For those who don't live around here, we had a typical mid-Atlantic winter storm this week: some snow followed by sleet followed by freezing rain followed by plain old rain. This took two days.
The evening of the second day, it started clearing right about at sunset. We looked out the window and have never seen natural light like it. It was as though a gigantic sodium light was being cast upon our yard, a very surreal pinkish glow on everything from the house siding to the bare trees, and the remaining icy snow patches. And then -- a rainbow that spanned the entire horizon, but only of one color... pink. Wow.
Jan 29, 2009
Jan 27, 2009
Snow!
Alexandria's first snowfall of the season... a few inches anyway.
It's very wet, hard to believe it's even snowing at all since it has warmed to 33 degrees outside the kitchen window, on the north side of the house. The Subaru passed all of the tests I was willing to try: slamming on the breaks (small skid, quick stop); stopping on a hill then driving again as I normally would (not even a slip); giving it too much gas from a full stop (skiddered a little, as expected).
It's very wet, hard to believe it's even snowing at all since it has warmed to 33 degrees outside the kitchen window, on the north side of the house. The Subaru passed all of the tests I was willing to try: slamming on the breaks (small skid, quick stop); stopping on a hill then driving again as I normally would (not even a slip); giving it too much gas from a full stop (skiddered a little, as expected).
Jan 24, 2009
Spring-like Skiing
Last week we froze, skiing in West Virgina in subzero temps, and yesterday we skied at Whitetail in spring conditions. It was just above freezing when we started in the morning, and it was near 50 degrees when left in the afternoon. The snow was really nice early and became wetter & heavier as the day progressed. There were no crowds (never waited in a lift line) and we skied every run at least once, except the greens.We both skied telemark before lunch. Bob's knee was feeling good, and he made some nice tele turns! Anna loves her new telemark setup: the skis are a dream and the boots fit like a glove.
We went back to the van for lunch and switched our boots and skis for our AT setups. Anna's boots felt 100% better, after Bob worked on custom fitting them with special adhesive foam he found on the Internet. His new boots are fitting better, after heat molding & custom padding them the other night.
We got home in time to wash the van, which it badly needed after last weekend's trip on the chemically treated roads of WV. We both had a great time and are just sore enough today to feel good about it!
Jan 18, 2009
Mid January Update
It's been a cold week around here. It finally started snowing again in West Virginia after a long spell of rain. The downhill resorts have been making snow as well, so we figured the time was right to go lift-served skiing. The forecast was calling for downright frigid temps, but we decided to go for it.
We left early on Friday, with the forecast in WV calling for a high temp of zero, and wind chills to minus 24. As we got closer, the outside temp display on the dashboard kept going lower and lower, bottoming out at minus 8. It was 5 below when we arrived at the ski area, and there were plenty of people getting ready to go skiing (one guy without gloves on!). We walked up the lodge and talked to a few folks who convinced us it really wasn't that bad. So we went for it and had a good time! It was actually a good day, because Anna finally figured out an awesome combination of layers and stayed toasty all day (except her feet; toes warmers are on the list).
Our intention was to try several of our skis and boots, but we never went back to the van to switch gear. Here is the pile of boots we brought along:
Keep in mind there is an equally impressive pile of skis to go along with all those boots!
We spent Friday night in the campground, plugged in of course. Upon waking Saturday, the outside temp was reading -15, and the inside was around 25 to 30 degrees. We actually stayed plenty warm in our sleeping bags. We planned to XC ski around the state park before driving home, but it took until 1:00pm before the van would start. The diesel was gummed up and the engine block so cold, it wouldn't turn over. Bob warmed it up by using the bus heater and wrapping the van to hold in the heat. We were very happy we didn't have to pay for a jumpstart or a tow!
We left early on Friday, with the forecast in WV calling for a high temp of zero, and wind chills to minus 24. As we got closer, the outside temp display on the dashboard kept going lower and lower, bottoming out at minus 8. It was 5 below when we arrived at the ski area, and there were plenty of people getting ready to go skiing (one guy without gloves on!). We walked up the lodge and talked to a few folks who convinced us it really wasn't that bad. So we went for it and had a good time! It was actually a good day, because Anna finally figured out an awesome combination of layers and stayed toasty all day (except her feet; toes warmers are on the list).
Our intention was to try several of our skis and boots, but we never went back to the van to switch gear. Here is the pile of boots we brought along:
Keep in mind there is an equally impressive pile of skis to go along with all those boots!We spent Friday night in the campground, plugged in of course. Upon waking Saturday, the outside temp was reading -15, and the inside was around 25 to 30 degrees. We actually stayed plenty warm in our sleeping bags. We planned to XC ski around the state park before driving home, but it took until 1:00pm before the van would start. The diesel was gummed up and the engine block so cold, it wouldn't turn over. Bob warmed it up by using the bus heater and wrapping the van to hold in the heat. We were very happy we didn't have to pay for a jumpstart or a tow!
Jan 7, 2009
A new year
The first week of 2009 is behind us -- we've been busy making plans and generating ideas for the months to come. Bob's mom had to spend New Year's eve (and her birthday) in the hospital. She was there for 7 days with pneumonia and is now thankfully at home.
On New Year's Day we did a hike at Harper's Ferry and ran into a climber friend of Bob's from back in his Seneca Rocks climbing 'hey-days' in the early 1980's. It was cool to catch up with common friends we all know, and I enjoyed hearing some new stories from Bob that were sparked by meeting this old acquaintance. Here are the train tracks at Harper's Ferry, with a view of the cliffs which are on the hill that we hiked up.
Some things we are looking forward to...
On New Year's Day we did a hike at Harper's Ferry and ran into a climber friend of Bob's from back in his Seneca Rocks climbing 'hey-days' in the early 1980's. It was cool to catch up with common friends we all know, and I enjoyed hearing some new stories from Bob that were sparked by meeting this old acquaintance. Here are the train tracks at Harper's Ferry, with a view of the cliffs which are on the hill that we hiked up.
Some things we are looking forward to...
- Our ski trip to Colorado in Feb/Mar
- Many home-improvement projects
- Work challenges and learning opportunities
- Local activities and trips
- Pursuing our hobbies
- Time with friends and family
- Our big summer trip
- Physical fitness goals
- etc...
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