Thursday 31 Jan 2013

Continued to snow last night, both on the mountain and down in the valley where we are staying.  Clearing today and calling for sunny weather tomorrow.  Powder everywhere, Gods snow making machines have done a wonderful job, the area is beautiful.

With 7000 acres there are lots of areas that have not seen a ski in several days and remain untouched or almost untouched.

The visibility remains poor at times but you can tell the weather is improving and expect the sun to break through most anytime.

Temps remain mild, mid to high 20s then in the teens at night so the snow is staying in good shape.  Skiing has been great just need someone to ski with.

More tomorrow

Monday

 Snowed most  of the night, ski resort reports 9 inches of new snow and everything is covered, took Lennis to his cousins this morning.  Lennis is going to Idaho to visit friends fron Viet Nam and Alaska.  Drive out through the canyon was beautiful.

 

 

    Trees were covered with the fresh  snow.

 

 

   Gods creation was covered in white lace.  Temps were in the mid 20s.

   Great Salt Lake is covered with ice.

 Great Salt Lake reaches to the mountains

  And the drive back through the canyon to the condo to prepaire for another days skiing.

SNOW ! SNOW! SNOW!

 Snow is the word for the day and perhaps for the next several days,its cold (low 20s, its snowing with the visibility poor) but the skiings great.  I don't think they have sold 2,000 lift tickets any day since I have been here.  No crowds, no lift lines, very enjoyable..

 Snow piled everywhe3re.

 View from the condo deck

 Visibility has been poor wiyh snow most of the day.

Lennis is still cold but getting ready to depart to Idaho. more tomorrow

Sat 26 Jan 2013

We met Lennis' cousin Friday afternoon at Smith and Edwards, you will not belive this place, a combination Walmart/Target/yard sale/ junk store/ Ace Hardware/military surplus, store.  It has everything, artillery, shell casings, guns, rope, chain, clothing a snack bar, we bought gloves and parachute cord, wanted a saddle and a cast iron stove but did not have space to carry it, considered a trailer but decide the wifes would not appreciate all the bargins we had found way outg here in Utah,

 We traveled to Bear River today to check out the cabins and the area, it is ar remote as we expected but the cabins are nice.

 Parking lot was full with snow mobiles and folks enjoying the National Wildneress Area. The highway is closed at this point and the road is used as a  snowmobile trail.  Folks are really friendly, and we can ice fish when we tire of the snow trails.

 Cabins are nice, we have a two bedroom two bath unit that sleeps 8, so we should have plenty of space.

 

 

 One bedroom up one down

 Full kitchen, small but has everything, so the girls can cook real food,  Supplies we brought from home are running low.

Upstairs bed room has two queen size beds, sleep in one play in the other.  More snow in the forcast for Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed so skiing should be great this week.
More tomorrow.

Friday

 

Moving day, Lennis and I packed up this morning and moved out of the condo, but will move back in Sat, tonight we are staying at Hill Air Force Base.  We plan on going to the movie," Zero Dark Thirty' which is suppose to be good.  Tomorrow AM we are going to Bear River Lodge to check out the area we will be in Feb.  The weather has been rain/mixed snow with poor visibility.  Ski resort reports 6 inches of fresh powder so I expect good skiing.  More tomorrow.

Thursday 24 Jan

Day started with snow but temps in the low 30's.  Snow turned to slush and ice on the hiway so the morning rush hour was a mess, we watched on tv. I caught the bus to the top of the mountain where it had snowed for several hours and had accumulated about 4 inches, but it was a heavy wet snow, skied until 1400 and caught the bus home tired and wet.  Gloves were wet, jacket was wet, butt was wet and I was cold, suppose to get 7+ inches today and tonight so Friday/ Sat should be great. Lennis and I moving to a new condo tomorrow so no skiing until Sat.  Lennis and I plan on visiting Bear River tomorrow and checking out the cabins where we will be staying when the wifes get here on 8 Feb,  we will be staying there for a week and snowmobiling in the National Forest just South of Evanston, WY.

