??   Well, I believe. :)