I looked out the window this morning and loved how the snowsicles dripping off the roof lined up with our staircase and neighbor’s porch railings.
Snow Shapes
Tag: Snow
Preparing for Winter
This post is for my friends who live in warmer environments. The image featured is of something we see a lot here in the north. It’s usually metal rods along highways, but this particular picture is a bunch of wood posts at our local beach. Know what it is?
It’s a row of markers along a road so the snowplows know where to drive. I’m kind of super excited to see that the markers are now lining a path to the main parking lot at our beach instead of just to the ticket booth. That’s quite a bit further when one is hiking in deep snow and will make walking to the water a whole lot easier this winter.
To put things in perspective, I’m 5 foot 2 inches tall. Think they are getting ready for a lot of snow? 😉
One can only hope…
Snow
I realize it’s difficult for people who actually have to go out and travel or commute in this or shovel or anything. But I have to admit, I still have a hard time not getting super excited about 10 to 20 inches of snow within 24 hours.
January Thaw — a Time to Step Back
Yankeerosecreations sums up the benefits of the January thaw perfectly (and beautifully), imo.
It is 50 degrees out here in Belfast, New York this morning as I write this. A soaking rain has been falling since last night. Almost all the snow we have gotten over the past month has melted, and flood warnings are in effect for many nearby creeks and streams. It is our January Thaw. […]
via January Thaw —
Finally Back on the Slopes
It’s been too long. So good to be back.
Where Did Star Go?
I think she loves snow as much as I do. This was her foray outdoors last night. The snow on the steps reflect what had fallen in the previous six hours.
This was the snow level a few hours earlier.
And here it is today.
So pretty.
Strong Winds in Utah
So we didn’t go skydiving. But as you can see in this picture, at least it wasn’t a borderline call. It was very clear that it would be a poor choice for the day if we expected to  see a tomorrow (spoiler–we all wanted to see tomorrow). So no go. Now we have something to look forward to again in future visits.
But we got the local tour instead, and  it was fabulous. Ever since CJ was a baby, he was obsessed with trains so he took us to a treasure of a restaurant he found in Heber City. Trains everywhere (and yummy burgers). Even the servers had train hats.
CJ has always had a thing for trains. How could he not love this restaurant?
Train restaurant
After lunch we went up  Guardsman Pass, which had just opened after being closed all winter. The drive was a bit harrowing for those of us who have a hard time with heights (no guard rails, and lots of twists and turns with huge drop-offs), but CJ drove well, and it was breath-takingly beautiful.
Utah is amazingly beautiful. Over 80 degrees Fahrenheit and still snow on the ground.
Sagebrush – smelled so good!
Pretty pines
Drive up a steep incline
At the top we enjoyed the views then went for a small hike further up and threw a few snowballs. Gotta love doing  that in June!
Snowballs in June? Gotta love it 🙂
CJ just loves the snow.
Lauren in the wind.
Chris and Chrissie enjoying the view on a windy day.
Chris throwing a snowball at me (I dodged it).
I think the most humorous part of the day might have been seeing several snowmobiles  hanging out on the side of the road. We wondered – is that in case there is a freak storm? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Snow Surprise Saves our Season
Three. That’s the pathetically low count of times we were able to go snowboarding this past year. We’ve been spoiled enough to average 5-7 times a week for the past few years so it’s been a bit rough this year. With the move and our travels and such, we just haven’t had time this year. Our deteriorating muscles and expanding bellies attest to the fact that this is not an ideal situation.
Now it’s the time of year where you can get annual passes for next year, and snowboard for the rest of this year as part of the deal. As much as our hearts are with Swain, it’s too far away now that we have moved. So we planned to get passes for Greek Peak. And that was exciting.
We were supposed to go last weekend. Timing was critical since the snow has been rapidly melting. To our great disappointment, I was ill and couldn’t garner the strength to hit the slopes (all good now. It was just a nasty cold).
Then this east coast storm came down from heaven and gifted us with fresh powder the day before my weekend (I work Saturdays through Wednesdays). Greek Peak got 28-inches of fresh powder, so we grabbed hotel room and planned a two-day slope getaway. Wahoooo!
As I wrapped up the work week on Wednesday the 15th, Chris pulled our boards out in the hallway, and they looked really happy in their escape from our basement. The entire visit was perfect.
We had been there the day before Christmas Eve with Hudi and Zeb, so happy memories assailed us as we pulled into the parking lot and got ready to hit the lift. It was windy, but the temps were in the upper 20s F. Much better than the near-zero-degree-F temps of last weekend. A face guard, helmet and decent coat kept us warm so the air that did manage to hit our faces actually felt invigorating. And I got to wear my new snowboard boots that I picked up in Utah. So happy memories of time with CJ and Zeb there as well.
My boots and Chris about to go down the hill. Beautiful views.
The views were amazing, and there were enough bumps and jumps and powder pockets to keep Chris entertained while I boarded on the side, practicing my s-turns and squiggles. My snowboard was so happy it started doing some tricks I’ve been working on for years. All by itself! It just seemed to flow, bless its little board heart.
If you look closely at my board, you can see that I had a Wapuu on for the ride as well 🙂 (actually there are two, but one is under that snow on the front of my board)
When we got tired (definitely as out of shape as we thought we were), we headed back to the hotel for an in-room picnic and movie-time. No rush, no fuss. We knew we were going back the next day.
And that day was super fun. It was St. Patrick’s day so we got to listen to Irish music as we loaded onto the lift. The sun was shining, the wind had dissipated, and the skies were super blue. Paradise. After a few hrs of boarding we headed to the car for a hot chocolate break, and I soaked in the sun.
I don’t know if we will get out again this year, but that getaway already gave me a lot of things to dream about for next year. That snow storm was such a gift.