 

Even with fresh snow there were no crowds at the ski resort, the lack of lift lines and people on the slopes is a bit disconcerning, I have skied some long runs without seeing another person, been on the lift without being able to see anyone, it is remote-this 7000 acre resort.  The cheap lift tickets seems to draw lots of older folks, have met several from the Yorktown / Williamsburg area as well as locals, so no shortage of folks to ski with.

Hope you enjoy, more later

Wed 23 Jan

7000 acres makes for lots of ski runs and open spaces.  Finally got my camera cord so some old photos are in tonights blog. Snow is in the forcast, so maybe some powder pictures tomorrow.

View from the bus stop. I take the ski bus so Lennis will have something to drive and the bud is much cheeperff than driving every day

Mule deer are all around us, the condos are about 50 yards in the background.

Lots of powder in the trees.   Jana the trees with the black spots are Aspen (private joke)

 

Long grommed runs

 

Lennis in the condo. We are enjoying the fireplace and the spacious condo.

View from the condo deck,  the sun hits the top of the mountain in the background about 0645 and slowly lights the valley, a beautiful sight, wish you were here to enjoy it.

Another view from the bus stop. -7 degrees does not show up in photos.

                                                           Lennis has been cold since we arrived

Ski run through the aspen.

Tuesday 22 Jan

The Aspen groves are beautiful, much like our Christian Fellowship they grow on one common root system, our root sysyem is Christ.
 This area has not experenced the Pine Bark Beddle as bad as some of the other ski areas so not as many dead trees, Gods creation is sustainance for the eyes.
-6 this morning wen we got up but suppose to warm up by mid-day.  Temp on the mountain was about 10 but wind chill -10 especially on the lifts.  Even less crowded than Monday, the guys running the lifts must get boared.



This is what an inversion (weather term, see skiing is educational) layer and helps to keep the top of the mountain warmer than the valley, so while Lennis is experencing -6 it is a balmy 20 at the ski area.
Lennis has had all his clothes on since we arrived, long johns and all, he can't get warm, may help to break him from smoking (has to go outside to smoke)he even said that he has to be crazy to stand outside in -degree weather to smoke.
Snow is in the forcast, fresh powder is on the way. See you tomorrow.

MLK Holiday

Low temps this morning with an  inversion (colder at the bottom of the mountain than at thr top).  Great day for skiing, no lift lines, not much of a crowd and 7000 acres to ski with lots of long runs . Next snow forcast Thurs or Friday.




Lennis stayed in today and worked on his trip (he  is going to Idaho to visit friends he  flew with), supper WAS NOT on the table when I got back from skiing sol I hit the hot tub and sauna, by the time I was through my legs were like rubber but after a short rest I have recovered.  Thanks to the wives we are still eating home cooking, hauled 2400 miles from NC and AL. Judy called with face time (Lennis has a smart phone that neather of us is smart enough to use), we are trying ti figure how to down load pictures from his phone.  It is hard to be so techonology challenged, but we continue to try.
Left my skis at the shop for wax and tune, tech wanted to hang them on the wall as antiques, I felt insulted, my skis are not old I have underware older than the skis and Judith tried to throw it away when I was packing.  NO WAY GI.

Have a great day.

Sunday 20 Jan 2013

Temp was down to -7 last night, 6 at 0700 this morning and expected to be 25 today, with lots of sunshine.  Today has not gone as planned but still agreat day, 

Gods creation is really beyond decsription, with the super cold temps, the trees are like lace, everything that touches them turns to another layer of lace like beauty.

 Powder Mountain is much like Wolf Creek, CO, large acreage (7000 Acres) but privately owned and small town feel, and very frendly folks, mostly locals and military.  Hill AFB is only 20 miles away in Ogden, UT, so convient and military discount lift tickets.  Powder Mt is off the beaten path so not many folks from outside UT.

