A Short Ski up Strawberry Creek

 We had a good storm on Thursday, March 26. On Saturday morning, I took the kids out for a short ski up Strawberry Creek. We drove up to where the old restrooms used to be (yep, good directions!). Or another way to put it, where the turn off to the old corral that burned down in the fire (I'm getting better at this, right?).

Beyond that, the road typically gets steeper and the last drifts are there under the trees. It was a good place. We got on our skis and headed up the road.

Desert Boy was enjoying himself, eating the snow.

Meanwhile, Desert Girl was having trouble getting traction with her skis and she was not happy. We need to trade her skis in for a bigger size and one that is more backcountry friendly.

 We got to the trailhead in short order.

We were excited to see the bridge that had been replaced last summer.

The interpretive sign about Stream Survivors is still there, although the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout are few and far between after the 2016 wildfire that burned a lot of the watershed.

We crossed the bridge and headed up into the meadow.

But we soon found too many rocks and turned around. The kids weren't sad, but I was. I love a good ski, and this is a place I rarely go, as you usually have to park way down the road and then it's a long trek.

The trailhead parking wall on the east side was covered by snow, with animal tracks taking the trail in that direction. This might be our last ski of the season, as the temperatures are getting a lot warmer and the snowline is receding up into the mountains. We're crossing our fingers for a wet spring, though, as we're still below normal.

And if you want to find out just how much snow is in the high country, here's a link to the Wheeler Peak Snotel (located above the Wheeler Peak Campground in Great Basin National Park), and a camera located there. This area still has lots of snow, but is quite difficult to access until the road opens in late May/June.

2020 Ely Film Festival

Ely, Nevada held its inaugural film festival in 2020. As part of it, they held a student film competition. The rules were: limit of 5 minutes long, theme of macabre (gloomy, grim), must include a scene from White Pine County, a pocketwatch, and the line, "Look at the fine mess you've gotten us into." The competition was announced in mid-January, with the entries due the beginning of March. I told the kids they had to enter, as I thought they'd gain some good skills from it. I advised them to do their filming in January and editing in February. Of course they didn't listen and were rather last minute. But hopefully they learned from that!

The Ely Film Festival had a fun schedule. We couldn't attend the Friday events, but we went for the Saturday afternoon session, which included a panel on drone photography. They showed a couple videos from Spirit of Nevada, a series that has done short videos for various places around Nevada. They've done four for Ely and the area, and they do a good job showing what the county looks like.

Next was a session about short videos that had been filmed in Ely, including this AT&T commercial that used the Nevada Northern Railway. We heard about how snowy conditions made the shoot harder than expected.

Then it was on to watching the student videos and awards. Desert Girl and her best friend made a movie. Actually they made three, but could only submit one. They learned lots about video editing on iMovie (fortunately after a few instructions, they flew through it), camera angles, and just how much you can make up and still have the audience believe you. They were a little shy when they were called up to the front, but did well answering questions. Their movie was called Murder Past Midnight.

Desert Boy wasn't so shy. He seemed to really enjoy talking in front of the crowd. His movie was called Scorched. It's set in a post-apocalyptic White Pine County. He lucked out in that when he filmed it, the weather was terrible.

Desert Boy ended up getting second place and The Nevada First Lady's Choice. He was delighted with that. Here they are all posing with Robin from the Nevada Film Office.

We were at the Postal Palace, so I had the kids pose in front of the post office boxes.

And here are the student films. Remember, the theme is macabre, so they are all a little dark.
Second place and First Lady's Choice:


This one was by an adult, and next year there will be an adult category.


Honorable Mention


Third place


First place


There were also feature length films shown in the evenings, but they were rated PG-13, so we didn't stay for those, but the people that did really enjoyed them. The directors gave talks about the movie, which helped the viewers understand the movies even better.

Friday night was The Great Darkened Days by Quebec's Maxime Giroux. The film won many prizes in Canada, including best cinematography. Much of it was filmed in and near Ely.



Saturday night was the world premier of Dutch Marich's Reaptown. Dutch is from nearby Ruth, Nevada, and the film was entirely shot in Ely.



I think this Film Festival is just going to keep growing. Nevada has some spectacular scenery, and I know of some film makers who filmed a month earlier this year specifically in White Pine County.

The dates for next year's Ely Film Festival have been set: March 12-14, 2021! Like their Facebook Page to stay up to date.

Some Strategies for Coping with Coronavirus

Coronavirus is a word I didn't even know until January. Now it's a term we use daily, and it sure has changed our lives.

My husband is a farmer and rancher, so he is still working to keep food production going. I'm teleworking most of the time, and the kids have transitioned to online school. We are still getting used to these changes. Here are some things our family is doing trying to stay sane with these unprecedented times.

