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!

Fun in the Playground

 We've been going to the playground more frequently as it warms up. It's always more fun with friends!

How many kids can fit on one horse?

The monkey bars have been gaining popularity as the kids learn some new tricks.

 Yikes, that's high! Sometimes I'm more scared than the kids!

 I'm just glad to get outside and away from electronics (and house cleaning!).

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.

Adventure Walk through the meadow

On one beautiful day when I was feeling restless and the kids were bickering over electronics, I told them we had to go on an adventure walk. They grumbled. But I stood my ground. We'd walk down to the shop and get a ride back with Dad. But we wouldn't follow the road, we had to go a more interesting way. That started with crossing an irrigation ditch. A little challenge soon had them concentrating and happy.

Of course if Big Brother did, Desert Girl had to do it too! Henry stood by watching.

Henry had a little adventure of his own. He likes to chase cows, but they also like to chase him. It's always interesting to see which one is going to move first. I think the cow won this time.

We followed the creek for a long time, and the kids loved these little "islands."

Then we found tunnels through the willows. They were a lot of fun, and the kids were the right height to go through them easily!

Later we found some bones. Big excitement.

Before long, we had another obstacle: a ten-foot high fence put up to keep the deer out of the hay. Desert Boy easily scaled it, but Desert Girl came through the gate with me.

Before long we ended up at the sand pile near the shop (the sand is for making concrete). When it was time to go, the kids didn't want to leave.

Hurray for excuses to spend more time outside. The kids often grumble when I tear them away from their electronics, but they end up being happier outside.

Spring Skiing

Desert Girl is five now, and she's been waiting for her big opportunity to go to ski school. We were hoping she could go with her friend Isaac, but it didn't work out (hopefully next year!). I wasn't sure if she would freak out or buck up and make it work anyway. Fortunately, she chose the latter and had a super time. Dressed to the nines in her pink ensemble, she joined her small ski class and learned how to take off and put on her skis. 

We set the stage by staying in Beaver, Utah the night before we went to Eagle Point. The Comfort Inn has an indoor pool that was warm and really popular. The kids loved it so much. They both got mini-swim lessons and improved considerably. Desert Girl even managed to float on her back for 20 seconds.

Being close by was especially nice since we had the time change to deal with. We could wake up about our normal time and hit the slopes right at the beginning. Desert Boy went for a morning ski lesson to improve his style and started learning how to do turns with parallel skis.

He's got aways to go, but is doing well. One of the reasons we went that Sunday was that they had free lift tickets. Eagle Point was quite busy, but busy for them still means lots of wide open slopes. We met up with over a dozen people from our remote valley who were there for the day.

By the time we picked up Desert Girl in the afternoon, she was ready to take us down the slopes. She used "pizza" most of the time. 

It was a beautiful day, and we're glad we went. Eagle Point has already closed for the season because it's been so warm. Hopefully next winter we will get more snow and skiing opportunities!