Tag Archives: snow

Where Have We Been?

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Where have we been?

I don’t mean travel. COVID still has us locked down but where have we been the last couple of weeks? Well kitten duty is time consuming. Even with toys Banner is a demanding little bugger! I try to play with him for at least 30 minutes before work every day. If I don’t he is so wound up I can’t get any work done. It took him only about 2 seconds with my back turned to tear into my work laptop. Yup he pulled the F2 key off. I lucked out because I snagged it back from him before he he swallowed it and I don’t use the F2 key. I didn’t even know what it did so other than a white spot I guess there was no real harm done.

We Got Our First Snowfall

It snowed here yesterday and then the temps dropped so we still have snow on the ground today. I read that the Farmer’s Almanac has predicted a snowy , cold winter. Why not?  2020 has thrown everything else at us!  I tried to get Banner interested in watching the snow come down but he had no interest at all, A kitten after my own heart. He’s more interested in the feather trim on my witch hat for Halloween.

 

You need to arch your back a little more , Banner , to get that scary Halloween witch cat look! At least he’s got the tail thing mastered.

New York Wildlife

On a more photography/travel related note I got my New York Wildlife Viewing guide. Hopefully this will help me choose some trips in 2021. I couldn’t just buy the book. The only way to get it was to subscribe to Conservationist Magazine. I’ve gotten one digital issue so far and it was really good. I hope some of my issues will be print because the color photos are gorgeous and the articles weren’t boring at all!

The first thing I checked was Adirondacks and the first place on the list was “The Wild” in Tupper Lake. If you recall my brother and I visited “The Wild” in August. 

From the description in the book it sounds like there is a lot more to it than what we saw. Of course we were there while the pandemic was still in full force so half the exhibits were closed. Once this COVID is all over I’ll have to go back. We might have missed some other things there too because my knees were  really limiting my mobility.  I’m working on possible solutions to improve that too.

Puzzle Update

The Puzzle is still laid out on the table but I picked up the loose pieces and put them in the box.  So far Banner has not tried to eat them but I don’t want to tempt him either. So there’s been no progress to report but no damage from curious kitty either. It’s just waiting for me to get some time to work on it again.

 

 

Winter in New England

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Its still Winter

Winter doesn’t respect the calendar in New England.  The first day of spring (March 20) is right around the corner and yet we are in the path of another winter storm. February was quiet but since March 1st its been one storm after another. The worse damage is to our beaches. Beach erosion has destroyed homes, businesses and beaches. There are still homes without power which means without heat. Carbon monoxide from generators is a real risk. Just this morning the news carried a report of a death from this colorless, odorless gas.

snow covered trees

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Snow can make driving a challenge

We lost power at work last Friday. We were sent home to work in hopes that we’d have power at our homes. Getting home was the challenge. The roads were snowy and slippery but the real threat was from falling trees. I only live 12 miles from work but I wasn’t sure I’d get home. The first road I took was completely blocked by a down tree. The 2nd road was closed by the police. I finally found a side road that let me connect to the main street. Street lights weren’t working and it was easy to see where large branches and trees had been cleared to allow traffic to pass.

Home Safe and Sound

waves break over the sea wall

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I was very happy to see my condo complex and even happier to see that the parking area had been cleared. I grabbed my computer and dashed into my condo. It was warm and toasty and my power was on. I was able to get several hours of work in from home before I eventually joined the rest of New England in the dark. The crazy power outages and internet interruptions  are the reason my posts have been slightly off schedule. I thought about going out in the storm with the camera to get some fresh photos but it didn’t take much to make me change my mind and stay tucked inside, warm and safe.

 

The Road (or flight) Home

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On the road again

The road home from Jackson turned out to be an interesting challenge. I woke up around 3 am only to find that it had snowed.  Yup 6 inches of slippery, sloppy white stuff. My concierge told me I had a front wheel drive car so I’d have no problem getting to the airport. Then he went out to bring the car around and got stuck!

Plow Schedule

Loading my bags into the car my valet cheerfully explained that the roads aren’t plowed until after 9 am. He didn’t even know if they would bother to plow today or just let it melt. I could expect to have snow covered roads and highway all the way to the airport. Oh Joy!