1. Keeping a regular sleep schedule. We are trying hard to go to bed at a normal time and wake up at a normal time. The kids get to sleep a bit later than they do when they have to go to school, so they're happy about that. :)


2. Keeping a normal eating schedule and eating healthy food. It's been a treat to eat so many meals together as a family. We generally don't allow electronics at the dinner table, and instead talk about various topics. Over half of our food is prepared from scratch, and I try to have the kids help with some meals so they learn more about cooking. We look forward to takeout on the weekends and special treats, like ice cream sundaes.


3. Having some alone time (or self-care). Since we're all together more, we also need to take breaks from each other. Some of that is in the house reading or watching separate things. A lot is outside. I like to run and bike, Desert Boy likes to go on short rides, Desert Girl likes to walk the dogs, and my husband simply does a lot of work alone. It seems like we all need some alone time every day to recharge our batteries.





4. Getting outside each day. One day Desert Boy was super grumpy at the end of the day, and I realized he had had way too much screen time. Even though he declares he's an introvert and loves all the video game time (often with friends online), he needs a break from it. It's nice that it's spring and we can do some planting; there's just something about dirt that is so calming. I also will assign the kids to walk the dogs if they are really grumpy--they always come back in a better mood.


5. Not having huge expectations. Yes, it would be great to write the next new novel or learn a totally new skill, but we're not pushing for that. The kids have to do their school work each day. Then they have some other tasks, like working on 4-H projects, reading, music, and cleaning that they do in half-hour increments. They have lots of free time. We do lots more talking than before. We are watching more movies. We play more board games and cards. But we're not trying to change the world. We're mainly trying to stay home and stay healthy.


6. Connecting with friends and family.  We all definitely appreciate that this pandemic is happening when we have so many resources like Internet, smart phones, and cool technology like Zoom so we can easily connect across thousands of miles. We check in with distant family at least once a week via video conferencing, and as a result, the cousins are getting to know each other better. I had a fun time seeing friends on Google Hangouts and reconnecting. We're also writing cards and letters--it's so exciting to see something personal in the mailbox!


7. Arming ourselves with knowledge--but not too much. I like to know what's going on in the world, but I don't need to know every detail. I've focused on learning the science behind Covid-19, which makes it easy to practice physical distancing. Some sources: This Podcast will Kill You (a 6-part series on Covid-19, including mental health), a presentation on Coronavirus by Hazel Barton,
 and the New England Journal of Medicine. When I read or watch too much about current events, I get overwhelmed. So I limit my exposure, and we really filter it for the kids.

8. Finding the silver linings. Yes, this disease is horrific. It's changing so many things in how we live. Normal is a word we can't exactly describe anymore. So much has changed in just a few weeks. But it's not all gloom and doom. And if we can focus on the silver linings, it makes it a little easier to cope. Less traffic is good for the environment. Reconnecting with family or strengthening connections with loved ones is a joy. Some of our natural areas will have a chance to rest, for the wildlife to be wild again and not worry about traffic or other human influences. Slowing down life a little bit is something probably a lot of us need. And I'm guessing a lot of apartments and houses are getting cleaner than they have been in a long time.

It's also inspirational to see how people are coming together to get through this pandemic. I'm in awe of the scientific minds working to make new vaccines, of the engineers designing equipment to help us. I'm so thankful for the teachers revamping how they teach, food producers who keep getting food to us, folks in service jobs who keep our world running, and all in health care who are true heroes. We're all on this same little planet together, and together, we can keep our species alive and thriving.

The next weeks will not be easy. We need to give ourselves grace. We won't do everything right, but we can try our best.

Here are some other great resources:
Coronavirus: Mental Health Coping Strategies
CDC Mental Health
Coping with Coronavirus Stress

Take care. I'm thinking of and praying for all of us every day. And I'm washing my hands a lot.

Wild Goose Chase...and Birds To Take Home

 After our fun two-day cultural trip to Salt Lake City, we headed to Delta, Utah for the annual Wild Goose Chase. I had asked the kids if they wanted to run this, and they surprised me with a resounding yes. I had been thinking of another museum day, but I wasn't going to turn down a race they wanted to do! (Usually their response is more half-hearted, like If I have to.) So we signed up, my husband met us, and the whole family started the 5k together.

I made a side bet with Desert Boy. If he beat me, I'd have to make him dinner. If I beat him, he'd have to make me dinner. I felt like it was a win-win for me, as I usually make dinner. He started off ahead of me and maintained his lead for the first mile, but then I overtook him. It might have been my last race to do that, he's getting fast!

Desert Girl is also getting fast. She really wanted to beat her brother, and came in just seconds behind.

My husband ran with Desert Girl.

Afterwards we took a group photo with our friend Hector, who's also from our town. He finished in a blazing 20 minutes, despite not having run for over a year!

When they did the awards, it turned out our group represented well. The first three overall finishers were from the cross-country team. But Desert Boy, my husband, and Hector all won first for their age groups.

And so did I. 

Desert Girl was delighted to win a raffle prize with candy and soda in it.

I got lucky too, and won some tickets for the Heber Valley Railroad. We've never done that, so look forward to a scenic rail trip.

