A little jaunt up the Middle Fork
Monday, January 26th, 2009On a beautiful mid-winter day we went for a little walk in the sun. Along the way we were treated to some lovely views of the surrounding peaks…
Archive for January, 2009
An adventure down the road (and back!)
Thursday, January 15th, 2009We spent the day yesterday on a trip to the gate (where people usually park before walking to the springs). We wanted to document the extent of the damage/obstacles from the latest round of rain and flooding. We had been down part of the road before the flood and it was a fun ski so we decided to try skiing again. Bad idea! The snow was washed out in many places and we had to continually remove our skis to walk across the bare patches. To make matters worse, when we could ski we were slipping all over the place because the snow was so icy! It was exhausting. The good news was we got savor some sunshine! It felt great.
Parts of the road looked more like a creekbed.
And we discovered some new slides.
There were some nice views of the surrounding mountains to be had.
Can you spot the American Dipper hunting for insects in a little pool on the side of the road? We were a little surprised to see him there. Usually those birds are performing fantastic tricks in the river diving in and out of the rapids at the top of a waterfall with ease. They are pretty amazing!
The infamous mudflats!
Made to the gate…
And enjoyed some lunch in the sun before heading back to “the ranch”.
Squirrel Action!
Sunday, January 11th, 2009During a walk yesterday we came across a Douglas squirrel. Usually these guys take off right away but this one was very absorbed in searching for fallen cones to eat that he stayed put and let us get some video. Very exciting for a squirrel girl! Its a bit shaky because I had it on max. zoom. Hope it doesn’t make anybody motion sick!
Water Water everywhere!
Thursday, January 8th, 2009We had a lot of excitement yesterday. The rain was relentless for about two days and water started flowing in places that we didn’t expect.
In clearing the roofs of the cabin and other out buildings of snow we made a pile over a nearby creek that turned into a dam and for a short time diverted water under the cabin. It came knocking at our back door and managed to seep in a bit before the dam broke and the water returned to its normal path. As the video shows we had a littl mote around the cabin for a short time. We are very happy that the cabin is built 2+ feet off of the ground!
We also went for a little walk (in the pouring rain) to check out Burntboot creek and the Middle Fork river. They were raging! Compare my video in the “Snow Chores” posting for a “before” shot of the Middle Fork. As of today, we’ve seen mostly rain and have 3 ft of soggy snow on the ground (down from 4 ft before the rain). No more snow on the trees. The trail leading up to the cabin from the river is a creek, many of the trees have broken tops and branches, and we are surrounded by a bunch of silty snow. Our winter wonderland looks more like a winter war zone!
That being said, we are warm and cozy and have lots of good food and projects to keep us busy!
The first thaw of the winter
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009Things are very wet and soggy. The rain has been steady since this morning. It is a sound we have become unaccustomed to. We are wondering how much snow will melt out of the 4 ft we have. The snow in the trees is dropping quickly in the form of what we have been calling “snow bombs”. They can be fairly substantial leaving parts of the forest covered in pock marks. You really don’t want to be on the receiving end of one…it feels like a snowcone shower!
Today has been a great day to catch up on inside projects. I’m baking a loaf of sourdough french bread, working on my knitting, and posting videos!