ANOTHER SHOT OF WINTER

We woke up to about 3 inches of snow Wednesday.  Not what the forecasters were calling for.  It was nice walking through the trees with the new snow and more snow falling though.  Most of it melted during the day.  The ski resort only got about an inch.  

This picture was taken the other day.  If you look at the mountains behind Connie, you can see a lot or most of the trees have been burned by forest fires in the past few years.

Today's picture of the same area with fresh snow.

Pretty walking though.

The horses down in the meadow after feeding.

Zeph on a rock waiting for Connie to give him a treat.

OLD SLIDES 4

A few more slides that we have converted.

Reid, Bill, and I skiing at Snowbird.  This is the Landcruiser Connie and I drove to Alaska in 1978.

Connie and her dad with their fish at Deep Creek.

Backpacking in Hawaii

Hiking down on the Kenai.

Connie and Ryan on the way to Chitna, AK.

Pam and Connie down in the Grand Staircase, UT.

GETTING WOOD AND UPDATE 14 FEB 13

We have been pretty busy around here lately.  Last Thursday we went skiing in some really good powder and neither Connie or I took a camera.  It was a last minute decision to go as they were not predicting so much snow, but when I called they said they had 6 inches and it was still snowing.  So we hurried around and fed the horses, loaded the Jeep and headed to Lost Trail.  Really great light powder and in some places by afternoon it was just about up to our knees.  Both were tired when we stopped.

Been cutting down a few trees and cutting them up for wood.  This will be heat for winter after next.  Next years is already split and stacked.  Zeph has been going with me and is a "logging" dog now.  He does not really care for all the noise when the tree falls though.  I have him tied up away from where I am dropping the trees until I get them on the ground and he is sure glad to get untied.  He likes riding on the front of the tractor going and coming though.

Coming back from getting some wood.

Sunrise on the Bitterroots.

LONG HIKE AND OLD SLIDES 3

I had to go to the doctors office early this morning for them to draw blood for my up coming physical so did not get to do my morning walk.  After feeding when I got back, I took Zephyrus for a long hike to the east of us to Scott's point.  There is still quite a bit of snow up there, but you can walk on top of it if it is still frozen - which it was.  So Zeph and I had a nice hike but did not see wildlife or fresh tracks.  Well, maybe deer tracks. 

Looking south down the valley.

Zeph on Scott's point.

An old tree stump years ago in the Prince William Sound with ornaments Kevin, Pam, and Connie decorating it.

Working on a suntan with a down coat, sweatshirt, and turtle neck on the Pigot Bay cabin deck.

Connie is always setting the fashion statement in the out of doors society.

Connie and Tom going for a little flight around the Anchorage area in the helo that Tom trained pilots in.  This was Connie's first ride in a helicopter.

Me, Connie, Marcia, and Tom in the Prince William Sound the fall of 81.  Tom's Zodiak is just to the left out of the picture.  We really used those Zodiaks a lot up there. 

Doing a little preflight inspection of the tail rotor.  The slide is actually backwards as the tail rotor is always on the other side.  The one of the helo above is also backwards.  Will have to redo them.

MORE OLD PHOTOS

We are still having a lot of laughs going through some old slides and converting them to digital pictures.  Yes, we were a lot younger then and our hair was a lot darker.

If you look close, you will see why we called Ryan the "slobber" dog!!!!  It just ran out of his mouth!

With Connie's parents Peggy and Wendell when they visited us in Eagle River, AK.

Connie and Ryan getting up in the morning along the ocean shore.

Frosty hair - and she had a lot of it.

Snow shoeing up into hatcher pass with Tom Williams and his dog Moose, then skiing back down.

The northern lights were always a treat.

More frosty hair.

Cross country skiing on the famous Iditarod Trail.

Connie and Ryan on Ekultna Lake I think.

These two were buds.

Connie riding on a dog sled pulled by Moose with Tom and Marcia's baby Jennifer in the sled.  Ryan just running a muck.

Me hiking in Denali National Park I think.  And check out the dark hair of a 30 year old.

UPDATE 4 FEB 13

We have been getting a little wood cut down, cut up, and stacked up for winter after next.  That way it will be good and dry.  Still trying to take a walk a couple times a day.  With this warm weather the snow has turned to ice in many places so it is a little slick.  Connie fell the other day and her tail bone is pretty sore.  I have done a dance or two, but so far have not landed on my head.

The first sunlight hitting the Bitterroot Range.

Zeph likes to ride on the front of tractor going to load up some wood.  

Paw on moss.

That is St Mary's Peak on the right.  A great hike with a lookout tower on top.  Also a good place to backcountry ski.

LOTS OF POWDER ON POWDER THURSDAY

Our ski resort had 27 inches of new snow for our Thursday powder day.  Ike, Brenda, and Connie did not go up.   I skied with an old buddy from Missoula that I flew with in Vietnam, and we try to ski together at least once a year.  Dale and I ski about the same and both love powder.  We made some pretty fast non stop runs and were tired by 1400 so went back to the lodge and had lunch.  I guess we are just getting old.  I did get there early and stood in line for the first chairs to leave the lodge area for first tracks on the runs Thunder and Lightning.  Met up with Dale over on chair 4.  The bad thing about the day was there were long lift lines on chair 4 for a couple of hours.  Longest I had ever seen and hope not to see again.  Overall - a very good day!

Standing in line for the first chairs to get the first tracks.  Never seen so many in line before.

 Over on chair 4 waiting in line.  Click to enlarge to see both sides have lines this long!!!