Lennis and I went to Hill AFB yesterday and checked out the PX and did our grocery shopping at the Commisary, tried to limit our purchases to what we would use this week, because we will move next Sat to another condo (about 50 yards away) but still a move.  Food has not been an issue, except eating too much, our better halfs sent lots of good stuff like chilli and brunswick stew, already gaining wt, looks like the gym and hot tub is in our future.

More Later

Friday/ Sat 18/19 Jan

Arrived about 1500 Friday afternoon after a hard drive accrost WY with the wind blowing strong and gusting to 50+.  Talked Lennis into a quick trip to the top of the mountain and the ski area.  Bought my ski pass and looked the area over, talked to some of the folks that were skiing and checked out the snack bar / resturant (growing boy has to eat).  The area is beautiful with lots of snow, (30 inches + last week)
  We checked into our condo (very nice) and started unloading the truck (drew a crowd) piled everything inside to sort out later.  Got the fireplace started and finally figured the tv/dvd out.  We can stand beside the fireplace, look out the back and see the ski slopes at Wolf Mountain which has night skiing which makes a nice view while enjoying a steaming mug of hot coffee with the outside temps hovers at 7, with light snow, what a life.
   Judith forgot to pack the cable that allows me to download pictures from my camera to my laptop, can't understand that gal she had a month to pack all my things, I will have to get her a packing list.
I will survive someway and get you some pictures.
Trying to talk Lennis into trying skiing or snowboarding, he would be doing this in no time.


God's creation is hard to beat, his handywork is visable everywhere,
We are heading out to do some grocery shopping, more later.  Hope you enjoy. Have a great day!

Day 2 of travel

Spent last night in MO at Whiteman AFB, home of the B2 Bomber.  Departed about 0630 this morning,  Lennis starts slow.  Lennis complaied all day about not having a map to look at, I gave him a GA map but he was not satified, so we had to stop and find him a map.  Had to shop around to find the best map deal and he finall found the best map book that $30 could buy, and right away I creased a page,  hard to see a grown man cry.  But we are now at Buckley AFB in Aurora, CO with a great view of the Rocky Mts. some snow on the ground but temp was about 50 when we arrived at 1630.

We MUST depart at 0600 tomorrow to avoid the Denver morning work rush,  we will be going through the heart of Denver to hit I-25 North to WY, where we will pick up I-80 and on into Utah.

We traveled 661 miles today and have 568miles remaining to the ski area.

More tomorrow, Have a great day!

!st Day of Travel 16 Jan, 2013

We Departed Murphy, NC at 0630, still raining, and have traveled 741 miles today.  Ran into snow and ice North of Nashville TN, nothing falling, it came during the night, sun broke through West of St Louis temps remained in low 40s.  Arrived at Whiteman AFB , about 50 miles East of Kansas City, home of the B2 Bomber, about 2030 with temps in the mid 30s, some snow on the ground.
Fuel prices continue to decline with reg about $2.85 and diesel $3.55, naturally my tank was full when we past the station with cheap fuel so I went down the road and paid $3.61.  Happy with the trucks fuel milage, which has averaged 20.5 thus far.  My goal was to average 19 MPG on the trip, so far so good.
Up early tomorrow and on to Denver, CO where we will stay at Buckley AFB.
  See you tomorrow !

ARE YOU READY ??

18 inches of fresh snow with more on the way at Powder Mt, UT. 
 I will depart Tuesday 15 Jan for 4 weeks in Eden ( about 40 miles NE of Salt Lake) skiing this year at Powder Mountain, which was one of the Olympic sites several years ago.  Then Judith will fly out and we have a week of snow mobiling planned.
  Lennis Lee, fron N.C. ( childhood friend) will drive out with me and his wife will join us for the snow machine week.  I will post often so check back and hope you enjoy the blog.

  I will miss my buds, Tink and George, they must be getting old, just can't keep up any more.  I will have to ski alone this year.
Larry