tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68783056530790943612024-03-17T17:36:17.781-07:00We Went WestIn which two lifelong Easterners packed up their entire lives, complete with their crazy dog, and headed to the mountains of Salt Lake CityFriend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.comBlogger1788125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-61854325890856159332024-03-15T09:32:00.000-07:002024-03-15T09:32:18.148-07:00504 and counting<p> H hasn't had to shovel very much down at the house but that doesn't mean it hasn't been a good snow year: Alta hit 504 inches of snowfall on the year, with just over a month to go in the season. That's a good snow year! Here's a graphic comparing 2023-2024 (blue/this year) to 2021-2022 (green/two years ago) - way better, although that season did have a strong finish:</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcYMyNg36HTcj_JzVmXmCROZSOmA-v_pGthEr4zI9BqdzXlfExfqpO4UmwNiL7hlbIlCN1EbXcs5GnID_Ayu37KT8qLrUw3t7KyR1XRuBj5BTDLOza3LAzKDVKe-Crxn9FIhc-zzVgJ-24hQI3U4I80HjMioxpGvtQ1eYj0c03C7hz4DEd23zi5_So36U" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="1260" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcYMyNg36HTcj_JzVmXmCROZSOmA-v_pGthEr4zI9BqdzXlfExfqpO4UmwNiL7hlbIlCN1EbXcs5GnID_Ayu37KT8qLrUw3t7KyR1XRuBj5BTDLOza3LAzKDVKe-Crxn9FIhc-zzVgJ-24hQI3U4I80HjMioxpGvtQ1eYj0c03C7hz4DEd23zi5_So36U=w640-h264" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Of course, here's what this year looks like when compared to the ridiculous over-the-top-ness of 2022-2024 (green/last year), the likes of which we'll never see again:</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGZV5hiPj8HZKM22g2evS7rCfEFcvZZ6k96xWXQuEFadRHmvs-ULt5f5NHLYgvfBSk4F-M5ZQQXABJ-v3i5R0JScu7YKHlVPh-Re2ZUJD8T8dD7ymv62vUlUhJo0dqG1VBqeM5OKuHRej1J7Eaxe32zpa7oE5tPs4h7cP2t_-0Ez2LuK7kaJPSGBBzCzM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="1282" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGZV5hiPj8HZKM22g2evS7rCfEFcvZZ6k96xWXQuEFadRHmvs-ULt5f5NHLYgvfBSk4F-M5ZQQXABJ-v3i5R0JScu7YKHlVPh-Re2ZUJD8T8dD7ymv62vUlUhJo0dqG1VBqeM5OKuHRej1J7Eaxe32zpa7oE5tPs4h7cP2t_-0Ez2LuK7kaJPSGBBzCzM=w640-h270" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-17593672769887650722024-03-09T12:56:00.000-08:002024-03-09T12:56:00.193-08:00in like a lion(-ish)<p> On Friday, March 1st, H was already fretting by dinnertime. The weather had been going on for days about the storm moving into the Cottonwood canyons: warm and windy Friday; colder, high winds, thunder-snow and heavy snowfall Saturday; not as windy but very cold and snowy Sunday. Some sources were talking a potential for 42 inches of snow by the time it was over. The fretting focused around the fact that high winds means lift holds, thundersnow means lift holds and so much snow means high avalanche danger and really messy roads. I wasn't fretting. None of that forecast sounded like anything I wanted to be involved with.</p><p>And boy was it windy! It picked up Friday night, kept it up all through the night and was even worse come Saturday morning. Like, shake the house / flip tractor-trailers on the interstate windy. H reluctantly decided to not go up to Alta on Saturday - his first time being in the house on a Saturday morning since before ski season started in November. I'm sure he was second guessing himself all day, especially since the precipitation part storm didn't show up until just after 2 p.m. The winds dropped dramatically and it first graupeled, then hailed, then some thunder and lightning, before segueing to wet snow. Powder Mountain hadn't bothered opening at all, citing the high winds. The Cottonwood Canyons resorts opened, with some wind holds, until the lightning arrived ... and then they all shut things down.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodnyDR9QmlnxsxbchvIIrT8MGMaOVcVSHF5R7SSuNPL4VzVI9j-uaIMq-ItSkEI3k9hlVF1CEUzR1zaOOxzcJq4nhjK-KqIQi7dKKQcPtFg8cLEUxjmOx_e8UZhzlc2e0HlZp4-40-E4QmYsU20a7t7_N6vxH3UD2qL1vZ3aswAg0P1hVuqzXCErvUBM/s4032/2024.02.26%20Sunrise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodnyDR9QmlnxsxbchvIIrT8MGMaOVcVSHF5R7SSuNPL4VzVI9j-uaIMq-ItSkEI3k9hlVF1CEUzR1zaOOxzcJq4nhjK-KqIQi7dKKQcPtFg8cLEUxjmOx_e8UZhzlc2e0HlZp4-40-E4QmYsU20a7t7_N6vxH3UD2qL1vZ3aswAg0P1hVuqzXCErvUBM/s320/2024.02.26%20Sunrise.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Good sunrise from earlier in the week</span></div><p>Milton and I found it a little disconcerting to have H in the house but we didn't let him distract us. We did a four mile walk in those strong winds - we had to dodge tumbleweeds flying down the street - and a nice lady told him he had "cute feet." Then we did a quick run to <a href="https://www.oceanmart.net/" target="_blank">Ocean Mart</a> in Sandy for some specialty ingredients I needed for new recipes I want to try. I could easily spend multiple hundreds of dollars there, there's so much I want to try: all the spices, condiments (chili-garlic sauces, banana ketchup, fermented bean curd, different vinegars and soy sauces), fresh fruits and vegetables, noodles and tofu, frozen buns and rolls and lumpia ... I got out of there with dark soy sauce, Shaoxing rice cooking wine, sesame paste, sambal oelek, tamarind paste, chili crisp, fresh shiitake mushrooms and long bok choy, extra firm tofu, a bamboo steamer and, my one impulse buy, Thai-spiced vegan jerky. I love Ocean Mart.</p><p>Back home, I made vegetable broth from veggie scraps in the freezer, a <a href="https://www.thefullhelping.com/vegan-nantucket-cranberry-pie/" target="_blank">vegan Nantucket cranberry pie</a> dehydrated the shiitakes I didn't need right away, and made <a href="https://rainbowplantlife.com/sesame-noodles/" target="_blank">sesame noodles</a> for dinner. When the storm arrived, the streetlights all came on at 2 p.m. and we stood at the window, watching the snow come down. It had been 63 F and sunny earlier in the week but March is now here and with a bit of a roar.</p><p><br /></p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-86824519544694250692024-03-05T12:26:00.000-08:002024-03-05T12:26:00.145-08:00viva la divas<p> Sunday ended up being a carbon copy of Saturday up Alta - even better, H reported, as it was sunnier and slightly warmer. Ski patrol even got East Castle open, so literally the whole mountain was skiable (if you're able). He had watched them doing avalanche control there and contemplated hiking in there but ended up getting bored of Supreme laps waiting for the rope to drop; by the time it was open, he was skiing at Collins and didn't go back.</p><p>I didn't ski Sunday, opting for a long walk with Milton, vacuuming, laundry and chocolate chip cookie baking instead. That was only the morning, however. By 1 p.m. I was cleaned up (boots with heels even!) and driving to downtown SLC. I was meeting E and K and some of their friends at the <a href="https://www.metromusichall.com/" target="_blank">Metro Music Hall</a> (615 West 100 South) for a matinee showing of <a href="https://www.thevivaladivashow.com/" target="_blank">The Viva La Diva! Show</a>. The venue is on the far side of the Gateway area, with several other clubs nearby. It isn't a location that I would want to frequent after dark but in the bright afternoon sunshine, it was fine and I followed a group of older women into the club.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfOxcL9YFn_Ks_JhrKB9B9qya7uGPszaduMJo6r_SamQLj_djY3roQ1PxbHZatCpQgj5PSFi6FgnGQdUmiSLRrBznUM27pCbdoUvE-Xh5_RNCO1vZSZ0HPag0rnVS22_EZ9MCrs2iuCJ-G22Rk6CLm66FQqXBiXhhUAnd-VIwGdSbDEzMdaSRpGXCNZE/s4032/2024.02.25%20Diva%20group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfOxcL9YFn_Ks_JhrKB9B9qya7uGPszaduMJo6r_SamQLj_djY3roQ1PxbHZatCpQgj5PSFi6FgnGQdUmiSLRrBznUM27pCbdoUvE-Xh5_RNCO1vZSZ0HPag0rnVS22_EZ9MCrs2iuCJ-G22Rk6CLm66FQqXBiXhhUAnd-VIwGdSbDEzMdaSRpGXCNZE/s320/2024.02.25%20Diva%20group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fun crew</span></div><p>E and K were waiting at the door for me and a couple other folks, and they swept us right down front to our seats. The bar was open, with draft beer and cocktails available; after the show started, they had a system where you could open a tab with your credit card and then text drink orders to be delivered to your seat. As the place filled up, E and K seemed to know every other person there and, as usual, all of their friends are both interesting and nice.</p><p>The show - my very first drag show - is a combination of comedy and different act lip-syncing. The host/star, Jason CoZmo, is a world champion Dolly Parton impersonator; he also did Bette Midler and Lucille Ball at this show. The performers are a fantastic array of people, all different genders/shapes/ethnicities: the acts included Neil Diamond, Madonna, Ceelo Green, Kenny Rogers and a Barbie ensemble. The audience was super into it - singing, cheering, applauding, laughing - and after every act, we all got up and tipped the performers. Jason Cozmo was especially fantastic: quick on his feet, funny as he roasted the audience viciously but always with an edge of humor. The sole man in our group got called up on stage for a bit and did so well, playing off CoZmo, totally relaxed and game, that when he went back to his seat, he got his own tips!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtQjKhSJlxjqU7lDIf-IEhgnQML-z6LJD7lw2x3tU9fCcuyuYo5syr9wBzD96tUXcWtjQSGggmHJDWVsQ3-texjWlB88OWojm7eG5EUAHVsMQBL_b-PZW59SbRRbvGqWiPotwkGat7yXyLU9bKf6erOnfm4aRbJfMBNAwLVqSB7rn6OKGJo8vzVhLy_g/s4032/2024.02.25%20Diva%20herself.