Return to Eagle Point

 We had so much fun on our first 2018 excursion to Eagle Point Ski Resort near Beaver, Utah, that we decided to go again. The weather called for more snow. That made me excited to hit the slopes, but worried about road conditions. After the treacherous road conditions on Highway 153 up Beaver Canyon on our first trip, and talking to others who were also really bothered by it, I sent an email to the Beaver County Commissioners notifying them of the problem. I received a response that they were looking into it and contacting the proper authorities.

So I was hoping that was all in place when we woke up the next morning and we had fresh snow! We had a leisurely morning with more swimming in the hotel pool (the kids love to swim!) and started out about 9:15 a.m. to give the plows a little more time. We saw a plow coming our direction by the golf course. 

But as we started up the canyon, we found that it had not been recently plowed. We passed the chain up area, but the lights were not blinking next to the sign that said When Flashing, Four Wheel Drive or Chains Required. The snow wasn't particularly deep, so I wasn't too concerned. Then we got to a corner that had an icy spot and we started careening towards the 15-foot dropoff that fell into the icy creek. While the kids were screaming in the back seat, I turned the steering wheel sharply to avoid the terrifying situation. Praise the Lord, we eventually found traction. Then our truck started sliding towards the 30-foot tall jagged cliff on the other side of the road. Fortunately we managed to avoid it. 

A bit further on, we found a car stopped in the middle of the road, the driver out with chains in his hands. If he had known that chains were required, he wouldn't have had to stop in such a precarious place.

Later I talked to my grown nephew who had gone up to Eagle Point with a friend that day, and he said he had hit an icy spot and nearly slid into the guard rail.

It wasn't safe to turn around, so we kept going up. Fortunately we made it, and the snow was fantastic. Fresh powder on top of other new snow, so we could ski in the woods and not worry about tripping over downed trees. It only took till mid-March! Desert Boy was delighted to be back with his instructor from his first lesson. Meanwhile, Desert Girl and I hit the slopes. And when we went over to the big mountain, the first run she wanted to do was the black diamond she had done before. I told her to make sure she waited for me (I wasn't kidding!). She did awesome. I figured we could probably go about anywhere on the mountain as long as we took breaks. So when we got off the lift the next time, we took a right and headed into country we had never seen before.

This involved finding a tow lift with a frisbee-like disk that you don't sit on, but it goes between your legs and you hold on to a pole and go up the hill. Desert Girl found it really hard to get on. She crashed about five times. But after watching some other people do it, she finally made it. We had a fun run and then she wanted to go back and do it all over again. Way to go, girl!

 

When we caught up to Desert Boy in the afternoon, he had improved a lot.

It was fun watching him rip the slopes. We found his older cousin who rode with him and made the snowboarding look easy.

We tried some selfies on the lift.

I was in the middle and couldn't get us all at the same time.

On the way back down, the road was much better (but still not plowed a full two lanes wide). I wrote again to the Beaver county commissioners but heard nothing back. I also wrote to the regional UDOT supervisor, and he wrote back that they were looking into conditions. I sure hope they can make some improvements!

Eagle Point had a really crummy winter season, open just 27 days. How can it go on? They posted a letter on their website and Facebook page that said they will indeed be open next year. They'll even have some snow making equipment. So hopefully the highway will be in better shape, because it sounds like Eagle Point will be an even more popular winter destination!

Playing in Snow

 So back in February we got a good snowstorm. We headed up to Too Tall Tony hill to go sledding with friends.

It's a short but steep hill.

Then we decided to go up to Upper Lehman Campground to see what sledding would be like there. The huge ponderosa pines were so beautiful!

This sledding hill is down the road. It's slower going but they can have some long runs.

I wandered off for a walk and crossed the creek.

The campfire ring at the amphitheater looks cool. Literally!

And sometime I would just like to spend a day looking up at big, beautiful trees.

What the kids enjoyed most was digging. They found the pile left by the snow plow and started shoveling. Eventually they made a tunnel through it!

Even Jenny gave it a try!

We had so much fun that we went back with some other friends and dug some more.


I took a short walk up the Scenic Drive, where I could see the snow really blowing on the peak.

 It's mid-March now, and I have a feeling that winter will soon be coming to an end. I really love the snow, and we had so little of it this winter that I'm craving more. Right now we're back in a cool snap, which is good, as the apricot trees aren't blooming yet. I had a reminder on my Facebook feed that they were last year. And maybe we're going to get a little more snow over the next few days. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed!

Snowy Ski Trip to Eagle Point

I was keeping an eye on the forecast, and it was promising lots of snow Saturday night. Maybe we could finally go downhill skiing? We decided to go ahead and do it and drove to Beaver, Utah. We ate dinner at a restaurant and then checked into the hotel. The kids couldn't wait to go swimming!

