Grand Targhee 2010

We had a fabulous time at Grand Targhee over the holidays.

Besides the snowshoeing on Christmas Day, we skied four full days.

Ready to launch on the first day.

We snow tubed after a full day of skiing.

Girl of the House had her 15th birthday.

We had fresh powder.

Just an awesome family time.

Christmas Day Snowshoeing

While we were out at Grand Targhee, WY,  we were able to do some snowshoeing on Christmas Day.  On that bright sunny morning we headed down the hill to Teton Canyon Road.  There's a marvelous 13 km groomed nordic ski trail back into the Tetons.

 The area receives enthusiastic use on the groomed ski trail, but it was fresh and untouched for snowshoeing.

With seven inches of fresh fluffy sparkly powder on top of a deep snowpack, we couldn't ask for better snowshoeing.  We headed off the ski trail and made our own trail just a slight distance from the river. 

The Grand Teton in the background.

What an awesome afternoon in the snow!

Paul's been given the opportunity (via Snowshoe Magazine) to take some Columbia Bugatech Lite Omni-heat boots for a test drive.  

The boots performed well in the deep powder.  His feet stayed warm, dry and comfortable.  He frequently swaps out the footbeds in his boots and inserts Superfeet footbeds, but found he didn't need any changes to the support.  He's worn these boots while we've hiked in the Carleton Arboretum and they've been very comfortable for hiking.  Good traction on icy trails, and they've kept his feet warm even at  -10˚ F.   While he's accustomed to a slightly taller boot, the only thing he'd like to see improved was the lacing on the top portion of the boot.  Some hooks or D-rings would certainly make it easier to achieve the snugly comfortable fit around the ankle.  

All in all, he's quite pleased with these boots, and will use them a great deal this winter!

Sigh

We're back from two weeks of camping in the high country of Colorado.











Let the fall begin. We might be ready.

Bad Dog part two, or was it three? Or maybe even four...

It's always nice to come home to a package in the mailbox.

A new Emily spindle from Adam's Workshop (Mielke's Farm). Love the quick service, love the spindle!

With your sharp eyes, I bet you can detect why there was a spindle in the mail. The new Emily is to replace the most recent no-no-bad-dog disaster.


We thought we had dog proofed the house, at least enough to leave the younger dog out of his crate during the day. The big dog has never been a chewer.

My spindle bag was left on a side table. When we came home, he had taken the bag down, ripped it open and scattered the contents through the house. He chewed up my favorite spindle. He chewed up my lovely little niddy-noddy. I just can't believe he ate right through the bag!






Paul sent a photo of the ski team up on Beartooth pass.

They're having a blast.

Doesn't look much like June, does it?

Back to the prairie

They made it to Red Lodge safely.
Their house this morning, down near town.

Up at the pass, they had 10 inches of fresh powder. That's what they're there for, so let it snow!






I headed back out to McKnight Prairie to see if the cactus had bloomed. It rained almost an inch here on Saturday, so the tall grasses were wet.


The dogs and I got soaked.












And the cactus isn't blooming yet.















Plenty of other prairie flowers are blooming!





















Back home, in the pasture, the raspberries should really go to town now they've been watered!

At least we shouldn't drive through snow...

Paul and Girl of the House left at 0500 this morning, driving to Red Lodge, Montana.

They're headed to a week of ski camp with the high school ski team at Red Lodge. The team is caravaning out with the adult chaperones driving their own vehicles.

It's a 13-14 hour drive, but Paul was certain it would be easier than our usual ski trip drives. "At least we shouldn't drive through snow."

Yeah, so look at the weather map in North Dakota. No-one to blame but himself - he jinxed it.

He texted me me from Bismarck. "Snow is visible on the grass. 34 degrees."

I checked the weather. They are expecting 2-4 inches of snow on grassy areas in Dickinson.

June 6. "At least we shouldn't drive through snow."

17 inches of snowfall

The final word on the snowfall at Tofte was 17 inches.



It was an amazing change of scenery!










It drifted in around the truck. We had to excavate a bit to load it up and get home.







For the remainder of spring break, Girl of the House and I are working on her room.

Now that she's thirteen, she needs an updated room.

(What she really needed was a deep cleaning and de-cluttering, but we're calling it an 'updating'. It's all in the phrasing, isn't it?)

We carried everything out of the room, and we're placing the 'keepers' on this sheet in the family room.

I guess Paris must think he's a keeper.

And the weather changes

Monday I enjoyed another beautiful sunrise.

Many thanks to those bleepin' dogs with the internal alarm clocks. Don't they realize this is vacation?!







We geocached our way north to Grand Marais.








While we parental units walked more sedately on the walkway of the breakwater,

Girl of the House jumped rocks along the edge.

(Me? I've grown quite fond of all my never- before-broken bones, thank you very much.)