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtQjKhSJlxjqU7lDIf-IEhgnQML-z6LJD7lw2x3tU9fCcuyuYo5syr9wBzD96tUXcWtjQSGggmHJDWVsQ3-texjWlB88OWojm7eG5EUAHVsMQBL_b-PZW59SbRRbvGqWiPotwkGat7yXyLU9bKf6erOnfm4aRbJfMBNAwLVqSB7rn6OKGJo8vzVhLy_g/s320/2024.02.25%20Diva%20herself.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hello, "Dolly"!</span></div><p>By the end of it, my throat was sore from all the hooting and hollering. CoZmo thanked everyone for coming, reiterated that despite the teasing, this was a safe space for everyone. And it's true: you could feel the warmth and acceptance in the room. It was a terrific first drag show for me, and a great show period. And the fact that it was still light out when I got home made it even better. Viva la diva!</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-17112716246093435712024-03-01T10:23:00.000-08:002024-03-01T10:23:00.191-08:00a gorgeous day in lcc<p> I realize that I have turned into one of "those" skiers. You know, the ones who only want to ski on bluebird days, when it isn't too cold, the visibility is great and the snow is soft. And Saturday totally enabled me to embrace that because it was clear, sunny, warm and Alta was just coming off a very nice storm cycle. We still had to get up early and take the early bus, and then sit with our books in the Goldminer's Daughter cafe waiting for the lifts to open. (By the way, why the HECK was the GMD cafe area so cold? It was warmer in the hallway, where the door to <b>outside</b> is, and we were even sitting next to a little radiator.) There were some demo tents set up at the Wildcat base area and you could just tell that the patio was going to be packed with people later on.</p><p>After riding up Collins, we went straight to Sugarloaf where it is sunnier first thing in the morning. We did several runs there, including going over upper Cabin Hill to do a Cabin Run. Things are pretty well tracked out and bumped up off-piste but the bumps were still soft and kind of chalky. They had groomed out most of Razorback which was skiing quite nice - and a much different experience than when it is nothing but giant moguls.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxMe9KY7-bdRRAEuniDmUL0Q_k4VcaLRIu6lCvbOpJTq0KvcEqZWsMqlc6k2iI78bslmOMhcszY9i1KYRu7T9sLk5GXaTE4vDsD68uktteYAFxd18sR-VGskFhVDI_YUdyG_fwm6aVvo2UPXqPK4rNiBw1QryD6uMTTDUDo16kCdaba-cQz_OI99IDL4/s4032/2024.02.24%20Alta.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxMe9KY7-bdRRAEuniDmUL0Q_k4VcaLRIu6lCvbOpJTq0KvcEqZWsMqlc6k2iI78bslmOMhcszY9i1KYRu7T9sLk5GXaTE4vDsD68uktteYAFxd18sR-VGskFhVDI_YUdyG_fwm6aVvo2UPXqPK4rNiBw1QryD6uMTTDUDo16kCdaba-cQz_OI99IDL4/s320/2024.02.24%20Alta.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cabin Hill. I wasn't overdressed</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">until the Catherine's run</span></div><p>We switched to Supreme for a bit, as it got busier and busier. I requested a Catherine's Area run - where we paused to watch skiers much younger than us hucking themselves off some cliffs - and a Devil's Playground run (the gate at the bottom of Rock 'N Roll has both been moved and signed). And we got to see one of the resident Alta porcupines, trundling along the edge of a trail and attracting quite a lot of fans.</p><p>When the singles lines at both Supreme and Sugarloaf stretched out far beyond the corrals, we moved to Collins, where the patio was full, the tunes were cranked and the lift lines were not so long. Before noon ski patrol had opened the Baldy gates: there was a long line of skiers boot-packing their way up and so many people skiing the chutes. I don't recall ever seeing so many skiers in Main Chute - just one after another - but also in Little Chute, Dogleg, Perla's and from the ridge between Perla's and the Rotors. Despite all that open terrain, the most off-piste I got over there was a Ballroom run: soft and not life-threatening - perfect!</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-49040604348757646432024-02-26T10:02:00.000-08:002024-02-26T10:02:00.139-08:00enjoying the last of the quiet season<p> The Moab off season is getting shorter and shorter. It's really just December, January and the first part of February now; we were there for the long President's Day weekend and have already noticed a slight uptick in tourists. It didn't hurt that the weather was really nice: chilly in the mornings but reaching into the 50s with good sunshine. It was still cool in the shade and the wind was cold when it picked up, but generally very pleasant. We did have a small system move through Saturday night, leaving Sunday a little more overcast to start, but no complaints from us.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlai8uGNmORidjh05hHOr3fwrLWwNOqHcC0sH_PuKUumIRSXK1LKL5EfI73sIMPpZ_Zl27t4AU_erVnYXYvTqGS8yvArzcidFnx3vCUWrY0nLJ_oDUopGMzqqIhT5rWbv486G_ayQLo4Cf2fIxUqPXqAG87MGAOHRGwdPEf08mr15FGHFmSYzO5-3DQQ/s4032/1%20Moab%20Brand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlai8uGNmORidjh05hHOr3fwrLWwNOqHcC0sH_PuKUumIRSXK1LKL5EfI73sIMPpZ_Zl27t4AU_erVnYXYvTqGS8yvArzcidFnx3vCUWrY0nLJ_oDUopGMzqqIhT5rWbv486G_ayQLo4Cf2fIxUqPXqAG87MGAOHRGwdPEf08mr15FGHFmSYzO5-3DQQ/s320/1%20Moab%20Brand.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oh hey it's this photo of Arches NP from</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">MOAB Braind Trails that I've certainly</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">never taken before /s/</span></div><p>We had driven down Thursday afternoon and so were ready to go Friday morning. As soon as it warmed up. But the sun was out so that didn't take too long and we three went out to the Moab Brand trails so H could MTB and Milton and I could hike. There were a handful of vehicles in the parking lot but the trails themselves were pretty empty. While H did his Rusty Spur/Arches overlook/Bar M/Lazy-EZ loop, the dog and I walked out Bar M (from the parking lot cutoff) to Circle O. We encountered four MTBers out there and that was it. The potholes were quite full from the recent storms - Milton even got to go "swimming" in the biggest one. H rode out a little ways from the northern trailhead and as soon as Milton saw him (from about a quarter mile away), he took off like a rocket, running back to the truck with H and leaving me to finish the walk by myself.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCICr_8UyuyEIEqvm9hBgzwHhc8aDkd0MZI85KnZAZEECJwMlmhrW7UIaRtHmR2iNzMWrWFwgd9quUsL0hQ6P-XxToX16S6_fRUe6ehC1KU4ACHg87Dxw96WzH7gKeo28GJ0YRHMobxtTb_eByU4nwuJexNTRJBLxo_USXmcP1Foi6Yr364nkbTHlMOw/s4032/2%20Amasa%20Back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCICr_8UyuyEIEqvm9hBgzwHhc8aDkd0MZI85KnZAZEECJwMlmhrW7UIaRtHmR2iNzMWrWFwgd9quUsL0hQ6P-XxToX16S6_fRUe6ehC1KU4ACHg87Dxw96WzH7gKeo28GJ0YRHMobxtTb_eByU4nwuJexNTRJBLxo_USXmcP1Foi6Yr364nkbTHlMOw/s320/2%20Amasa%20Back.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The color of that sky!</span></div><p>Saturday was again clear and gorgeous, but with a light and cold wind. H wanted to do a longer trail run so this time we went to Amasa Back. Since it was the weekend, there were a fair number of vehicles in this parking lot and while we did see more folks out on the trail - five side-by-sides and a number of MTBers - it was still peaceful for most of our time out there. H and Milton did the loop clockwise (out on the MTB trail and back on the jeep trail) while I did it reversed (out on the jeep trail and back on the MTB trail), with the thought that we would probably cross paths near the Cliffhanger junction/river overlook. That was exactly what happened and Milton sprinted up to say hi to me before continuing down with H. Since I now had the longer portion to do, H ended up waiting about a half hour for me back at the truck; he brought a camp chair and his book, and he and Milton were making friends with all the other dogs in the parking lot by the time I rolled in.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDgdyZIOPjJWtIv1jPxhnAAvgHOXBUGf98CeyEZgC-nAj4Mip_bmHsEGUnC3G4H69nlGMJ9z5gOm2W4jM5ttlkcunp0kSb7Sz8fQaxWiH7kwWm26mk-sSDy2uQLpfxBFluste3O0Ol5g7UyD6iRXrIzMzqhY0mkm1ueZ4OdqFPVLiF8Pfao5XQstencI/s4032/4%20Trail%20runners%20closer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDgdyZIOPjJWtIv1jPxhnAAvgHOXBUGf98CeyEZgC-nAj4Mip_bmHsEGUnC3G4H69nlGMJ9z5gOm2W4jM5ttlkcunp0kSb7Sz8fQaxWiH7kwWm26mk-sSDy2uQLpfxBFluste3O0Ol5g7UyD6iRXrIzMzqhY0mkm1ueZ4OdqFPVLiF8Pfao5XQstencI/s320/4%20Trail%20runners%20closer.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">They found me</span></div><p>Sunday was slightly more overcast so we just did the quick Slickrock practice loop (H and M running; me walking) to get our exercise in. By the time we finished, the clouds were breaking up and the afternoon was lovely. And then Monday we just did an hour and a half town walk: along the bike path, out to and up 500 West, back down Main Street to make a loop. Things are definitely picking up in town: restaurants and shops are starting to reopen and there were lots more folks walking around. Local businesses will be thrilled for an increase in tourists - we'll just have to pick our trails more carefully if we want to find quiet.