Month: February 2013

Pam pointed out a couple of iris plants starting to poke up in one of our flower beds. Even though we enjoyed temps in the mid-40 degree range yesterday (our normal average), I don’t think spring is around the corner. The forecast for the next week shows high temps in the well-below-average range. I’m betting this winter goes down as one of the colder winters on record in the high desert.

Still, there are the iris plants and the robins Pam spotted a few weeks ago. On my last snowmobile trip I saw evidence of snow beginning to melt and exposing bare ground on one of the lower trails. Maybe the end of the winter is in sight. We shall see!

I’ve been in contact with our mountain driveway contractor, Peter, and I will probably meet with him at the Sanderling property sometime this coming week. Peter said he generally can begin excavation work around the first of March. Although the route of the first part of the drive is established, the final route to the saddle where we want to put the building is still unresolved. We can make a sharp turn left, up the hill, or swing out in a more gentle left-hand curve (around a slope) and go up-hill diagonally. The latter option would require a good amount of retaining wall and fill, but would result in a more gentle grade — plus the drive would be in winter sunlight (helping to melt winter snow cover).

The red line is the shorter but steeper route, the blue is the second option:

Driveway options

We hope Peter can give us an opinion based on his expertise in building driveways in the area, and his knowledge of county regulations regarding percent of incline. At this point we really need a driveway to be able to move on to other tasks; the driveway is a priority.

In other news…my old leather coat, a gift from Pam more than 20 years ago, finally died. The zipper will no longer stay shut. It’s like losing an old friend. Pam has ordered me a new L.L Bean coat to replace it (item # TC187484), but I may try to find a shop that will replace the zipper so I can continue to use the old coat for around-the-house chores.

Yesterday was a very nice day so I went for another snowmobile ride on the Grand Mesa. This trip totaled 128 miles, probably the longest ride I have been on. I carried extra fuel just to make sure I could get back to the parking lot OK. (Tabitha: Some sleds have reverse, this one does not.) Most of this ride was on forest service roads so I was able to make good time.  Here are a few photos.  (Hooray, more snowmobile photos…)

Heading up the trail

Buzzard Pass Divide

I saw a female moose and 2 wolves on this trip, all on Road 265, and all within about 3 miles of each other. On the photo above note the extra gas can. Behind it, in the green sleeve, is my tripod. I did use both this trip!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

My Valentine’s Card to Pam:

Note:

After you click the Play button move your cursor just up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the Player’s control panel. You can adjust the volume, go to Full Screen, and stop and start the clip. I can’t get rid of the advertisement at the end as it is embeded with the video, but it does have a convenient Replay button and I know you will want to watch this more than once! 🙂

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

This last weekend it was snowing in the high country both Saturday and Sunday. Forecast was for 1 – 2 feet of snow, and we could see the clouds from our back deck. Since I didn’t want to ride solo in those conditions I left the snowmobile at home and  took out my ATV. The weather was good enough for a short trip – about 3 hours – into Wild Horse Mesa. Yes, there is that much change in weather between our 5,028 foot elevation and the 10,000 foot plus elevation of Grand Mesa.

As I was heading out the words of John Denver’s “Home Again” stuck in my mind, particularly the phrase “There’s a storm across the valley, clouds are rolling in…”  To my left I could see snow falling on the south side of the Colorado River. (Ahead of me a cloud bank was on the horizon.)

Storm across the valley…

The sun was shining so I knew I had some time before I would need to turn around for home. Here is a shot of the landscape as it looks about 8 – 9 miles out. Note the unusuall purple colored rocks in the center. There is a band of this color throughout the region, but it is particularly evident here.

Landscape about 9 miles from home, Wild Horse Mesa

The road, dry at the beginning of the ride, went through a couple of transitions. At about 11.5 miles out it turned muddy as the snow was melting, mile 13 saw a mix of mud and snow, and by mile 15  the road was snow-covered and frozen. It doesn’t seem like the change in elevation is that great, but the changes in road conditions are a reminder that the farther you go the higher you get.

I rode for several miles observing the landscape and looking at the animal tracks. I didn’t see any wildlife, except for a few birds. As I went I kept an eye on the sky knowing the forcast included a 70 percent chance of precipitation. When I saw this cloud bank coming toward me I knew it was time to turn around and head home:

Clouds are rolling in!

The fact that it was already beginning to snow – lightly – reinforced my decision. I was 19 miles out and it had taken me about 90 minutes to get here. (That time included photo stops.) The mud and snow zones cut down on my over-the-road speeds and I was not in a hurry.  I knew it would take me as long to return as it had to get to this point.

The ride home was uneventful –  but colder – as the clouds continued to build and block the sun. I had to stop once to warm up my right thumb as the ATV has no grip or thumb warmers. (These are available as after-market add-ons but I don’t have a set installed on The Griz.)

Once home I parked The Griz and proceeded to fix myself a nice hot cup of tea. While it was steeping I fired up the Mac, started looking at the photos, and began to plan this post. It was a nice way to finish off the day’s ride.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Well, today is Super Bowl Sunday, neither Pam or I are too excited about it. We just hope it’s a good game (with excellent commercials!) Most of the pre-game pundits have picked Baltimore to  win, but the ’49ers are closer to home for us so we will be rooting for them.

A recent post by Pam’s sister Becky was a trip down memory lane. It got me to thinking abut digital photography. Going back, it looks like I bought my first digital (a whopping 1.2 mega-pixles!) back in 1999. Boy, has that technology advanced! I don’t have many decent digital images from that time, and those I do have need to be run through an editing program to see if they can be improved. Still, this one caught my eye:

Caitlin and Felicity, March 2000

Becky’s daughter Caitlin and our daughter Felicity show off their (temporary) tats. Taken in March of 2000. I have no idea why Felicity’s arm turned out that color. Too much flash, I guess!

Little new since my last post. The weather got warm enough to melt a lot of our snow, with standing water that now has nowhere to go. The high temps are all below freezing so it’s back to “normal” winter weather.

I took another snowmobile trip yesterday, this time to a place called Stevens Gulch. It was a nice, bright day in the high country. Early morning frost had covered the tree branches and turned them into ice-covered art:

Ice-covered branches are winter’s art.

Here is a landscape shot of a similar scene:

Winter landscape in ice.

The Stevens Gulch trail offers some excellent views of the Elk Mountain range. I enjoy this route and the scenery along the way. Here is a shot of me pulled up along the trail’s edge and using a tripod to get into the picture:

Elk Mountains from Stevens Gulch Trail

I had parked at the Visitor’s Center on Grand Mesa. Here is a shot of the car and sled as I’m getting ready to return home at the end of the day. At this point I had ridden 102 miles and the gas gauge showed 1/4 of a tank left. I still have to put the tie-downs and cover on the sled before I head for home.

Car, trailer, and snowmobile.

There were dozens of other snowmobilers out, along with some cross-country skiers and snowshoers. (No fat tire bikes this time!)

And for Becky: Yes, grip and thumb warmers are now standard on all snowmobiles and have been for some time. They are independently adjustable – grips on one switch and thumb warmer on another – and the heat is very welcome on cold rides!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!