Ski Day

Bear Valley, CA -- One of the great advantages of living in the mountains is proximity to a ski resort.
Bear Valley Ski Resort is 20 miles up the road from our house, and the pole that measures snow depth is ten feet tall -- and it disappeared more than a week ago under a blanket of new snow.

So this week when neighbor Bill Minkel called to see if I was interested, the answer was yes.

For a season pass holder I have not gotten in as many days skiing as I expected, only about ten days so far, but you get spoiled when you live this close. If the snow is not perfect, and the crowds minimal, I tend to stay away.

But this was about as perfect a day as you'll ever see.

Nothing fancy on this video clip because I am a determined intermediate skier, preferring groomed runs to powder and moderate slopes to terrifying steeps. And my video skills, even with Bill's help, are minimal. I was going to attach music, an Irish tune "Catch Me If You Can," but could not figure out how to do it.

The first portion is from the top of the mountain, around 8,000 feet, down to the lodge on a blue diamond run called Mokulume. Then a brief break at the lodge (we actually ate inside at the bar) and back to the top of Porridge Bowl, one of the few black diamond runs I am comfortable with.

All in all, a great day.

Adios snow, hola Mexico

Camp Connell, Ca.-- I know that some of my friends and family will be suspicious that we are leaving for the warm beaches in Mexico because still another massive storm packing three feet of new snow (on top of the five still on the roof) and winds expected to top 60 mph on the mountain ridges is due to hit tonight and tomorrow.

Au contraire, my friends. We simply committed to visit our friends Michael and Sylvia (aka the Captain and the the Admiral) at their new home on Tenacatita Bay months ago. It's all in the name of friendship. Cold beer, warm sandy beaches and casual clothing requirements have nothing to do with it. It's a matter of cementing long-standing friendships.

It has nothing to do with the fact a lean and hungry-looking coyote wandered through our yard, cutting across the horseshoe pit, looking for a rabbit snack yesterday.

It also has nothing to do with the fact that when I went skiing Thursday the wind and snow basically blew me off the mountain. I had decided to call it a day early after hanging an edge and tumbling dramatically down the slope on the backside of Mount Reba ("Are you okay mister?" asked the smart-ass kid on the snowboard). My ankle, wrist and knee (all broken or torn in earlier decades) were slightly tweaked. After I spit the snow out of my mouth I decided to head home a bit early. All my basic parts seem intact. But I need some beach time.

My ski timing was almost good. The resort shut down the ski lift I was waiting for -- get back on the horse for one last run -- because the wind was too high to operate safely.

Pride intact, I headed down the hill to hearth and home. Hot tea with a tad of bourbon, and Girl Scout cookies (Shortbreads), make a perfect apre' ski treat.

So, for the next few weeks there will be no more shoveling snow off the roof. If it collapses, so be it, I won't be here to witness the event.

I fully expect Spring to be in full blast when I get back. Well, at least I am hopeful some snow will be melting and running into the seasonal creek instead of into my basement.

Then maybe we can get back to work on the garage we thought we would have built before the snow came.
I've already planted seeds for Sequouia trees that should live several centuries longer than me. And my daughter and family are currently staking out their garden plots at a lower elevation, where they promise we can grow a tomato or two.

But first, a Cuba Libre at Palapa Joe's in La Manzanilla with my buddy Michael, and perhaps a little sailing on the Bay.

See ya.

California living- shovel, ski, sail

Camp Connell, CA - Well, it IS winter after all, and the fact that it continues snowing more than two weeks after the last blog was posted should only be a mild surprise.

Here's a picture from today, after I spent three hours shoveling and the plow came twice. I know it is blurred, but it was snowing and my hands were shaking from all that shoveling:



We do have snowshoes, and use them once in a while to get to the general store at the end of the lane and across the highway. But today was just boots and coats, because we stayed out of the deep stuff, like that on the roof.

We cancelled a trip down the mountain to the big city (Angels Camp) where they have a real car wash, and a Starbucks, due to bad road conditions. Yes, we have all-wheel drive, but we aren't stupid about it.

But all is not snow and ice and huddling by the fire. There is a beautiful ski resort just up the road. With my season pass I can go, ski for short while, and head home early for the hot chocolate, and still get my money's worth. We did that earlier in the week.

This is at Bear Valley Ski resort. Check it out at www.bearvalley.com
Lines are rare, non-existent at midweek, and lots of groomed intermediate runs appeal to me and the other geezers.


Pat contributes as a lodge bunny (can I say that?) and brings along a good book and food, while I go off down the mountain.


And then of course, this being California, last week we went down to San Francisco Bay and went sailing.





You may notice were were bundled up a bit, but we were sailing, and there was no snow!

Forecast: For tomorrow there is a 70% chance of snow, and the high temperature is expected to be in the mid-to-high 20s.