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-6563890868232979282024-02-22T20:09:00.000-08:002024-02-22T20:09:14.938-08:00that's the way (uh huh uh huh) i like it<p>This isn't a real post but just popping in to say that this winter is shaping up to be quite good snow/water-wise. <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/meteorological-versus-astronomical-seasons" target="_blank">Meteorological winter</a> is over and the weather folks are trying to get a handle on the spring - but as of this posting, <a href="https://www.alta.com/weather" target="_blank">Alta has had 437" of snowfall</a> with around two months to go in the 2023/2024 season. It's looking to be one of the snowiest winters since we moved here in 2009! Nothing on last winter, of course, but what I especially like about <i>this</i> winter is that nearly all the snow is up in the mountains! That's the best place for it for <a href="https://water.utah.gov/utah-water-conditions-february-2024/" target="_blank">snowmelt/run-off capture</a> ... but it's also really really good as far as the shoveling and driving! (I may have just jinxed us as there's supposed to be valley snow on Tuesday.)</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-61222443452634322452024-02-18T16:41:00.000-08:002024-02-18T16:41:00.187-08:00a tale of two weathers<p> Northern Utah got a nice series of storms throughout the week that brought mostly rain to the Salt Lake Valley (and lemme tell ya, by Thursday we were desparate to see the sun) and over 50" of new snow to Alta. Last I checked, their snow total was 362" on the season which is definitely respectable. As that system moved out, however, cold weather moved in. With cloudy skies and a forecasted high of 9F for Alta, there was no way I was going skiing on Saturday.</p><p>H went, of course, grabbing the 6:30 a.m. bus - and being thankful for it later when he read that the 7 a.m. bus was full after leaving the very first stop (the one <u>before</u> ours). It was cold and cloudy, spitting snow off and on, but the conditions were really quite good. While he did that, Milton and I did a four mile walk, dealt with two loads of laundry, changed bed sheets and vacuumed and made chocolate chip cookies and chili. (Then H and I went and socialized, as previously discussed. It was a busy day.)</p><p>Sunday was to be still cold but warmer, plus sunny, so I charged up my battery-powered socks and was with H on the 6:30 bus. We both wore our warmest parkas as it was 20F at the base when the lifts opened, colder at the summit and frigid-feeling in the shade. We immediately went to the Sugarloaf lift because that one is almost 100% in the sun, even first thing in the morning. Lots of other people had that idea too and there was a noticable lift line before 10 (as opposed to the line not showing up until 10:30 on Saturday). That was okay, though, because the sun was strong and the snow was pretty good - all skied out, of course, but a nice combination of soft and/or chalky. As we did laps there, we could see ski patrol hiking out into Devil's Castle; soon enough lots and lots of explosions shook the mountains from the avalanche control work.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGvtuQv2lT_zX43KjEpE7wK_GvA1cR-atWx9kNSJJzfVTc7srKixCNW25G6ygMuKUfrO7RKMWerkSpSRH-oxzu3WQdPSWHcotg7LUNo_VooWqwNLNwRkiHYIGF699guoGOOQoPeHyW7HRS-qZ0vbTWo-_TfAG_hAYiScRQSOFWeLNFxL4CSyjoN5hKA8/s4032/2024.02.11%20Alta.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGvtuQv2lT_zX43KjEpE7wK_GvA1cR-atWx9kNSJJzfVTc7srKixCNW25G6ygMuKUfrO7RKMWerkSpSRH-oxzu3WQdPSWHcotg7LUNo_VooWqwNLNwRkiHYIGF699guoGOOQoPeHyW7HRS-qZ0vbTWo-_TfAG_hAYiScRQSOFWeLNFxL4CSyjoN5hKA8/s320/2024.02.11%20Alta.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">You can just see that cloud coming up the canyon</span></div><p>After Sugarloaf we switched to Supreme for a while. It was busy enough that we exclusively rode the singles lines on all the lifts. The lifties were doing a good job, though, so it never seemed like we waited all that long. By 11:45 my heated socks - which are very thick - were squeezing my toes too much. I proposed that we move to Collins: I went to change into different socks and then we just skied the front side until it was time to catch our bus home.</p><p>It was an absolutely stunning day, with as much sunshine as you could want (we need to start remembering sunscreen) until about 2 p.m. As we rode the bus down Little Cottonwood Canyon, this weird cloud was working its way up - it wasn't an inversion-y mess of smog, just a stray cloud - and it looked like the nice warm (30F) sunshine was done for the day. That was okay. We were done too.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-9867435901373853072024-02-14T16:17:00.000-08:002024-02-14T16:17:00.137-08:00socializing<p> We don't socialize much in SLC. Down in Moab, it's easy to just walk to one of several bars or to peek over the fence to see if our neighbors are around for a beer. But in SLC, it's much more of an effort. During the week, we aren't likely to go out: H will sometimes meet a friend for a post-work beer but since I work downtown, and have a thirty-mile round-trip commute, I am unlikely to want to drive back in town in the evenings (and bars/vegan-friendly restaurants are scarce in our neighborhood). On the weekends, we tend to get up early to get out and do outdoors stuff before the trails get crowded or it gets hot, and then when we get home, it's difficult to rally to go back out. </p><p>One of my goals for 2024 is to get out more, however. To support more local small businesses and to get us out of the house. Occasionally.</p><p>We're off to a good start, I think, because we met our friends E and K for dinner on Saturday to celebrate E's birthday and to catch up - they have VERY busy schedules and it had been since November (?) since we'd all connected in person. They suggested an early dinner at Vertical Diner and we were like yes! because (1) early is good and (2) Vertical Diner is one of the OG vegan restaurants in SLC. We hadn't been there yet but it has been on my list for a while. </p><p><a href="https://verticaldiner.com/" target="_blank">Vertical Diner</a> (234 West 900 South) is fantastic. Huge menu, 100% plant-based and while it may not be the healthiest for you, it was DELICIOUS. It was so much fun looking at a menu and realizing that there were multiple things I wanted to - and would - eat. H had a reuben, K had a chik'n fried steak with roasted brussels sprouts, E had a cheez steak sandwich and I had a chik'n biscuit and gravy. There were sides of mac-n-cheez and mashed potatoes and gravy ... it was a table full of seitan and carbs and everyone one of us cleaned our plates. They have beer on tap and cocktails too. We were all so happy.</p><p>Dinner had been on the early side because E and K - who have an <b>exhausting</b> social calendar - were heading out to watch a friend's band later. But they were just going to the <a href="https://rohabrewing.com/" target="_blank">RoHa Brewing Project</a> (30 E Kensington Ave.) just a few blocks away and since it was early, we went too for a beer. We'd never been to Roha before - small, super-chill place with lots of taps and even more cans of their own brews, a food truck outside and a large dog-friendly patio for warmer weather. We hung out until way past H's bedtime, drinking local brews, playing a tabletop hook and ring game, meeting E and K's friends and listening to a fantastic local bluegrass band, <a href="https://marshighway.com/" target="_blank">Mars Highwa</a>y. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3556rmZi7oAXfREPYuTB3P_JJ0d9cIUIwPbZpMvB3_8ZcK_ec4xgY48c91CUkeMK4aBdFzwwByXCnMMZKOpjqOsxwf4VWjBhHjVI-aCBM4MVF_SwPP70F6WcbrurcTUGNPkCQ4CM-AR6OtcgOIKlzEhnt5CkvrR4jE-QrHuB-IPrAdgzgz3tXJAV4DFY/s4032/2024.02.10%20Roha%20Brewing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3556rmZi7oAXfREPYuTB3P_JJ0d9cIUIwPbZpMvB3_8ZcK_ec4xgY48c91CUkeMK4aBdFzwwByXCnMMZKOpjqOsxwf4VWjBhHjVI-aCBM4MVF_SwPP70F6WcbrurcTUGNPkCQ4CM-AR6OtcgOIKlzEhnt5CkvrR4jE-QrHuB-IPrAdgzgz3tXJAV4DFY/s320/2024.02.10%20Roha%20Brewing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We have loved living down in Sandy: we like our house, we like our neighbors, we love the proximity to the Cottonwood Canyons. But boy, it sure is fun to come up to the "big city" lol and do city stuff. Here's to a little more of that this year.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-25624122601630688192024-02-10T12:38:00.000-08:002024-02-10T12:38:00.155-08:00if you go down in the woods today<p> When the ME-FL road trip was complete, and we got into my folks' Eastpoint VRBO, the owners had very specific instructions regarding the garbage cans, as in keeping food scraps in the freezer until the morning of garbage pickup due to bears. Like, national park-level rules. Also, they asked us to keep on the floodlights under the house (stilt house) and at the corners, due to bears. Okay, we thought, rolling our eyes.</p><p>We take it ALL back:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwByBvKgjLT3ADzPyPggmdIP4RCUeiIRBXtTOAkNi6AWIZ2g5HSlMh2uVw8SqqTqqbpjrZ7i6FOx6pJelBegw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>Cutest little bear ever - just wish we'd gotten to see him live and in person. He showed up around 2 a.m. and the security cams caught him.</p><p>Also, the sun was out and the trees were taller. The <i><a href="https://www.floridasforgottencoast.com/" target="_blank">Forgotten Coast</a></i> is not your typical Florida.