The Snowy Drive

The first part of the drive was pretty dicey. It’s very dark out there in Wyoming! The snow was still coming down and when you met another car or truck, splat! Jackson was a different story. With less snow and more traffic most of the road was just wet. It continued that way until the airport. I’m sure the locals hated me because I kept my speed right around 35-40 mph. Once in the airport I found the car rental return only to face a windy, cold trek to the terminal.

Delay upon Delay

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Jackson Hole Airport (stock photo)

Once inside I learned my flight was delayed due to the condition of the run way. Ok by me. I’d rather be safe on the ground that plastered against one of the mountains that ring the airport. As I chatted with a fellow traveler I learned she was the same person that had watched the elk herd with me a few days before! Small world.

Elk Migration

Are we ready now?

As we chatted they changed gates for my flight and started to check in. But it was not to be. My connecting flight is in Denver and turns out the airport was closed  due to fog. We had to wait for Denver to reopen. Finally we had the green light and boarding began. One last trip through the de-icer and we were ready to roll. Everyone held a collective breath as the plane slid (quite literally) into position but finally we were airborne, climbing steeply over the majestic Tetons. We were lucky to get out of Jackson Hole!

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The Continental Divide

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Craig's Pass Continental DivideCrossing the Continental Divide

Do you remember what the Continental Divide is from High School geography? On one side of the divide, water flows to the Gulf of Mexico. On the other it flows to the Pacific Ocean. When I saw the Continual Divide sign I thought of an old John Belushi movie by the same name. Ha, that’s not even relevant! Anyway because of the way the road and the mountains intertwine you actually cross the Continental Divide two or three times between the South Entrance and Old Faithful.

 

Each time there is a sign with the elevation. As you can see, there’s snow at these higher locations. This stop is between West Isa LakeThumb and Old Faithful called Craig’s Pass.  Lake Isa is  another spot on the Continental Divide. 

It’s marked by a sign because it drains on both sides of the divide. Although I passed it several times, it didn’t look like much from the road so I just tucked it in my mind as an interesting fact. 

Grant Village

Grant Village Visitor Center;
Ed Austin/Herb Jones;
1987

I should mention Grant Village. It was closed for everything except gas so I didn’t even slow down but it’s located on Yellowstone Lake. Named for President Ulysses S. Grant it is mainly lodging inside the park. Grant Village is made up of 6 two-story chalets, each containing 50 rooms. This complex is close to many of Yellowstone’s famous attractions. Old Faithful is just a little over 20 miles away, and Grant Village is also closer to Grand Teton National Park than any of Yellowstone’s other in-park lodges. It’s also just before the road splits. The left goes toward Old Faithful while the right goes to West Thumb. I was on my way to Old Faithful. After all, that’s a bucket list stop for sure!

Marker for Kepler CascadesKepler Cascades

As I left Craig’s pass (the dividing line of the Continental Divide) behind, I came upon a large turnoff for Kepler Cascades. This was definitely worth a stop but I wouldn’t know what a great stop until I explored a little. 

Is that Snow I See!?

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Is That Tiny Snow Flake?

Jackson Hole Aerial TramThe weather report is for snow.  I’ll break out the winter jacket. At least I packed one. I have an appointment at 10 am to pick up a Gaperguide but I also want to take the tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain. They closed it yesterday because of the high winds. With a storm predicted I’m afraid it will get closed again and this is the last day! The concierge says they have a waffle shack at the top. If I go up when it opens at 9 am I can have breakfast at the summit.  As I watched the tram glide down from the top I saw a tiny flake of snow drift slowly down. That’s it. I’m going up. I’ll just be late for my appointment.

Jackson Hole Aerial TramTram at the Bottom

This is really convenient. The tram is right next door! As I lined up I was surrounded by skiers anxious to get to the top for the new snow. They all planned to have a waffle breakfast too. The tram operator had some bad news for us non skiers. The storm had already started at the summit.  The walking was treacherous. It was all ice and the wind was blowing. He strongly advised that we ride up and come right back down. Going up we all watched for animals. Bears and Moose are often seen on the  mountain but not today.

MountainSide

Still ClimbingSeriously Serious Snow

Once the tram docked I stepped out onto the platform and nearly took a header. My feet could not get any traction at all. I didn’t even make it to the path to the waffle house. Safety First, I reluctantly agreed to skip the waffles and returned back down the mountain. The tram operator recommended a restaurant called the Mangy Moose as a substitute. He said it was close to the tram and had excellent breakfast.

 

Pretty Rugged