Second 2015 Snow Survey

 So right after we did the last snow survey, we had a big snow storm. Hurray, we thought, the mountains will be snowy again. And then it didn't snow. At all. For the rest of the month. So when we headed out on the April 1 snow survey, we knew it wouldn't be pretty. In fact, we didn't even bother to take skis. We had snow shoes, but it turned out we barely needed them.

The first site was devoid of snow. That made it take about two minutes long to do the survey, nothing to measure. Fortunately the second snow course had snow on it, although in the photo below, you can see the nearby hillside had melted out.

The lower snow course marker was in a bare patch, but fortunately we didn't have to measure there. We had been warned that we might have record low snow levels and to take lots of pictures. Well, the good news is that we didn't have record low snow levels. The bad news is that we were the second lowest in the 70+ years the snow survey has been conducted.

We weren't sure what we would find when we reached the third snow course. Turned out we saw our ski tracks from the first survey. I guess that big snow we got lower on the mountain didn't happen up higher. Seeing month-old ski tracks is not a good sight.

We measured and remeasured until the numbers agreed and found again we were at second lowest record level. Fortunately, that still amounted to about 40 percent of median. Not as bad as the Sierras, but still quite bad. Everything seems so dry.

Sometimes getting that snow measurement isn't so easy. Maybe it's a good thing we weren't on skis, it would be pretty hard to do this!

And if you wondered what the snow core hole looked like:

What, you didn't wonder? That's okay.

We finished the snow measuring before noon. We usually don't even get to the third site before noon. So we had a leisurely lunch on the dry grass in the sun. We took off our snow shoes, let our gaiters and snow pants dry out, laid back on our puffy jackets. And then we heard a noise. We listened and realized that people were approaching. But these weren't any hikers. These were super hikers. Complete with shorts and flip flops. We were impressed, hiking in the snow in flip flops is not for the faint of heart.

Giggling, we headed downhill, revisiting the sagebrush buttercups that like to bloom right after the snow melts.

We also found some desert biscuitroot,  a less conspicuous flower.

There's some rain in the forecast next week, and we sure hope it comes. The dry, warm winter we've had is a harbinger of wildfires, diseases, and pests. But right now it's a great time to get outdoors and enjoy!

A Better-Than-Expected Adventure

With our very warm March, we spent more time outdoors than usual, and one Sunday we decided to take a hike to check out a cave I had the coordinates to. I didn't have much more information than the coordinates, so we didn't know what to expect. We packed up and enjoyed the hike, seeing a few splashes of color as wildflowers like Indian paintbrush (above) and milkvetch (below) bloomed.

This juniper on the top of a cliff looked like a bonsai tree.

It took us about 45 minutes to find the cave. I rigged a rope to check out the entrance and found this western fence lizard hanging out on a midden part way down.

I had managed to forget a descent device (never mind that I have seven), so I rappelled on a munter. (It's great to know different techniques--if you'd like to learn more, check out this upcoming cave rescue training.) Then I climbed out and lowered my husband and Desert Boy. Desert Girl didn't want to be lowered, and I wanted to move the rope to an easier spot to get out of the cave, so we went in from this side, where we could see the dark mouth of the cave beckoning.

We only found one historic signature in the cave, Cliff Bellander on June 25, 1955.

The entrance descended steeply over boulders and cobbles.

Before long we saw old, weathered formations. The floor was primarily a packrat midden.

The cave kept descending fast, and I was glad I had my 20 feet of webbing to help belay the kids down the steep sections.

Most of the cave was very dry, but we did find this wet formation with very pretty decorations.

The cave wasn't large, but it was certainly larger than we were expecting. And more beautiful too. It's such a treat when things turn out that way! Then it was time to head out. Desert Boy scrambled out with the help of the rope before I even finished taking photos. Desert Girl tried, but needs a little more strength.

She was happy to be hauled out.

I wanted to get a family photo, but those seem to be hard to get when we all look happy.

We knew the truck wasn't far, and the kids wanted to get to the snacks. So they took off. I was impressed with how Desert Girl ran through the bushes, jumping over small obstacles.

I was a lot slower, pausing to take photos, like this bitterbrush seed.

It was a fun adventure and a good day.

Desert Girl Turns 5

 Desert Girl turned five recently. We were out of town, so we had to postpone her party.

Fortunately the weather cooperated, and when we took treats to her preschool, we were also able to do a piñata outdoors. The kids were so excited.

They had a lot of fun swinging at Tinkerbell.

After two rounds, the piñata still hadn't broken, so I just scattered the contents on the ground. I didn't want the kids to get too sugared up, so they grabbed for organic fruit snacks, mini bubbles, stampers, and some random toys around the house. (Sorry, other parents, I just couldn't take stray army men and animals any more. Hopefully they have found a happy place in your house!)

We also had a little family party. Desert Girl loved the attention. The guys loved playing an airplane game. Ha, ha.