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdiJxL81yphUghga8FIf7dsJiFx6rHRjvF0_2ClLm94Pjibin4-mo7oVGZiGgdwhRRuj8iOuzksBt3An9RqpO8GVvto1zfpxNDWHgZXyk0JCWwJ92epIygmMp2D9ayAhUvJVTcCBNlw3Du0hOn58LfOl683tOxidsqVYMYmsHTxaeizfiKmYHk0Ib54k/s4032/2024.02.01%20Florida.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdiJxL81yphUghga8FIf7dsJiFx6rHRjvF0_2ClLm94Pjibin4-mo7oVGZiGgdwhRRuj8iOuzksBt3An9RqpO8GVvto1zfpxNDWHgZXyk0JCWwJ92epIygmMp2D9ayAhUvJVTcCBNlw3Du0hOn58LfOl683tOxidsqVYMYmsHTxaeizfiKmYHk0Ib54k/s320/2024.02.01%20Florida.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p>And now back to our regularly scheduled western content.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-57216118037135818962024-02-06T12:22:00.000-08:002024-02-06T12:22:00.250-08:00while i was out<p> Last week I flew to Maine (and boy were my arms tired hardehar) and drove my folks to Florida so they could snowbird for a few weeks. While I was doing that, H and Milton hied down to Moab - directly after dropping me at the airport - and stayed there for the week. I asked H to take photos throughout the week and send them to me so I could follow along.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8bXaptN7DeBRisieW1wdX8ZLdHkX9VbVt-fAjAMtI8WVVCfCLRDnBZp12cO_yR5WTpxSzWHdQh5R3qUmsZGXkicO6gUOtrfqyFhyphenhyphen1L-B-5vqJ6WmNwgc9EIhLwVG7OaN7ABkQUVV8rcOxPHuF0xcJYnXsvLDMZ1oLm-_HK8j2nRhiI2pOHIFvg-7p5g/s4032/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8bXaptN7DeBRisieW1wdX8ZLdHkX9VbVt-fAjAMtI8WVVCfCLRDnBZp12cO_yR5WTpxSzWHdQh5R3qUmsZGXkicO6gUOtrfqyFhyphenhyphen1L-B-5vqJ6WmNwgc9EIhLwVG7OaN7ABkQUVV8rcOxPHuF0xcJYnXsvLDMZ1oLm-_HK8j2nRhiI2pOHIFvg-7p5g/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nice alpen glow</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7h4bf_Qc97MCHMou5hrJoPm2xuFRDuKFLgk3bqdvp9RI8_OhnEhVJAvnwjc_ERaXqX_g4g7uubqeSImUug6rdDt9Bd0640B4PDH-ga3j5g2rxOIWBaCFK_mlFeDHr9WOjnu1mwnniT8lr8lvxJ4FqKuz2z7UuxEJifKlCyuT2izQU9LEx30Brs-KINE/s4032/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7h4bf_Qc97MCHMou5hrJoPm2xuFRDuKFLgk3bqdvp9RI8_OhnEhVJAvnwjc_ERaXqX_g4g7uubqeSImUug6rdDt9Bd0640B4PDH-ga3j5g2rxOIWBaCFK_mlFeDHr9WOjnu1mwnniT8lr8lvxJ4FqKuz2z7UuxEJifKlCyuT2izQU9LEx30Brs-KINE/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Somebody decided he was allowed on the couch</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2VoVD05pDCtjXyb0ahIxvIU4lLq6_iEJz5Qn01S2wrjAslPKJ7CpKkNy7-yX6ZOv9CVFYAHfuFbgaQuzUbHgAjaZ99atzDgdNNYeJARHf8XsLOUzOCxjoFTu8UhSQ6oFb7v3a01nmzTy5uz3qUaoXlWk_Y1MPcFUuN6LUinNiyquOVzNEnNjgBjB0zA/s4032/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2VoVD05pDCtjXyb0ahIxvIU4lLq6_iEJz5Qn01S2wrjAslPKJ7CpKkNy7-yX6ZOv9CVFYAHfuFbgaQuzUbHgAjaZ99atzDgdNNYeJARHf8XsLOUzOCxjoFTu8UhSQ6oFb7v3a01nmzTy5uz3qUaoXlWk_Y1MPcFUuN6LUinNiyquOVzNEnNjgBjB0zA/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Trail days</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqQLO_A9y2y_lGS9RhfY8RxaVNazNjNiyI87jE0dgp8Kbl3fpxthuKgvrhxbkLGvruLa3mFc3p5fUC4T9m-DxsdoCWOQxXAi-X3_y4u-PJclRIts2W2O4em_l6pSEuO94LbAnvEH7Eithwv4eYMI6JJcGbRRZkuIBZ0S-AubijMS0Jd2KBfmuwVAwedU/s3208/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3208" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqQLO_A9y2y_lGS9RhfY8RxaVNazNjNiyI87jE0dgp8Kbl3fpxthuKgvrhxbkLGvruLa3mFc3p5fUC4T9m-DxsdoCWOQxXAi-X3_y4u-PJclRIts2W2O4em_l6pSEuO94LbAnvEH7Eithwv4eYMI6JJcGbRRZkuIBZ0S-AubijMS0Jd2KBfmuwVAwedU/s320/4.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More couch time</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2TIzgqSihHY2T7OQIUZz6GWn6Fy-0E-OtHgNzdF8F5hnpW_morNUylf9k1WCrVMa1ahgmamPqulA89gUSj4E8SOHUQc5Ahi1cf-BnYpzU7p6oOge5PfVKHR1ad8WSSn__GZ2ivDgvUxGT1ZMtLmhZL92OPfTcubTyPs9DqGMmLf-b-7a-_lKJQ0kVMA/s4032/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2TIzgqSihHY2T7OQIUZz6GWn6Fy-0E-OtHgNzdF8F5hnpW_morNUylf9k1WCrVMa1ahgmamPqulA89gUSj4E8SOHUQc5Ahi1cf-BnYpzU7p6oOge5PfVKHR1ad8WSSn__GZ2ivDgvUxGT1ZMtLmhZL92OPfTcubTyPs9DqGMmLf-b-7a-_lKJQ0kVMA/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Calm Colorado River</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6lPMB4SgUBzltbcJ0p3vYRGmkNPJwXr-a4Rp-LCvAWyz_YCBTRINFiR916E5wkYsqbTquSK-gi31OpyK0x5E7ZKR3Ck9C3BcaFPWBU-UioQpMtxoVIvKgun4jYgReT3Azi3ZNoYdKbrOR094V1Mg2yO6cuoOO8t9swccYjpbAbFftnniMjWscyGNS6o/s4032/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6lPMB4SgUBzltbcJ0p3vYRGmkNPJwXr-a4Rp-LCvAWyz_YCBTRINFiR916E5wkYsqbTquSK-gi31OpyK0x5E7ZKR3Ck9C3BcaFPWBU-UioQpMtxoVIvKgun4jYgReT3Azi3ZNoYdKbrOR094V1Mg2yO6cuoOO8t9swccYjpbAbFftnniMjWscyGNS6o/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In-town Mill Creek</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizE4cwxDb6akh5uUSstSWeJlCz6mx4-YYPWPN7xOjdi22MSkUsWyjex32feRkAAAKVn5aqSmnBoaLWOGiHeI2JCUQw0fwn3PnS6SF1AZZIBU6uz5oKVFwotUR6AayM1iQ6Hkm5h7idgaOo0Ck8XITMl8Hma9Q-T6S7DRyFZjKP2P11v0uM7ikRiL0t5f4/s4032/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizE4cwxDb6akh5uUSstSWeJlCz6mx4-YYPWPN7xOjdi22MSkUsWyjex32feRkAAAKVn5aqSmnBoaLWOGiHeI2JCUQw0fwn3PnS6SF1AZZIBU6uz5oKVFwotUR6AayM1iQ6Hkm5h7idgaOo0Ck8XITMl8Hma9Q-T6S7DRyFZjKP2P11v0uM7ikRiL0t5f4/s320/7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They kept the mural when they repainted the building</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have spared you the photos of the prodigious amount of upchuck Milton deposited on our brand new rug. (Why do dogs <u>always</u> throw up on the rugs?)</div><br /><p><br /></p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-1623391394808757472024-02-02T15:34:00.000-08:002024-02-02T15:34:00.241-08:00eat more plants<p> Veganuary 2024 is over but there's no reason not to keep your plant-based eating on. Here's a little list of some vegan / vegan-friendly restaurants in the greater SLC area. All small businesses, locally owned. (Not to mention the bar food at places like <a href="https://gridcitybeerworks.com/" target="_blank">Grid City Beerworks</a>, <a href="https://www.icehausbar.com/" target="_blank">Ice Haus</a>, the <a href="https://www.handlebarslc.com/" target="_blank">Handle Bar</a>, <a href="https://www.piperdownpub.com/" target="_blank">Piper Down</a> ...) And some of the places are dog-friendly too!</p><p><a href="https://rawtopia.com/" target="_blank">Rawtopia</a></p><p><a href="https://www.blatchsbackyardbbq.com/" target="_blank">Blatch's Backyard BBQ</a></p><p><a href="https://sweethazelandco.com/" target="_blank">Sweet Hazel and Co.</a></p><p><a href="https://markofthebeastro.com/" target="_blank">Mark of the Beastro</a> (Hail seitan!)</p><p><a href="https://vegandaddymeats.com/" target="_blank">Vegan Daddy Meats</a></p><p><a href="https://verticaldiner.com/" target="_blank">Vertical Diner</a></p><p><a href="https://zestslc.com/" target="_blank">Zest</a></p><p><a href="https://budsslc.com/" target="_blank">Buds</a></p><p><a href="https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/all-chay/Location?oid=2787659" target="_blank">All Chay</a></p><p>And <a href="https://saltplatecity.com/restaurants/best-vegan-restaurants-salt-lake-city/" target="_blank">here</a> are <a href="https://www.femalefoodie.com/restaurant-reviews/vegan-restaurants-slc/" target="_blank">some lists</a> with <a href="https://www.visitutah.com/Articles/Vegan-Friendly-Salt-Lake-City" target="_blank">lots more</a> - SLC is pretty vegan-friendly, y'all!</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-30783646658466591432024-01-29T15:09:00.000-08:002024-01-29T15:09:00.123-08:00stormy sunday<p> When H went back up to Alta Sunday morning, he took the 6:30 bus again. The bus was five minutes late but he managed to get a seat, for which he was grateful: he heard over the radio that the next bus was full to bursting, SRO. The mountains hadn't really gotten any overnight snow but the clouds were very low and it was spitting snow off and on all day, again not amounting to a whole lot but making visibility awful - skiing in the actual clouds makes flat light like we'd had the day before seem clear and bright. It got colder as the day wore on and the snow held up.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfuvtUnxtHhEv2rvX5BKOJ7G5WDVmAD08plumvb3TmnsKhj5mgwoi93Ar7fx20KZmhF8Whhi_fy6YcliRswau0k8vyemHPi0HAyZtpct2K7tb5dOG1H8KOt9r-m74P1WuQaxm6BB0tBbkS8e682wn_bk8v-57WP_kS4lIQiiJsqTGJm0L5CxN_neDp8U/s3783/2024.01.21%20Alta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="3783" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfuvtUnxtHhEv2rvX5BKOJ7G5WDVmAD08plumvb3TmnsKhj5mgwoi93Ar7fx20KZmhF8Whhi_fy6YcliRswau0k8vyemHPi0HAyZtpct2K7tb5dOG1H8KOt9r-m74P1WuQaxm6BB0tBbkS8e682wn_bk8v-57WP_kS4lIQiiJsqTGJm0L5CxN_neDp8U/s320/2024.01.21%20Alta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">#iykyk</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(and if you <i>don't </i>know, Alta is east of Snowbird)</span></div><p>Meanwhile, down in the valley, Milton and I timed our morning walk just right to avoid the rain, which picked up just as we headed off for a post-walk Costco run. On the way home, I swung by a little local coffee drive-thru and Milton got his very first drive-thru biscuit, which was very exciting. The rest of our day, while it rained off and on, involved lots of laundry, getting caught up on posting here, chocolate chip cookies, homemade vegetable soup and red lentil soup and a leek and potato frittata for dinner. I didn't quite get around to vacuuming but a girl can only do so much.