Snowshoeing in the Fresh Fluff

Went snowshoeing a little over a week ago but I am just now getting a chance to post a couple of the pics. The snow was perfect once we got above the Tahoe Lake level. The higher we got the lighter and deeper the snow got. Makes one heck of a workout. The hike started in Tahoe City and followed the Rim Trail up to the start of Paige Meadows near Alpine Meadows Ski Resort. We were the first to break through the new snow at the top and it was slow going but a lot of fun. The storm had just broken and the weather was just a mix of clouds and sun that kept us guessing to if we were going to be cold or too hot the whole time. One the way back down we passed a couple small groups that looked like they were dying on there way to the top. It was kind of funny as they weren't a third of the way up the climb and were following the trail we had already broken for them. They had a long way to go and not a lot of daylight left. On the way back we stopped at Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors and Alex and I tried to eat enough ice cream for 3 people. But oh was it good. Here's some pics of Alex and I, Debra and I, and some trail stuff. The ducks didn't want to cooperate for the photo and hid their heads.

Art Type Shots from Death Valley

This is what happens when I have a camera and free time. Oh well, at least I'm having fun I guess. These shots are of Scotty's castle and me standing in the desert.

Ninety Miles of Sunshine and Chip Seal

Been a while since I've updated the posts here. Debra and I belong to an impromptu group of road riders that have formed around the spin classes at World Gym. The groups leader, also impromptu, is Dennis. Besides being a great instructor and very knowledgable rider he is often the drive behind the group going out and riding in different areas. This may include local rides or longer centuries in California or wherever. Over the past couple of months the group has been toying with the idea of doing a century (100 mile) ride in Death Valley National Park. Through the efforts of Dennis and others we were able to plan and execute the trip. The final decision was to ride 44 miles from Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley to Scotty's Castle. The ride would consist of a consistent slow climb from sea level and finally topping off at 3200 feet. Temperatures were in the low eighties for the majority of the ride and the weather was absolutely perfect. The ride went suprisingly well considering that many people hadn't been riding for the past couple of months due to the cold weather in Reno and Carson City. Out of 21 riders 14 completed the entire route. The largest issues the group faced were the rough vibration from the chip seal roads and the comlplete lack of shade, bathrooms, or anything else out on the desert flats. For the most part though, everyone did very well.

Skiing and Sunshine

Went skiing on Sunday. Great day, nice weather, and lots of sun and sunburn. Forgot to put lotion on my neck so now I'm truely a redneck. Hee Haw. Anyway, we're finally getting to where we can hit the harder runs. I think we're about as graceful as a water buffalo when we descend down the hill but at least we're getting there without crashing. Mt. Rose had perfect snow. It was raining down below but snowing up at the slopes on Saturday. The warm weather had the snow soft and nice. The highlight of the day was passing over a black diamond run on the ski lift while watching a little eight year old (or there abouts) yell at her dad to go faster. She was rocking. One thing about not being good skiers yet though. The middle mountain lift (Lakeview) wasn't crowded at all but the advanced area lift had a huge line.

Camera still isn't working correctly. Very annoying.