We were informed there was a big storm coming in on Tuesday.

Sure enough, by the time we made it back to our temporary home the winds had changed, rolling around to the North East.

The wind change started to blow the thin sheet of ice remaining on the lake to our shoreline.



As it hit, it shattered like shards of plate glass

The sound was that of old glass windchimes, clinking and clanging in the breeze.

There is a remarkable resemblance to plate glass, don't you think?



This morning around seven, the snowstorm really began.

There's no ice left on the lake beyond what is far out in the depths.


GotH felt brave.

She headed out with the camera.









We, less brave, took her picture from a warmer environment.



The lake is amazing this morning.

This will be a good day for snuggling in with the fire.

Sunrise, Lake Superior

Up early to take the dogs out.

It's so much easier to just let them out the door at home. But I don't get to see the sun rise over the big lake when I'm home.

That's a pretty fair trade.

Gone Camping - Well, sort of

We drove past the frozen icescapes pushed up against the shore in Duluth,








and we arrived a place only two miles north of our favorite state park campground.


As recently as the past weekend, when the weather was gorgeous, we had planned to head to the North Shore to camp for a long weekend.

But the weather returned to its normal March Minnesota weather, and we flat-out chickened out.

We thought perhaps we would go for a bit more space. Our camper has heat, but it is not spacious. (And it doesn't have an indoor fireplace like our new digs!)

But we're going to hold to the remainder of the camping experience.

No TV.

All the music, reading, knitting, playing games, and cooking that we want.

We brought the snowshoes. We're planning to hike and explore.



Or maybe, just look out at the great lake outside our window.

Back to the routine

Happy New Year!

We made it home on Sunday. We drove straight through, 1225 miles.

Beyond the beginning in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, the roads were fine. We'd had 59 inches of snow while we were there, so we expected some difficulty escaping.

It's always good to have the difficult part of the driving at the start!















Kids are out of school this week. Paul and I are getting back into the working pattern. (Ya, it kinda stinks. Isn't vacation much nicer?)



Ben's working his way into the fiber tradition.

He started with a spindle.












He worked his way to the wheel.

The Majacraft Suzie is such a forgiving wheel - a great way to begin.

He's a natural. He's spinning great yarn.




Of course, it makes me unreasonably happy to see him do this.

Tuition? Huh? How much? Where do I send the check?

51" and still snowing

Here at Grand Targhee, we've had 51 inches of snow since we arrived on Sunday.


Fresh snow every day!







Great powder for skiing.











Or losing young girls.












Ben is actually skiing in the photo, but the snow is so deep, it's hard to tell, isn't it?









Santa found us, even after we forgot to pack our stockings.








Now, will we be able to get out of here tomorrow morning?

We went to the State Fair

And I bought fiber! (imagine that!)

Paul and I have been to the Minnesota State Fair every year since 1992. It was our second official date.

We spent Friday at the fair. We go early, we eat, drink, and spend the day people watching. Traditionally, we don't buy anything we need to carry.

However, this pretty little ball of dyed fiber was calling out to me. It's 8 oz of "roving of sheep of unknown parentage" from HoneyGold Acres.


Ben's gone this week. He's in the Boundary Waters with his girlfriend and her family.

Before he left, he talked Paul into making a quick trip back to Camp Pepin. He needed to pick up his sailboat!

He rescued an sailboat from the camp, and wasn't able to get it home on his Jeep. The boat hadn't been used for a few years, and needs a few repairs.

Yes, every college student (in Iowa, well known for its lakes) needs a sailboat!


I got him to model his new hat before he left.

He likes to wear it turned up. "Looks more like a sailing cap, mom."

Girl of the House models the latest orange handspun hat.







Ben's hat is big enough to cover his ears for winter, should he ever flip the cuff down.










I spent last weekend doing some sundyeing.

The roving is alpaca.

The locks are from a white Coopworth fleece I found hiding deep in my stash. It was filthy dirty with lots of second cuts.

It took longer to wash than it did to card and spin!



It did make a nifty textured yarn, though. The locks are the blue on the left and the strange color on the top.

I plied the Colorado spindling yarn and the merino/silk.

I see more hats in my near future.




A few more pictures from Colorado. We camped in three different campgrounds: one high in the mountains (11,300 ft), one on a beautiful mountain stream, and one on a large reservoir.

A lot of variety within one area!

We had some great morning coffee spots.



This was our early morning view in the Slumgullion National Forest Service campground. We watched the sun rise on the mountains.

When the dogs are still adjusting to the time zone change, you are forced to rise early!






Our favorite campsite was at Gate Bureau of Land Management campground. Only 8 campsites, and $5 per night.

Here's the view from the camper doorway.

Definitely our favorite coffee spot!







For our final night, we camped at Stevens Creek National Park Service campgrounds on the Blue Mesa Reservoir.

Not much shade, but the views were amazing.