Happy Valentine's Week

Not bad focus, just blowing snow

Happy Valentine's Day--Abraham Lincoln's Birthday--Martin Luther King's Birthday!  The picture of the mountains "pinkening" in the early morning as the sun rises seems like a good symbol for the week.  We hope you have had some fine celebrations wherever you are.

Now the plowing is all mine.  No pictures from the first day, as I was sweating bullets and trying hard not to do anything horrible to:  the Jeep, the plow, or the road.  Honestly, I did get stuck a couple of times and was able to maneuver out of my messes…no harm, no foul.  After two hours I returned home safe and sound.  I laughed to myself as I drove our Jeep over to Lee and Mare's…switching for theirs with a plow.  When we left for Uganda and Rwanda last August, the weather was warm and I had anticipated a good deal more of that when we returned.  No rush to put the top on the Jeep.  We returned to the flood and all of its disaster, and putting the top on our Jeep was certainly not on my radar.  With the wind blowing and snow everywhere, I had a whimsical ride to Lee and Mare's, topless!  Fortunately it only takes about 4 minutes to get there.  Mountain Fun.

At the beginning of the week, the temperatures were still very cold.  The birds have discovered that there is food here, and we have been visited by several of our favorite species, I even spotted a robin in the bushes below the house. One morning while I was refilling the tube feeder, I looked down and discovered that the deer were browsing in the spilled seeds.  There is always a lot of seed on the ground as the bigger birds, especially Stellar Jays and Clark's Nutcracker are notorious pigs, gobbling mouths full and spraying seed everywhere.

By Tuesday, the wind really kicked up.  That night, to celebrate birthdays for Lee and me, Pam cooked a wonderful dinner.  We had roasted potatoes and carrots coated in corn meal and parmesan cheese,  fillets done in a pan with a wonderful red wine sauce--all finished in butter, and cheese cake for dessert.  Our actual birthdays were on Wednesday, but Thursday was to be a traveling day for L & M, so we thought to drink and celebrate the night before.  The next day, Wednesday I made a batch of chicken soup and we slurped and laughed as the wind really began to roar outside.  At 3:00 am Thursday, Lee and Mare left for 6 weeks in Florida.

Plowing the drifting, sifting snow got tricky as the temperatures rose to 35, 39, and up into the 40's.  Snow melted in the day, froze in the night, and was a clumped and clotted nightmare to plow in the morning.  As I was coming out Friday morning, I found our neighbor in his red Arctic Cat ATV at the top of our driveway--his left front wheel canted at about a 45 degree angle.  "These snow chunks are hard to get through.  I think I'm in a bit of trouble here."  We managed to get the plow off and stashed in our drive, and as Brad backed up, the wheel "healed itself" enough to drive home.  Later on he was able to fix it and Big Red is back on the job.

After a Valentine's celebration at home, we met a friend for coffee in town and had a great catch up.  Afterwards, Pam, Lucy and I drove into the Park, only to find the wind was blowing a gale there as well (yes, we've been sleeping downstairs). We got out for a short walk on Upper Beaver Meadows road--the only place dogs can walk in the Park.  Lucy was delighted to be out--rolling in the snow, running and chasing as far as her leash would allow, and sniffing everything she could.  After the walk, we drove up to Bear Lake where we work in the summer.  It always amazes us how many people hike, ski, snowshoe out of Bear at any time of year.  Today was no exception.  We put on our cleats and walked out to the lake--frozen and blowing.  There have been 75 inches of snow at Bear, the pictures are testimony.

Now, with the wind still blowing a gale sporadically, and temperatures in the 40's, we are snug in our mountain home.  There is a bit of plowing to do, books to finish, and more Olympic competitions on the horizon.  A big shout out to Jason Brown!  No medal, but he has certainly won hearts all over the world.  And so it goes…have a good week.  Check back again for more mountain adventures.  We think of our friends and family always and wish you a good week.