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-1182961119935422962024-01-25T14:56:00.000-08:002024-01-25T14:56:00.262-08:00stormy saturday<p> While we were down in Moab, northern Utah got a very nice storm: Alta ended up with 87" out of that storm cycle alone. They also got avalanches, closed canyon roads and an interlodge, but the new snow was both needed and welcomed. A friend of mine went boarding at Brighton on Saturday and reported that it was fantastic riding ... and I'm glad he had such a good day because then on Monday, he went boarding at Brighton and ended up both dislocating AND fracturing his shoulder. Season over - at least he went out with good conditions.</p><p>By the time we got up there, on the weekend <u>after</u> the long holiday weekend, it was just in time for a smaller refresher system to move in. I studied the weekend forecast closely and determined that Saturday was the better day for me: windy but warmer, with the snow not starting until around 2 p.m. It was windy and warm all right - starting at 30 F at the base when we started and warming to around 37 F - but the snow started at 10 a.m. and kept going all day. It didn't amount to a whole lot, just enough to make things soft again, but you could also tell how much the big storm had helped cover things. H declared it the best conditions of the season (so far).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHmOvkPUS88YTfZOTO7MMV93ArB4e1k5lMRJa_dabunSOV149LJJpGTWbVOTak0NfzPsoPElGaRA4xLde2VBtA-Yi8zDNM-gEpkcU32TY9EOYT2zcPZC0VigbM5IQtXGFz2a7nWKGAMPJQGB7PfB1yJmqvbtjSZPAisXY7iwK5xIuM6QrOrnZ6W0zjPs/s4032/2024.01.20%20Alta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHmOvkPUS88YTfZOTO7MMV93ArB4e1k5lMRJa_dabunSOV149LJJpGTWbVOTak0NfzPsoPElGaRA4xLde2VBtA-Yi8zDNM-gEpkcU32TY9EOYT2zcPZC0VigbM5IQtXGFz2a7nWKGAMPJQGB7PfB1yJmqvbtjSZPAisXY7iwK5xIuM6QrOrnZ6W0zjPs/s320/2024.01.20%20Alta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I know we have a lot of photos just like</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">this but I really like this one</span></div><p>We took an earlier bus up (6:30) and it wasn't crowded at all. We hung out in GMD reading and then retired to the basement locker room to put on our boots. We alternated going through the singles lines and the main corrals at the various lifts, depending on what the lines looked like. After getting out of the Wildcat base area, we went straight to the Supreme lift and did several runs there. We switched to Sugarloaf where the lines were much shorter; the strong, chilly wind on the ride up explained why there were so few people there. After that one ride up, we went back to Collins and stayed there most of the day (unusual for me): the lines weren't terrible - despite all the dingdongs ducking the ropes and cutting us off in the singles line - the runs are longer and the snow was really quite good.</p><p>We had planned our layers based on it not snowing until 2 p.m., and the fact that it started in the morning instead had us damp and starting to get chilled by 1 p.m. No worries: we hopped on the 1:39 bus and headed home, where Milton was glad to see us.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-47259451986919124212024-01-21T14:39:00.000-08:002024-01-21T14:39:50.453-08:00long weekend things<p> Well, gosh, that week got away from me, didn't it? </p><p>We went to the desert (Moab, of course) for the long Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. I managed to pack in enough hours at work through the week that I only need to bring a couple of hours of work home with me to take Friday "off." That meant we could go down Thursday, giving us a whole extra day there. </p><p>Friday we intended to go to Salt Flats Recreation Area but our season pass had expired, so we did an out-and-back along the Pipedream trail instead. We started at the Jackson Street entry, and Milton and H did some trail running while I, trying to manage a tweaked knee, just hiked. When we were in the sun, it was pretty pleasant (30s F) but in the shade - and there is a lot of shade on that trail this time of year, once you get close to noontime - it was chilly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WCxM6oqV6-Za-yao-NEmDG3Al4Pxm3DAQEi9GNkRHWh229GjyyYVPqqd1Z3Z4XTmi8hAiVcLfdAo-SAszFDxxfMBMVDtnlEhRoZqfh6_gVC0xsAPnXmmf36r0VkzoJdBZ355yF8OO9mc93jOeMMAhY58ppp_HSyPOW_7AdzeYAYsuonidNXXyM2WHgQ/s4032/1%20Seven%20Mile%20Cyn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WCxM6oqV6-Za-yao-NEmDG3Al4Pxm3DAQEi9GNkRHWh229GjyyYVPqqd1Z3Z4XTmi8hAiVcLfdAo-SAszFDxxfMBMVDtnlEhRoZqfh6_gVC0xsAPnXmmf36r0VkzoJdBZ355yF8OO9mc93jOeMMAhY58ppp_HSyPOW_7AdzeYAYsuonidNXXyM2WHgQ/s320/1%20Seven%20Mile%20Cyn.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Canyon views</span></div><p>On Saturday, we three went out to Seven Mile Canyon to take a short hike in the north fork. This section of the canyon comes right up under the Monitor and Merrimac buttes and it looks like you can get up there by ascending the rock levels towards the start of the hike. We didn't do that but I have it in mind for later in the spring. We were the only ones there, aside from some birds, and it is just so nice to find places in Moab where you can be out on your own, not too far from town. We do see people in this little canyon in the spring/summer/fall, but that January day, it was ours alone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsd09QfJDqdXAgpTzWneMZ7AwalaQcYeD2XDRUfVnahzgq8zVeSE25WfCQvGRZj9dCOuNjyKKWO3ucBro5Py3Ts6fTUYh4ZI32VQZAMFQNELaMTTmRQ6g5FpXyqschYOS4ZkUxrVL7dcor28CJ3CHq8UbkQDS4NXrH_GKAuD-7bYtWUM4cBbMr-nZQz7Q/s4032/2%20The%20guys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsd09QfJDqdXAgpTzWneMZ7AwalaQcYeD2XDRUfVnahzgq8zVeSE25WfCQvGRZj9dCOuNjyKKWO3ucBro5Py3Ts6fTUYh4ZI32VQZAMFQNELaMTTmRQ6g5FpXyqschYOS4ZkUxrVL7dcor28CJ3CHq8UbkQDS4NXrH_GKAuD-7bYtWUM4cBbMr-nZQz7Q/s320/2%20The%20guys.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My guys</span></div><p>Sunday H wanted to trail run again - and Milton was up for anything - so we just went to Moab Brand Trails. We all set out on Lazy-EZ and the two of them ran ahead, then turned around and met back up with me, stumping along per usual. There were about nine other vehicles in the parking lot when we had gotten there but we only saw one MTBer and one trail runner, so again it was like having our own private trails. Milton did scare up a desert cottontail towards the end of our hike; that bunny easily outsmarted him by diving into some rocks. Exciting nonetheless!</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-82758730135734042882024-01-14T16:24:00.000-08:002024-01-14T16:24:00.249-08:00we each do our part<p> After over a week of poor air quality, we had a series of small storms roll through northern Utah, beginning Thursday evening (1/4/24). These storms brought some much needed snow - as of Sunday evening, Alta had received eleven inches (not spectacular, but welcomed nonetheless) - and much colder temperatures. Like, Alta's highs for the weekend did not go above 15 F. That is too cold for me, even with heated socks.</p><p>H, who doesn't get cold as quickly as I do, skied both days. On Saturday, his usual bus was SRO and he heard over the bus's radio that the bus behind them left a whole bunch of wannabe skiers at the bus stop, unable to load them on the crowded bus. On Sunday, he took an early bus (6:30 a.m. omigosh), which didn't leave the park and ride until 6:50 a.m. and then got stuck in the "red snake" of traffic on the way up. He was glad that he'd made the effort for the early bus, however, since UDOT tweeted out that vehicles were struggling to get up the canyon due to the snowy conditions.</p><p>The snow was good, the lift lines were shorter (due to it not being vacation week and also COLD and snowy) and he got hailed by a local whilst reading in the Goldminer's Daughter lodge prior to the lifts opening. He did get cold, though, his feet especially.</p><p>Down in the valley, Milton and I had our own fun. On Saturday, we walked for an hour and then shoveled, the dog "helping" me by standing in my way every chance he got. Once indoors, I did two loads of laundry (including putting them away!), changed the sheets, made both chocolate chip <b>and</b> oatmeal-raisin cookies, as well as lentils for the week ahead and a really, really good lentil bolognese sauce for pasta dinner. </p><p>Sunday was colder and snowier. We walked for an hour and shoveled for an hour, helped out immensely by our neighbor who graciously ran his snowblower down our sidewalk frontage. Then I made six quarts of homemade veggie broth for the freezer, cleaned out a closet, caught up with an old friend on the phone and successfully made an actual loaf of bread, with yeast and all. Very exciting. Dinner was a new recipe: tofu giniling, a Filipino-style picadillo with carrots, raisins, green olives and potatoes.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-25055508953981908442024-01-11T13:01:00.000-08:002024-01-11T13:01:00.135-08:00ski days (second part)<p>Saturday was partly/mostly cloudy, with a 20% chance of snow and a spectacular sunrise. Milton and I stayed home (walked, made chocolate chip cookies, "egg" squares for breakfast sandwiches, soup, etc.). H got a seat on the bus (what the heck?) and at 9:13 a.m. texted me that it was 35 F at the base of Alta. Now, I like it warm but that it way too warm for Alta at this time of year and what little snow there is will NOT last long at those temperatures. H skied until 1:30 and then caught the bus home.