We even saw some snow geese fly overhead at the Wild Goose Chase.  With all that running, we worked up an appetite, so we went out to eat, went grocery shopping, and just as we were heading out of town, saw a sign at IFA that said Chicks are Here. I couldn't resist.

We pulled in and found that there were five chicks left, just the number we wanted. I was a little concerned that the last five might be the rowdiest, especially when one jumped out of the clerk's hands and we had to do a rescue mission.

But we got them home safely and the kids are having so much fun with them. We've remodeled our chicken coop so the chickens can go in and out of the run easily (when they get a little bit older). They are growing fast, and we are looking forward to July, when they should start laying eggs.

February Museum Trip to Salt Lake City

 In late February, the kids had a Thursday off of school. A few weeks before that, I remembered that last year I had bought the 365-Salt Lake Connect Pass, which is a pass to go to a whole bunch of museums and other cool spots for a year. We used it last Easter, and then got busy and hadn't been back to Salt Lake City. Not wanting it to go to waste, I decided we'd do an early spring break and go see a bunch of museums.

First off we went to doctor's visits on Thursday, charting the kids' growth and getting a booster measles vaccine for me. This was also when Coronavirus was barely in the U.S., and China was looking like they were getting control of it. I had a caving trip to China planned in late April and asked the doctor's advice about going. He said I should go, just take general precautions of washing hands and staying out of open-air food markets that had live wildlife. We weren't even that concerned with how much it might spread here. My, how times have changed in just four weeks!

Then it was off to lunch at Tucano's, a Brazilian restaurant. We had never been, but it rated high on Trip Advisor, and we were duly impressed. Desert Girl tried hard-boiled quail eggs, and we had so much delicious meat that we were very happy. I was also happy about the kids' price, which was less than half the price of an adult. And Desert Boy, still 12, qualified as a kid!

Next up was the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. We've been here before, so we knew we would enjoy it. Here's Desert Girl dressing up as a dinosaur next to some big bones.

The kids love putting on faces, so they were happy to pose with the megalodon.

That evening we went to a musical, Floyd Collins, put on by the University of Utah. Floyd Collins was a cave explorer near Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. He wanted to have his own show cave to make him rich. While he was exploring in 1925, a rock fell and trapped him in the cave in a very narrow location. Up on the surface, a media circus erupted, with hundreds of people arriving. The story made headlines in newspapers across the country. Unfortunately, Floyd died in the cave. We went over the storyline before we watched it, as I didn't want the kids to be surprised by the ending.

 The set was quite creative, and they climbed all over the ladders and catwalks to simulate moving through the cave.We enjoyed the musical and the kids said they would like to see more musicals.

The next day we started off with a trip to the thrift store. We love thrift stores and reusing things and finding "treasures." Desert Girl was thrilled to find a jean jacket vest.

Then it was time to go to Costco. We don't go often, so we always fill the big cart when we go. Maybe I had a thought about stocking up in the back of my mind, as we bought some things we don't always get, like Lysol wipes and Kleenex and chocolate syrup and a cheese sampler pack.

Next we went to Tracy Aviary. The kids got some energy out traversing the mini-climbing wall with bird-inspired handholds.

We hadn't been to Tracy Aviary for over four years, when my parents came out to visit. We were thinking it was going to be a really quick trip to look at some birds, but we had so much fun and just took our time.

This bird liked looking at us upside down.

The kids insisted on having their photos taken at the cutouts.

What made Tracy Aviary really exceptional for us was attending the live demonstration. They brought out many birds, including this African owl.

Several times birds flew right over our heads. It was super fun, and also educational. This turned out to be one of the big highlights of our trip.

Our next museum was the Natural History Museum of Utah. They redid this museum several years ago, and it is amazing. Up on the top floor they have an interactive part where you can make a space station. Both kids were eager to do it.

Then they had to test their space stations. Desert Girl was very happy that her space station passed all the tests, including spinning and shaking.

Then she left a note on the interactive panel: "How would you feel if life was discovered on another planet? Why?"

As we continued, we found a familiar scene that Desert Boy jumped into. (Hint: it's not in Utah, but just across the border.)

Eventually we got down to the dinosaurs. Watch out, again!

We took our time and wandered through at a relaxed pace. It wasn't super busy on a Friday in February.

Next we went over to This is the Place Heritage Park, a place we had never been to. They are constructing a new visitor center, so we went to the temporary one, where we showed our passes and found out that most everything is closed for the winter. We weren't too excited by anything that was still open. So we headed to the playground.

Nearby Desert Girl found a horse, so she was happy.

A cool surprise were some moose over in the orchard. But overall, we wouldn't go back here in the winter, it's just boring. It looks like it could be interesting in the summer, with a replica frontier town. 

We had one more destination for the day, the Clark Planetarium. We were really excited to go. But when we arrived, it was closed, maybe because there was a Utah Jazz game that night. We were super disappointed. We walked around the Gateway shopping plaza a bit, and found some outside entertainment.

The kids tried out some parkour moves. 

Then we headed south, as we had an early morning destination for Saturday! To be continued...