The next morning we woke up to new snow. I did a happy little dance! We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel, the kids swam again, and then we headed up the canyon. We were expecting it to be plowed, but the plow turned around at the start of the canyon. We followed the tracks up the road, usually just one lane wide. But occasionally a vehicle came down, and then there was a bit of panic. Would one of us slide off the road? I was so happy for the guard rails, but we really couldn't believe that the road hadn't been plowed at nine in the morning. The snow got deeper and deeper, about a foot at the top.

We signed up Desert Boy for his first snowboard lesson and took off with Desert Girl. She remembered how to ski right away.


It was kind of blustery in the morning, with periods of wind and snow that made it very cold. But then the sun would peak out.

The powder was amazing. I didn't really have experience skiing in powder, nor did Desert Girl. We liked it a lot.


We ate lunch with friends at the lodge, then headed up the big mountain. Desert Girl and I did a couple blue (intermediate) runs, while my husband did a black diamond (advanced) run. I had a hard time keeping up with Desert Girl. I am a bit wimpy when it comes to skiing, I don't like to feel out of control! For our last run on that side, we all went down a black diamond run. We didn't tell Desert Girl until she had finished, and she was so happy.

We went over to pick up Desert Boy from his lesson. He had had a great day. It was just him and one other student with the instructor. He showed us some of his moves, and he was looking good. He's still on the green (easy) slopes, but is ready to go again and learn more.

Desert Girl kept on going, I couldn't believe her stamina. She fell asleep as soon as we started driving down the canyon. Which was now plowed, but in quite a few places the plow driver hadn't bothered to plow a full two lanes. Fortunately there wasn't much traffic.

We're watching the weather again, it looks like there is more snow in the forecast. Perhaps we'll get to go skiing another time this season? It is so nice to spend the day outside!

Mid-Winter Hike in the Burbank Hills

 One Sunday afternoon in January we went out to the Burbank Hills for a family hike. We didn't really have any destination, we just thought we'd wander and look for fossils. We drove up a road, parked, and started hiking. The winter sunlight was gorgeous, backlighting the mat rock spirea (Petrophytum caespitosum). 

A bit further on we found a plant that made Desert Girl ponder. What was a yucca doing in the snow? This is Harriman's yucca (Yucca harrimanae), and it's scattered around the area. It can deal with some snow. We don't have any other species in the area; they prefer warmer climes.

Snow dusted the landscape as we looked towards Big Wash and the Snake Range.

We ended up setting a goal to get to the top of a ridge. It turned out we weren't on good rock for fossils (I hadn't taken time to consult the geology map), but it was still a fun hike.

The kids got to scramble a bit, which they always love.

Then it was down the other side. It was obvious which were the south-facing slopes by the lack of snow.

I wandered along the ridge, finding this huge opening. A new cave? Alas, no, there aren't any known caves in the Burbank Hills, but plenty of shallow shelters.

It wasn't a very long hike, but it does the soul good to go out and wander and explore. And it does the body good to go out and move and breathe fresh air. Here's to more outside time!

Supermoon Eclipse January 2018

 In the early morning of the supermoon eclipse of January 2018, I noticed that it was a lot darker outside than it had been previously in the night. I knew the eclipse was well underway. And I knew I could go out and photograph it. First I peeked out the window and saw that it was indeed progressing. Then I went back to bed, warm and snuggly. But I couldn't sleep. A cool phenomenon was happening, and I had prepped the camera the night before, so I should just go out and do my best to photograph
it.

So I shrugged on my coat and winter boots and got the above photo from the driveway. It was nice, but nothing that would be too memorable. Then I heard an owl hooting. Earlier, while I was snuggled in bed, I had dreamed of capturing an owl silhouette with the moon, but had dismissed it as a crazy idea. Maybe it wasn't so crazy. Except the owl was in a nearby tree that I couldn't line up with the moon. But then it flew to another tree. I walked over, and it looked like I could line it up! I walked back to get my gear and get set up. I found it was extremely hard to focus in the dark, plus the moon kept moving so I had to keep readjusting. Here's what I got:

The Great Horned Owl hooted to a companion as I worked to refine the shot. It was really tricky, and I didn't get the perfect shot, but I still thought it was pretty cool to get the owl and the supermoon eclipse. (shooting specs: Canon 7dMII with Canon 100-400 mm lens @ 400 mm, ISO 2000, f 5.6, 2 seconds)

The owl flew off and I knew that that opportunity was done. So I got another cool shot of the moon with some stars.

I was wondering if I could get the eclipsed moon setting over the top of the mountain. I got in the car and drove up a dirt road. I didn't get quite the alignment I wanted, but it was still nice to get snow-covered mountain and moon.