</p><p>On Sunday, I went too. We got seats on the bus, and trucked right on up there to Goldminer's Daughter. It wasn't too crowded so we just grabbed a couple of seats and read our books until it was time to get on the chair. It was a <b>gorgeous</b> day, warming into the 30s with clear, bright, blue skies and no wind. It was definitely skiing firm and as the crowds grew - the lift lines popped up around 10:30 but were never horrific - I was nervous because I haven't had my skis tuned in two (or more) years. I had no edges whatsoever which wasn't an issue for the first three runs, but after that the high traffic areas got skied off and I was skidding a bit. With how busy it got, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to stop suddenly or avoid someone if necessary. Anxiety aside, I felt much better than I had on my first day on the hill: stronger legs, better hydration. When we quit around 1:30 p.m., we thought to get a New Year's Eve celebratory beer - the GMD patio was packed, however, and the beer lines were longer than the lift lines. We caught the bus instead and descended into the crappy valley air.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yyq0hT2_FBjugi1nopcs73S4d28pN05Z_v7PktrtGRSTx-M2Yv8e0brDe2_82Q-c9Cyt9sFzsubqDUx4Y9VmwA_NhhrAvkurmGHnmRw_tJldjqX89JaPnrVULWmwnCTM2XsZ4HbUYlkijCx0LOzdpS3eXOC_BJ4VFiIuvg11ds7dD06y5IyM2GJfnh0/s854/2023.12.17%20Inversion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yyq0hT2_FBjugi1nopcs73S4d28pN05Z_v7PktrtGRSTx-M2Yv8e0brDe2_82Q-c9Cyt9sFzsubqDUx4Y9VmwA_NhhrAvkurmGHnmRw_tJldjqX89JaPnrVULWmwnCTM2XsZ4HbUYlkijCx0LOzdpS3eXOC_BJ4VFiIuvg11ds7dD06y5IyM2GJfnh0/s320/2023.12.17%20Inversion.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trying everything to get a storm </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">so the air will clear out</span></div><br /><p>I had selected New Year's Eve to ski over New Year's Day because Monday was supposed to be colder. I blew it, though, because (1) Monday was a carbon copy of Sunday - sunny, clear, 30s - and (2) there were way fewer people. H skied right onto the lift all day! (That would have eased my mind quite a lot as regards my dull edges.) No new snow so the conditions were duplicated as well. On the plus side, the other GMD basement locker owners are beginning to recognize H and introduce themselves, so potential new friends are in the offing.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-43743377700491551962024-01-08T12:45:00.000-08:002024-01-08T12:45:00.256-08:00ski days (first part)<p>H takes the week off between Christmas and New Year's to ski. It's often a zoo up there, with lots of tourists and families here for a ski vacation. This year is looking very different from last year, however. This week <a href="https://wewentwest.blogspot.com/2023/01/ski-week-part-two.html" target="_blank">last year</a> had storm after storm moving in, making it difficult to even get up to the ski resorts. This year? So far you don't really need snow tires to get up there. (Yes, you do. Be safe. And you'll need parking reservations if you drive yourself.)</p><p>On Wednesday, it was a bluebird day, in the 20s but chilly in the shade. The morning ski bus was standing room only but not sardine-packed. There was no one at Goldminer's Daughter so H just stayed there until the lifts opened. He scored one mustache compliment from a skier services dude - not as fun as from a telemark girl, but still. It wasn't busy at all until 11:30 a.m., and then there were plenty of lift line shenanigans. He skied until 1:30 and then caught the bus home.</p><p>People. If you are in the singles line, do NOT expect to ride with your spouse/buddies/young child. If you want to ride with them, stay in the main corral. Jeesh.</p><p>Thursday was a carbon copy of Wednesday but with slightly more people. No new snow. He skied until 1:30 and then caught the bus home.</p><p>Friday was another bluebird - no new snow, although Snowbird's snow guns were running - and it was very busy with long lift lines. H skied until 1:30 and then caught the bus home.</p><p><br /></p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-58053404364341594812024-01-04T12:22:00.000-08:002024-01-04T12:22:00.132-08:00still christmas<p> The Saturday before Christmas in Moab it rained pretty much all morning (the northern Utah mountains got a little bit of snow). Knowing from the forecast that it was going to rain on Saturday, did we bring our raincoats? No, we did not because we are silly people who do not think you need raincoats in the desert. Instead, we did crossword puzzles and Sudokus and Wordles and read until finally, finally!, it stopped raining and we could do a town walk. That evening, we met our friends Chris and Felicia at Woody's for a drink; we've known Chris for some years now but it was really great to finally meet Felicia. She was fun! We also got a chance to catch up with our neighbor Amelia and her dog Moscow before they headed off south.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewwRjIIKOxwioWjEB9MhF2f8C7eErHDWkQo-pY2YlVJInWkNpgWYpG_gPF6KGcQBrm3HjggZgkd0q2DB78lBvU-IRcHoNMAMZtoYW2788jOA39WP8iMRVy63xwoxMgJLn3xEx19o7j4L0BOIYdin2QncWobxhmBO6kO5nMWE8B-QI0m_EhlaPgDLjkDY/s4032/3%20Hidden%20Valley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewwRjIIKOxwioWjEB9MhF2f8C7eErHDWkQo-pY2YlVJInWkNpgWYpG_gPF6KGcQBrm3HjggZgkd0q2DB78lBvU-IRcHoNMAMZtoYW2788jOA39WP8iMRVy63xwoxMgJLn3xEx19o7j4L0BOIYdin2QncWobxhmBO6kO5nMWE8B-QI0m_EhlaPgDLjkDY/s320/3%20Hidden%20Valley.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In the shade on the saddle</span></div><p>Christmas Eve morning was clearing and colder, just right for some hiking/trail running. We three drove down to the Hidden Valley trailhead, where H then ran home (4 miles) via the Pipedream trail. Milton was <u style="font-weight: bold;">very</u> concerned that H wasn't going the way we were, so I kept him on the leash as we started up the Hidden Valley climb. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDI__t0mSdkiwyKsJ-rU6jl5SpZi8UxhmvfWUsu1TwKdd3LmI7yZ7Sz4BcHt0rGuE4xejj1jp8DzeOrjlq-xok-QU-DJsDJNcOpBewP9A0OIMp_adMHvDKSY4WYnUPsnQwuzczzl1PavA3TUW8gj52ckV1_RWVVSLv6-Te44MWxYNkIb4jMyiGmKSiC4/s4032/4%20Hidden%20Valley%20view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDI__t0mSdkiwyKsJ-rU6jl5SpZi8UxhmvfWUsu1TwKdd3LmI7yZ7Sz4BcHt0rGuE4xejj1jp8DzeOrjlq-xok-QU-DJsDJNcOpBewP9A0OIMp_adMHvDKSY4WYnUPsnQwuzczzl1PavA3TUW8gj52ckV1_RWVVSLv6-Te44MWxYNkIb4jMyiGmKSiC4/s320/4%20Hidden%20Valley%20view.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">La Sals view</span></div><p>When H was no longer in sight, M stopped searching for him so I was able to let him off the leash. As I was stuffing the leash into my pack, a trail runner was coming down the trail towards us. It was one of my little brother's best friends, Ephraim, whose partner has family in Moab. We talked for some time and E took a selfie of us to send to my brother. After that, M and I continued our climb up and walked through the valley portion to the saddle, where the trail continues down towards the Moab Rim. Although it was right around noon, the sun was low enough in the sky, and behind the red rock cliffs, that the valley was mostly in shadow - it was cold! I had at least thought to bring another layer and I was happy to put it on.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULVRVtq8wCtwqnI9JmIKwWkS9BtfRudpqi1Nds-jKayKux8qTmjayn5KQtskemRHz9PZ23TTE1kuVau7mI5iM5v_Hs6skdA55waMzbniMSOFPMcdfdmKvtQvpWcyZufU1yiHat0e9wN8mQx9pYJ_gCM2Sk01KaQ9ZlNIYAUdmjYdJp7WlGoHxVptMvM0/s4032/5%20Practice%20Loop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2547" data-original-width="4032" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULVRVtq8wCtwqnI9JmIKwWkS9BtfRudpqi1Nds-jKayKux8qTmjayn5KQtskemRHz9PZ23TTE1kuVau7mI5iM5v_Hs6skdA55waMzbniMSOFPMcdfdmKvtQvpWcyZufU1yiHat0e9wN8mQx9pYJ_gCM2Sk01KaQ9ZlNIYAUdmjYdJp7WlGoHxVptMvM0/s320/5%20Practice%20Loop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Christmas morning</span></div><p>Christmas Day was absolutely gorgeous: bright sun, blue sky and 17 F when we got up. We let it warm up just a bit and then went up to Sand Flats Recreation Area for a hike/run on the Slickrock Practice Loop. H and Milton, running, did the loop twice+ and A, walking, did it once. There were just a handful of other vehicles and most people out on the rock were hiking like us, although there were a couple of hardy MTBers giving it a go.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSbwHU8Tduz_jcBLeMPBiw8HrotKmAHqEcjwZTUb-6MACaU2Kg8xK7pEDJ6b3oZ6lbtYLI73UC9KY7081loPupDWwDVylCEoveodMxJE6oLMyIbQqrBLBD8JwgVUEoslCIT4gqe4qKWN3WWUxrh0QQtCPP-TwlqhnEcXIZTVUg9_gU8Z6hsMoExznI3s/s3088/7%20Family%20Xmas%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSbwHU8Tduz_jcBLeMPBiw8HrotKmAHqEcjwZTUb-6MACaU2Kg8xK7pEDJ6b3oZ6lbtYLI73UC9KY7081loPupDWwDVylCEoveodMxJE6oLMyIbQqrBLBD8JwgVUEoslCIT4gqe4qKWN3WWUxrh0QQtCPP-TwlqhnEcXIZTVUg9_gU8Z6hsMoExznI3s/s320/7%20Family%20Xmas%20photo.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Family photo</span></div><p>The only bar in town open on Christmas Day is Josie Wyatt's (at the Hoodoo Hotel) so that's where we went. Our favorite bartender was there and, after just a little while, a whole bunch of locals showed up. Everybody likes a $2 PBR on Christmas, apparently. We had dinner at home - chile colorado - and to all, it was a good night.