Here is the link to pictures from the week.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtnpostpics/12529561554/in/set-72157640987153305

Gee, It's Good to be Back Home Again...

Borrowing a line from John Denver, we are indeed happy to be back in the mountains.  It has been quite an experience for us, as we left in September a week after the 1,000 year flood had wreaked its damage, and left our Little Valley broken, battered, and almost stranded for lack of a road.  

Getting ready to come back here, we were stunned to realize what a terrible job of packing we did when we left.  Just returned from a two week trip to Uganda and Rwanda, me with a broken wrist, and our town and all roads a shambles, I think we were so grateful to get our vehicle out, we didn't pay much attention to what we were doing.  When winter arrived in Illinois, we found that much of our winter duds were still in Colorado.  Last week, when we opened our duffles to pack for our trip west, we were shocked to find that we never unpacked such unnecessary items for the midwest as:  safari pants, binoculars, hiking poles, collapsible water bottles, travel meds and a first aid kit, and more.  We were both under the impression that we left our travel clothes and other Africa accouterments with our friend Nancye Nelson in Arvada, Colorado.  

At any rate, we packed up and headed out at noon on Friday, February 1… just ahead of the next snow storm to hit Illinois.  By the time we stopped for the night in Lincoln Nebraska, Illinois already had six inches of new snow.  Getting up early the next morning, we drove out of snow in about 2 hours and arrived home just after noon.  As we drove up the Big Thompson Canyon the devastation left by flood waters was heart breaking.  Although much of it was hidden under snow, what we saw was stunning:  homes half hanging out over the river, parts of homes broken away, huge pine trees ripped up and tumbled into the riverbed, and half a mountain avalanched away piling huge boulders, trees, rocks, and soil below.  The very road we were driving on had been hacked and cut by the Big Thompson River.  The last pictures we saw showed huge canyons in the road bed that were two or three football fields long.  Now, we hummed along on a snow packed road, one lane in spots, but not noticeably different from any other February return.  The work that has been done, HUGE!

We turned, as usual, onto Fish Creek Road to travel the three miles to where it passes Little Valley Road.  Fish Creek destroyed the road that carries its name.  When last we saw this road, there were  huge canyons with water roaring over and through them.  Culverts, trees, asphalt chunks, cables, and buried (no longer) wires were twisted, wrapped together, ripped apart and thrown willy nilly.  Again, the road was a bit rough as it has been filled, not repaved yet, but it was passable.  When we reached Little Valley Road, we turned up onto a newly constructed bridge.  When we left in September, this bridge was broken beyond repair and water raged through the space it had spanned.  A temporary bridge had been built about a half mile upstream.  The condition of our Little Valley Road is a testament to a community, neighbors, and a town fully functioning in crisis.  Lee told us how our road guy had arranged for 8 huge dump trucks to work 8 hours a day in conga-line fashion to bring in boulders, rocks, gravel, and fill.  This went on for a week and a half.  Now there are no more huge drop offs on either side of the road and in most places, there is enough room for two cars to pass.  What a home coming.

At least three times a day, Pam calls me outside and we just stand.  "Listen to the quiet," she says.  And we do…music of the stars, hum of the mountain sun, gentle hiss of snow falling.  Already Colorado has 100% - 130% of our yearly snow pack.  There is a good amount on the ground.  Unusual for our side of the mountains.  The temperature has been very, very cold… this morning -17 when Lee picked me up to teach me how to use the Jeep with its new snow plow.  For the first time this winter, Lucy went out, picked up her foot and was ready to come in as soon as she pottyed.  

And so it goes in the mountains.  We're expecting more snow tonight.  I will run the plow for the first time tomorrow (supervised!).  We'll go to dinner with friends, and drink in the beauty of all that surrounds us.  We hope you are well wherever February finds you.  Please check back again for more of our Colorado wonderland.  The link below will get you to some pictures.

Bonnie, Pam, and Lucy Blu
Little Valley -- Estes Park -- Colorado

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtnpostpics/sets/72157640548098293/