Next time I'll use a different aperture.

Whoops, the moon is falling onto the earth! (aka what happens when your tripod isn't quite steady)

Farewell, eclipsed supermoon. I hear another one is supposed to occur next January. Hopefully we'll have good skies again. And cooperative owls!

2018 Sheepherders' Gathering

 Every January, the Border Inn on US Highway 50, straddling the border of Nevada and Utah, hosts the Sheepherders' Gathering. Sheepherders, sheep owners, and sheep aficionados gather from hundreds of miles to celebrate, you've guessed it, sheep. There's lots of good food, dancing, talks, catching up with old friends and making new ones.

One of my favorite parts is the open mike night, when folks take turns sharing their sheep stories. Hank Vogler was the entertaining emcee. Denys Koyle started off the evening by announcing that although she has now retired from the Border Inn and will be living in Salt Lake, she is keeping the third weekend of January open and will be back for the Sheepherders' Gathering as long as she can get out of bed. Go, Denys! And thank you for getting this event started!

There was a good crowd and a couple video cameras taping it all.

Hank brought up the unusually warm weather we've been having this winter. "It's cold everywhere else [in the country], but warm here. Since they legalized marijuana in Nevada, there's been a real high over the state."

Mary Kaye, the first performer up, was ready with a bit of humor too.

Mary had a little lamb

but now the lamb is dead

and so she brings it up to school

between two pieces o'bread.

Then she sang "Are Your Dreams Big Enough?" If you haven't heard Mary Kaye's music, you should. She's got a beautiful, earthy voice and is a great storyteller. Check out her website for more.

Next up was John, who told about when he was 12 he was sent off for days on the mountain with a herd of sheep. When he wanted to let his mom know that it was time to pick him up (the next night, since he was far out there), he lit a cedar tree on fire.

Joe told us, "My dad had a bat habit of making me walk a lot." Eventually Joe saved enough money to buy his own horse. His mom asked his dad, "You're not going to put him on that horse, are you?" His dad said, "He's just a kid, we've got lots of them."

Then Joe shared some poems. He has a way with words and goes up to Elko for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

Melanie has been performing at the Sheepherder's Gathering since she was a babe and is a natural on stage. She played two great ukulele songs.

Dave's been in the sheep business a very long time, and it was great to see him.

Desert Boy even got up on stage and told about his 4-H lamb kicking him in the eye. And how the other lamb followed him to school one day. He was so nervous about talking, but did a great job.

Next up was Clive Romney. We had seen him at the Fillmore Capitol Arts Festival, and the kids remembered his song. He told a story about the old days, when a dress wasn't thrown away when it was worn out, it was made into kids' shirts. And when they were worn out, they were made into a rug. Frugality could be the difference between life and death. He had the audience sing along with the chorus:

Use it up, Wear it out

Make it do or do without

Frugality is how we all survive

Dan got up and apparently wanted a change from sheep. So he told us his Alaska fishing story...

Next was Marlene telling of some Snake Valley sheep history. Her dad took her mom out on the desert to the sheep camp for their honeymoon, where he related that he was leasing the sheep, he didn't own them--much to his bride's surprise.

Lois recalled a very wintery winter, when her dad pulled up to a sheep camp in Burbank. He wondered why the sheepherder had such red lips. Then he came to realize that it was very windy, and the sheepherder had no chapstick, but he did find the wife's lipstick.

Kris and Kaye shared stories from the winter of 1948-49, a legendary winter. Their father, Newell Johnson, had 3,500 sheep on the desert. On January 15 he took his new pickup with one ton of cottonseed pellets for sheep plus supplies out towards them. But the highway was impassable for three days. When he finally got to he sheep, the feed was all covered up, and the sheep were starving. He did his best to get feed to them, but roads sometimes closed for a week at a time. He was the first sheepman from Delta to fly hay out to his sheep. By March 15, enough snow melted so that the sheep could forage on their own. (A movie was made about the flights to save the livestock, called Operation Haylift, and set near Ely, Nevada.)

Mary Kaye took the stage again. She related a story about a song based on an account from What Next, Doctor Peck?, a book I read many years ago while researching my Great Basin National Park: A Guide to the Park and Surrounding Area. I had fond memories of that book, and it was great to hear that it had also touched someone else.

We went back on Saturday for more of Mary Kaye's music (she's that good! if you check out her website, you'll see by all her awards that we're not the only ones that think that.). My husband and I also enjoyed the family-style Basque dinner (the beef was amazing!).

The Sheepherders' Celebration is such a neat event, and it's great that this slowly fading lifestyle is being remembered.

Here are links to past Sheepherders' Gatherings (unfortunately I got sick some years so missed some): 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009

If you like sheep, you can see posts I've written about them over the years.