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-29000307495883842882024-01-01T12:03:00.000-08:002024-01-01T12:03:00.246-08:00actual hny but also pre-xmas<p> Happy New Year to you all! May our 2024 be healthy, happy and peaceful - more of all of that for everyone. Plus good nights' sleeps.</p><p>But first! We spent the long Christmas weekend in Moab, driving down in the middle of the day the Thursday before. The sun was just setting and we didn't really have neough time to "do" anything, so instead we settled Milton on the bed and took a forty minute town walk. We were lucky enough to run into our favorite bartender as she was leaving work; we walked with her for a couple blocks, then turned and headed home. </p><p>Friday was chilly in the morning but warmed to pleasant (high 30s/low 40s) in the sun. It was partly cloudy so it was nice that it had warmed as much as it had. H wanted to do some trail running - he's recently gotten back into running: since it hasn't snowed much, running enables him to exercise outside instead of on his trainer in the basement - so we headed to MOAB Brand Trails. There were a few vehicles there and we saw a handful of people: a couple MTBers, a couple trail runners, a couple hikers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrtOH55tLFXurxpg85Sn18bu1Tos0-WSqTO0ZGEnQmuLdiJrMvogiz-zhlbl5cw1oyECDkRQ0pxqQ7arAeeF9T8ggrB786i1WtLn138Y31S1qsE3Fuck3IOLJoRFFDvafTG0BCbgLrdrHbBSSCn4lnQJWOVns6InqYat5jKwcXjBAFoKtQz2V7rJ6aeY/s2266/1%20Moab%20Brand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2266" data-original-width="1743" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrtOH55tLFXurxpg85Sn18bu1Tos0-WSqTO0ZGEnQmuLdiJrMvogiz-zhlbl5cw1oyECDkRQ0pxqQ7arAeeF9T8ggrB786i1WtLn138Y31S1qsE3Fuck3IOLJoRFFDvafTG0BCbgLrdrHbBSSCn4lnQJWOVns6InqYat5jKwcXjBAFoKtQz2V7rJ6aeY/s320/1%20Moab%20Brand.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">That's more "cloudy" than "partly cloudy," sky-wise</span></div><br /><p>All told, we were out for about an hour, and H and Milton did an out-and-back on their run so they could rejoin me. We just did the Lazy-EZ loop, which we've ridden a lot but I don't know that I've ever walked the whole thing. Aside from the portions where I have to hike my bike.</p><p>We went home, got cleaned up and walked to Josie Wyatt's for a Christmas Eve Eve beer. It was quiet and the draft PBRs were, as always $2.00.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-88146720726120012023-12-28T14:32:00.000-08:002023-12-28T14:32:00.147-08:00early hny<p> This isn't a real post but we spent the long Christmas weekend in Moab and are getting a fix on that to share here. In the meantime, with year's end / the new year fast approaching, we wish everyone good things for the year to come. Cheers!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsubgGoWk-Mu6irQURem6cqRqaIYtWPm9RlGeMb-m_iML0j4gGR-CjJ7WxVY7wCP43d8y9I_a8e_sFnxv8cFgujTmkQwXrIBAhJSzn_9JXZz2LRuuGzsOBVUpOI6QfsW-ueYk7b7mh_KuoH46xA6qgqj0noTiyNL-T5mixzDm5b4W4kD9UH8aQwfNH5c/s4032/2023%20card.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsubgGoWk-Mu6irQURem6cqRqaIYtWPm9RlGeMb-m_iML0j4gGR-CjJ7WxVY7wCP43d8y9I_a8e_sFnxv8cFgujTmkQwXrIBAhJSzn_9JXZz2LRuuGzsOBVUpOI6QfsW-ueYk7b7mh_KuoH46xA6qgqj0noTiyNL-T5mixzDm5b4W4kD9UH8aQwfNH5c/s320/2023%20card.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-22843379193669318452023-12-24T13:36:00.000-08:002023-12-24T13:36:00.140-08:00best to get above it<p> As I mentioned in my last post, there hasn't been any snow in weeks - a stark difference from 2022/2023 when it began snowing mid-October and then, on average, snowed every 3-4 days for six months. On the plus side, my fifteen mile (one-way) commute has not been particularly stressful. On the other hand, we are getting inversions in the Salt Lake valley and the air is gross. Last winter, the storms came in so often that I don't think we had a single bad air quality day. Good times.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT7PErA6qesbf62ee4vkbFbntHTrM-2bZN0wAYgKz6UL_FinqcUBN-7w5JMT5EPrslAelzu-DR2OqsxoOcaGFBZXyHlLEgcJSR-meJ3CQsWtclDBez0UwiVoFx_0CB5lqREJ2D66ddTCVmL-nBSV-ZCypB1wqw3GzW30_zrAiSZxQflDllbYPnMLOIao/s854/2023.12.17%20Inversion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT7PErA6qesbf62ee4vkbFbntHTrM-2bZN0wAYgKz6UL_FinqcUBN-7w5JMT5EPrslAelzu-DR2OqsxoOcaGFBZXyHlLEgcJSR-meJ3CQsWtclDBez0UwiVoFx_0CB5lqREJ2D66ddTCVmL-nBSV-ZCypB1wqw3GzW30_zrAiSZxQflDllbYPnMLOIao/s320/2023.12.17%20Inversion.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">From the Instagram of a local trailrunner</span></div><p>To combat the smog that blows in from California, is exacerbated by the increased SLC traffic and gets caught between the Oquirrh and Wasatch mountain ranges, you gotta get high. By which I mean get up into the mountains to go skiing / ice-climbing / hiking / snowshoeing. Or you could go to Park City, but they're gearing up for Sundance and aint nobody wants to get caught up in that. H went skiing again on Sunday, reporting no lift lines, sunnier skies (although not particularly warm) and two porcupine sightings The snow conditions are the same, the base is slightly less due to evaporation, and it is going to be a RUDE awakening the week between Christmas and New Year's when the entire world (stupid IKON pass) shows up at Alta.</p><p>The rest of the family (me, Milton) did our thing in the valley, wincing at the building haze. We walked Dimple Dell again, contributed to the emissions by doing an IKEA run, then did laundry, vacuumed, meal-prepped for the week ahead and made a multi-bean soup for dinner and the freezer. The multi-beans were black beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, split green peas and black-eyed peas, for those wondering - sort of a clean-out-the-pantry soup.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-84050219794586092552023-12-20T13:19:00.000-08:002023-12-20T13:19:00.302-08:00glass half full<p> If you don't mind skiing eastern conditions, right now is a good time to ski Utah. (Forget I said that - don't ski Utah. Ski Colorado instead.) We haven't had any snow since December 8 and conditions are firm. Coverage is okay, but the base is disappearing with no new precipitation to bolster it. So why is it a good time to ski? Because there aren't many people out right now: it's only the hardcore folks, the ones who have been impatiently waiting for the lifts to start turning since they closed down in April. There aren't any tourists yet and the more casual skier is waiting until after the holidays. </p><p>It's mostly just people like H. On Saturday, he got up to the Goldminer's Daughter lodge around 7:50. Since it isn't crowded, he managed to stake out a corner by the coffee shop, to read and wait for the lifts to open. Once they opened, it didn't take long for the crowd to disperse. He pretty much skied right onto the lifts with no waiting from then until after 1 p.m. More terrain is open - Backside, Supreme Bowl - but he didn't venture into there. Alta has a lot of rocks and there's just no quite enough coverage yet.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YkwRFk0n8gvr6j_VHlzc8VqtqG6BfKlWHAdRRtfz8aFuIkIry0x748ScfMfQyuDS4OfXh5KQsKCYtZiPE30lKlpwIR1ETr2snpaKSUf00cnN85_ZHSCjapdSuueNpdXDMozygZz4dq-JutEiIvoQDZ3H7MKuSc7E5fUszwYUVYFGqK2e9E2JIHFe6VA/s4032/2023.12.16%20Alta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YkwRFk0n8gvr6j_VHlzc8VqtqG6BfKlWHAdRRtfz8aFuIkIry0x748ScfMfQyuDS4OfXh5KQsKCYtZiPE30lKlpwIR1ETr2snpaKSUf00cnN85_ZHSCjapdSuueNpdXDMozygZz4dq-JutEiIvoQDZ3H7MKuSc7E5fUszwYUVYFGqK2e9E2JIHFe6VA/s320/2023.12.16%20Alta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Looking down the Collins chair</span></div><p>Meanwhile, as the day's less-dedicated non-skiers, Milton and I did our Dimple Dell walk, made vegan "parmesan," chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin muffins, vacuumed a little, de-clogged a bathtub drain without upchucking and walked to the liquor store. Dinner was a red lentil and almond curry made in the InstantPot - it was a terrible, muddy color but was quite tasty.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-70694254502134172452023-12-16T11:48:00.000-08:002023-12-16T11:48:14.601-08:00rockin' the locker<p> We have totally scored at Alta this season: the sister of one of our neighbor's is subletting her Goldminer's Daughter ski locker to us. There are a fair number of ski lockers up at Alta, both in the GMD basement and in the skier services building, but the waitlist for them is over ten years long, and we've heard that they don't even bother adding new names to the list anymore - people just don't give them up. So when this locker was offered to us, we were all YES YES WE WANT IT OF COURSE THANK YOU!</p><p>As I mentioned, it's in the GMD basement, a slightly damp space completely lined with sticker-encrusted lockers, with wooden benches and tables and a pervasive sense of <i style="font-weight: bold;">you're local now</i>. The lockers are long and narrow, with enough room for our two pairs of skis and poles but not wide enough to stuff our boot bags into. It has, therefore, turned into a bit of planes-trains-and-automobiles to go skiing: we drive from our house to the bus (7 a.m.); ride the bus to Alta's Wildcat base (arrive 7:50); go to the locker, change into our boots and grab our skis and poles; ride the rope tow with our boot bags (because the next inter-resort shuttle is about a half hour away) up to the Albion day lodge where there's room for us to sit and free cubbies for our boot bags; and wait for the lifts to open at 9:15. Is it kind of ridiculous? Yes. But we don't have to wrangle our skis and poles on the crowded ski bus for the whole season and that is just excellent.