Desert Girl is in a big doll phase right now, so she was very excited to open a doll with accessories. She ran and got a little tiara to make the doll even more a princess.

When it came time to cupcakes (which she wanted to help make because now that she's five she has the privilege of cracking eggs), she was still clutching the doll.

Fortunately she's not too girly. She was offered a ride by her uncle in one of the ranch's small planes, and although hesitant at first, she eventually worked up her nerve and got in. She peered out the window the whole time and took in a different view.

I'm sure she will have lots of fun times as a 5 year old!

Block Island Organics Sunscreen Review

I was contacted by Block Island Organics to see if I'd be willing to do a review of one of their sunscreens, and I quickly said yes. Last year I was quite unsatisfied with the sunscreens we used, so this year I did some research to try to find better ones. I still hadn't found the perfect one though.

What's the perfect sunscreen?
I want sunscreen that works, is good for the skin, and is a reasonable cost.

The first and last parts are fairly obvious, but how do you know if it's good for the skin? My favorite resource is the Environmental Working Group (EWG) database. If you haven't already checked your sunscreen, I recommend you do. Some common ones, like Hawaiian Tropic, have very high ratings, which mean they are more toxic. The database explains why. Even some brands that you think would be good for you, like Trader Joe's, score poorly. Some brands, like Banana Boat, have products that run the spectrum from good to poor. All of Block Island Organics sunscreens score 1 or 2, the best scores a product can get.

Here we all are with Block Island Organics SPF 15 sunscreen on. Desert Boy didn't get his rubbed in all the way so has white splotches on his cheeks, but the rest of us did better.

We tried out Block Island Organics SPF 15 sunscreen on a couple hikes that happened to be above 10,000 feet, which means the suns rays are extra strong due to the lack of air to filter the sunlight. The sunscreen did great, but according to the bottle needs to be reapplied every two hours, so don't forget!

What I like about Block Island Organics SPF 15:
* No fragrance
* Keeps me from getting sunburned
* Works well on kids, too
* Just a little spreads onto a big area
* Large 6 ounce bottle will last a long time

What I don't like so much:
* It's a little hard to get soaked into skin (this has been true with all mineral sunscreens I've tried)
* If you don't rub it in immediately, it leaves white splotches
* I keep forgetting that a little goes a long way and squeeze too much out!
* Cost is a bit high (but be sure to see below!)

As I mentioned earlier, cost is something I consider for sunscreen (and any product I buy). I'm willing to pay more for something if it's better quality. With that said, the full price for Block Island Organics sunscreens is too high for me. However...

Special Deal
Here's a sweet deal. Block Island Organics is offering my readers a 20% discount off their products with code gretchenb. This stacks with the sale they're offering right now (30% off), so you can get a really good deal on a great product! The code is only good until 9/24/14.

What products do you recommend that help you enjoy your times in the outdoors more?

(I received a bottle of Block Island Organics sunscreen for this review. All commentary is my honest opinion.)

Nevada Northern Railway's Plein Air Outdoors Art Festival

 A couple weekends ago I had the opportunity to participate in Nevada Northern Railway's Plein Air Outdoors Art Festival. This is the fourth year they've had the event, but my first to attend. I went as one of 16 vendors that included artists, photographers, food vendors, crafts booths, and product booths.

The weekend kicked off with a train trip pulled by Steam Engine 93. It sure is magnificent.

We left from the East Ely Depot.

This logo is on the tickets, too.

We went with friends, which made the trip even more fun. A highlight for the kids is getting the tickets torn and later stamped by the conductor.

Harold narrated the trip, telling us about the history of the train and Ely, as well as information about some of the sites on the way.

The girls were all chill.

We sat outside briefly on the way up the canyon, but that's when they're really shoveling coal, so you get a lot more cinders on you. So we stayed mainly inside going up but mainly outside heading back down the canyon.

Angie was the engineer for our trip and we had a smooth ride.

A game of I-Spy was lots of fun on the way down. We looked for and found lots of holes in the rock, both mines and little solution caves.

The kids posing. I don't get many of them this way (sitting down together).

Everyone on board seemed to have a good time.

Deanna and her girls.

A highlight of the trip is going through the two tunnels. Here's the older tunnel. Some people were preparing for the cinders. They weren't bad.

The next day Deanna and I set up canopies and displayed photographs and books. I didn't have any train photos, but Deanna had quite a collection from her Western Mountain Photography.

The kids constructed a train out of boxes and other kids were encouraged to help.

It was nice having both of us there because we could take turns watching each other's booth and then wander over to the other booths. I met Colleen Reynolds, an artist from Salt Lake City, who was painting the scene in front of her. This was so impressive to watch!

It was a fun weekend and we learned a lot about being at an art event in a capacity different than a visitor. Thanks so much to Dany Feinstein of NNRY for organizing this event!

The railroad has the Ghost Train coming up in October, which people who have been on it have told me is really fun--and spooky!