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtEI7uXATJgUqSkLEoVnKPOXu3kpRoQOajJRV469H32AfB9P1YUP0EnPXE0xmYANVe-yikxUgv3Hrd3Mhxl9hxZvUmLY5VV74Ap3YGh-10BF6zAFr_2yzlDFAqj5ArJg_gB-AXyYN82k8jS5_hKXJ4IHpaxnYwQ0QPXPrqMJHpwcVkywilwAURR2fXvc/s4032/2023.12.10%20Alta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtEI7uXATJgUqSkLEoVnKPOXu3kpRoQOajJRV469H32AfB9P1YUP0EnPXE0xmYANVe-yikxUgv3Hrd3Mhxl9hxZvUmLY5VV74Ap3YGh-10BF6zAFr_2yzlDFAqj5ArJg_gB-AXyYN82k8jS5_hKXJ4IHpaxnYwQ0QPXPrqMJHpwcVkywilwAURR2fXvc/s320/2023.12.10%20Alta.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lo and behold</span></div><p>It was warmer but less sunny on Sunday. I went skiing too. It wasn't that crowded and the snow was really quite good for early season, but I struggled mightily. I was way overdressed because it wasn't as cloudy or as windy as the forecast had said. And I think I was a little dehydrated. And my legs are not at all in shape after the dearth of hiking this year (note to self: don't sprain your ankle again) - I had to go in and rest! The most amusing part of the whole thing was that because I was wearing my big, super-warm parka, H kept not recognizing me: two separate times I followed right behind him in the singles line, but he didn't realize it was me and didn't wait at the top like he usually does. When I finally got his attention, I suggested that we ski separately for the last two hours (so I could go at my own, very slow pace) and just meet up at the GMD a little after 2 p.m. So that's what we did, and we rode the bus back down, ski- and pole-free and it was glorious.</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-12280030051935250432023-12-12T07:38:00.000-08:002023-12-12T07:38:19.394-08:00skiing and doing<p> And we're back into our winter routine! After some very warm days, we got a nice little storm Thursday through Friday which brought over a foot of snow in places in the Wasatch mountains. Alta now has had 146" of snowfall with a 66" base, although this coming week is going to be warm and dry, which will eat away at that. The storm was also nice in that the Salt Lake valley got less than an inch, making driving much less anxious for those of us who get anxious about such things.</p><p>It did get cold on Saturday, though, so H went up to Alta without me, wearing his warmest parka: it was single digits when he got there and even with bluebird skies, only warmed up ("warmed up") to about 20F. Alta did have all the lifts open, so after the initial surge, with people stoked about the new snow, the skiers were spread out across the mountain, keeping lift lines reasonable. H said that the snow was quite good and he skied hard until just after 2 p.m.</p><p>It was chilly down in the valley too - I don't think it got about 30F all day. Milton and I waited until 9 for our four mile walk - the sunshine still felt good, even in the 20s - and then I got busy. I made spiced candied almonds, peanut butter and pumpkin dog biscuits, a kale/lentil/vegan sausage soup to have Sunday after skiing, and a tasty curry with chickpea and zucchini koftas for Saturday dinner. I also did a big load of laundry and finished up Christmas presents. Now that I've written it all out, it doesn't look like that much, but I was actually on my feet all day, only sitting down for fifteen minutes for breakfast and for lunch. Staying home can be a lot of work - it's not all sitting around eating bonbons!</p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878305653079094361.post-37516472752371135402023-12-07T11:16:00.000-08:002023-12-07T11:16:00.143-08:00and the 2023/2024 ski season begins<p> Alta was supposed to open for the 2023/2024 season on November 17th. They didn't, because there wasn't any snow. When they did actually open, over Thanksgiving weekend, we were in Moab so H wasn't able to be there as he tries to do. After a full five days of inversion-induced smog in the Salt Lake valley, a nice storm rolled in Thursday night, blowing out the crap in the air and bringing in snow.</p><p>I bought a ten-pack this year so I will be judicious about my ski days (but not quite so picky about temperatures now that I have my lovely heated socks). So it should come as no surprise that I did not ski this weekend. H, on the other hand, has basically been waiting for this since mid-April. He left the house at 7 a.m. Saturday morning for the bus (the UTA is running the ski buses at half schedule again this year).</p><p>At 7:14 a.m. he was on the bus, standing room only. They got to Alta's Goldminer's Daughter lodge at 7:52. Since non-guests are no longer welcome at the GMD, he had to wait for the rope tow to start running so he could get up to Albion day lodge (the in-resort shuttles between the lodges are not yet running) to leave his gear bag (as GMD lockers are about $15/day). At 8:05, an hour and ten minutes before lifts opened, the line had already formed at Collins chair. He got to Albion at 8:30 and settled in for a while:opening was delayed until 10 a.m. so ski patrol could do avalanche mitigation. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDjiGhC5qrRB5BGd7bmKhxTrrgWDWaSCsl65Pwj-pUV-CCXchQKboZnJwwSP-m73GHzY5QG9_XmtK2EVdUtv4IRGlVJYQLqphV5L3OhN9GsklF7KoQXJO8kbq6U1a0bs7LNYEVI7vRpEhy5MTD-6gKwXGb4fKWuUohpVGJu2hjUsP1tJwOH9dBeKrDHc/s4032/2023.12.02%20Alta%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDjiGhC5qrRB5BGd7bmKhxTrrgWDWaSCsl65Pwj-pUV-CCXchQKboZnJwwSP-m73GHzY5QG9_XmtK2EVdUtv4IRGlVJYQLqphV5L3OhN9GsklF7KoQXJO8kbq6U1a0bs7LNYEVI7vRpEhy5MTD-6gKwXGb4fKWuUohpVGJu2hjUsP1tJwOH9dBeKrDHc/s320/2023.12.02%20Alta%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lift lines at Collins</span></div><p>As you can see, the lift lines were insane, as people stacked up waiting to get on the lift. The Sunnyside lift is not yet open (whether due to staffing or maintenance is unclear) so that wasn't available to help spread people out. But by the time H got up the mountain (25 minutes in the singles line, so I guess it could have been worse), however, it didn't end up being too bad - he skied right onto Sugarloaf, and continued to ride that chairlift with scarcely any lines.</p><p>As far as the skiing went, well, it's early season for sure. Not much open terrain, lots of rocks, you know the drill. And while it wasn't nuking snow all day, the light was very, very flat and visibility was bad. When he got home (before 3) and started laying out his gear for Sunday, he suggested that I not go - that I wouldn't enjoy the conditions.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83H4PPlmOB03ZaR29kcLrTZwdjJN5ubpkkHCwnrA8auEXRA-WwFqHc8Zzw6QqkSEEi3qW324cWJCvvgt6zUe1Cj0GWOe5IWTinyk9e70AmN28nlOgV4wuow3QOAIUfpmOtROvscV24TZHOx9sy4BIME6pRPyvooBb2ZKRfWe17Lq1jGVbSvEVe0Tp5QA/s4032/2023.12.02%20Alta%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83H4PPlmOB03ZaR29kcLrTZwdjJN5ubpkkHCwnrA8auEXRA-WwFqHc8Zzw6QqkSEEi3qW324cWJCvvgt6zUe1Cj0GWOe5IWTinyk9e70AmN28nlOgV4wuow3QOAIUfpmOtROvscV24TZHOx9sy4BIME6pRPyvooBb2ZKRfWe17Lq1jGVbSvEVe0Tp5QA/s320/2023.12.02%20Alta%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Another angle. Ski Colorado, please</span></div><p>Funny that: he didn't enjoy the conditions much on Sunday either: he got up and on the bus, arriving at GMD at 7:52, and then proceeded to sit in the Albion lodge until about 11:30 before getting back on a bus to come home without having skied at all. "I'm cutting my losses," he said. This storm has produced very high avalanche conditions and Alta didn't end up opening until nearly 1 p.m. Just down the hill, Snowbird didn't open anything but their little baby Chickadee lift all day - too dangerous.</p><p>Even further down the hill, Milton and I had a productive weekend. On Saturday, we did a three mile walk, and Milton got to chase/be chased by a friendly wheaten terrier. We made three meals' worth of red lentil soup for the freezer, inventoried/organized said freezer, put up the window candles, set up the mudroom for ski season, did a bunch of laundry, put flannel sheets on the guest bed, got started with holiday cards and caught up on blog posts. Dinner was a new tomato/peanut/chickpea Instantpot stew recipe. On Sunday, we did our walk, and Milton got to chase/be chased by our neighbor's black lab mix, Packer. We made chocolate chip cookies, a cinnamon apple galette, vacuumed, finished the laundry, continued to work on holiday cards and even did a Home Depot run where I got hand warmers for skiing and Milton got treats from an employee and pets from a little girl. Success all the way around!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiJi8MRUXNi7aIqQCbjtv5Oe0tJxuFZGnbqYriTWak3tJfSJ19IC9s6Qc3PgJeP6arYX2MWwb5jW3NZ10MCD_ohpmTqOVYCYw9ho5Y2ZKUlAw7OAWQqGWI6DwQYWM3CJ68IFhWK5ePAxSA4jjL9VuLFpYlZ6sRZizyd75eioJz42l_D_JiYQZ_Jjyi-k/s3544/2023.12.03%20apple%20galette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3544" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiJi8MRUXNi7aIqQCbjtv5Oe0tJxuFZGnbqYriTWak3tJfSJ19IC9s6Qc3PgJeP6arYX2MWwb5jW3NZ10MCD_ohpmTqOVYCYw9ho5Y2ZKUlAw7OAWQqGWI6DwQYWM3CJ68IFhWK5ePAxSA4jjL9VuLFpYlZ6sRZizyd75eioJz42l_D_JiYQZ_Jjyi-k/w171-h200/2023.12.03%20apple%20galette.jpg" width="171" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Friend Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10508344668185037119noreply@blogger.com0