Last snowshoe trip of 2005

There are huge storms forecast for No Cal and it's been raining almost non-stop for all of December. It's all been a warm rain, so there's not too much snow yet and it's mostly above 6000 feet.

I went last weekend to Yuba Pass and it was okay, not great. With a few more feet of snow the boulder fields and clear cut areas will be fun. Also, there was still plenty of liquid water in the meadows so until they freeze over, access is denied.

This weekend I went up to the snow park on Highway 88 where the Mormon Emigrant Trail road meets 88. There's plenty of snow, maybe 3-4 feet and it's wet and packed. Unfortunately, it was raining fairly heavily. I went for a short hike, but it's not as fun when all you can hear is the patter of rain on your hood.

I will give props to my gloves. I bought them at the end of last year in Soda Springs and they are great! They aren't too puffy so I can do some work with them (like fastening my snowshoes), although I can't operate my car key buttons with them. My one hand was aching with cold and both gloves were pretty wet just from getting ready. Within about 10 minutes, my hands were warm as toast...almost so warm I was tempted to take my gloves off. I think the brand is Seirus or something like that. Great buy!

I'd like to go up again and probably will, but it's more fun when it storms during the week, leaving nice fresh snow for the weekend. Also sun, don't forget to mention that the sun is nice too.

Holiday coffee art

Once again, Infusion makes my day.

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Drain going the opposite way

Apparently my drain is having some gender identity issues because instead of draining, it's spewing. Well, that's a tortured metaphor, but I like it anyway.

I'm sitting at home waiting for Roto-Rooter to arrive and flush all of my troubles away.

Ha, ha, ha. Geez, I'm cracking myself up here!

"Terrorism" bad

I was driving home from work last night around 6 pm-ish. I'm approaching an intersection which is very small retail on one corner, a small office building on the other corner, a park, and an office duplex with some kind of medical office. There's a big white delivery truck (like a UHaul) in front of me. He pulls to the curb and I find it a little irritating because he's blocking the right turn lane which means I might have to sit through the light waiting for the left turners. It's a small street so there's no left turn lane.

I sort of wonder about the truck because it's a little late to be making deliveries. The driver gets down out of the cab and hurries around the front to the medical building. I'm right next to the truck, to its left.

Suddenly I get this bizarre thought. What if the truck contains a bomb and the driver is getting away before it goes off? I realize that it's a stupid idea because there's really no one to kill here and no particular infrastructure damage to be done. Still, I actually feel a rush of fear and (it's safe to do this) I immediately turn left into the small retail parking lot and then out the other side to the cross street.

No explosion, just some guy trying to make a late delivery.

Sigh.

I'm not even sure what to think. Was it stupid to have turned left? Isn't it a good idea to act on your gut instinct? I read other stories about people panicking because of some "stupid" fear and I think they're lame. Of course, usually they're still frightened days later. I had a rush of fear that left almost instantly when there was no big bang.

Still. Was I stupid? or did I demonstrate good survival skills?

Snowshoe at Donner Summit Redux-dux-dux

There's finally enough snow on the ground to snowshoe so I geared up and headed up 80.

I stopped at Cisco Grove again but the road was too bad for my little sedan. A higher clearance vehicle (and maybe one with snow tires) would have been fine.

I looked briefly at the Lola Montez trailhead, but I just wasn't up for a steep climb.

So I drove to Donner Summit and did my usual route from the sno-park to the entry to the Florence and Aloha lakes area. Castle Crags were fabulous with a dusting of white snow in the sun.

I didn't even really need the snowshoes for most of the trip because the trail was so packed. Still, I hate falling through a hole and the grippers kept me from slipping on some of the icy sections.

I also wore my new water proof overalls from Cabela's. They were great! I was toasty on the bottom for a change and it was nice to be dry at the end of the trip. I could have used an extra sweater on the trail (I had one in the car) but as long as I kept moving it wasn't too, too cold.

I'll be back though because this is a pretty hike.

NBA Kings and SPCA Dogs

Last night took 3 dogs to the King's game for one of our very popular mobile adoption events. This evening was special because it was hosted by a very generous Adriennne Maloof and her Camp Kindness sponsorship.

I must confess I'm not much of a basketball fan but the Kings do put on an exciting game and the fans are always generous when we attend a game.

So, it's all good!

See the photos of the pups in the posts below.

Soko

Soko is a 6 year old rottweiler mix male who is shown here in his favorite pose...lying down getting a belly rub from adoring humans. He's relaxed and mellow and gets along well with humans and canines. He needs a home so hurry to the SPCA if you need a furry couch companion!

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Rocky

Rocky is a 3 and 1/2 year old german shepherd chow mix. He is shown here wondering when I'm going to give him the treat in my hand while simultaneously enjoying some ear stroking by a smitten human. He's waiting to be adopted and lots of people were ready to take him home!

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Besse at the King's Mobile

This is my favorite picture. This is Besse, a 1 and 1/2 year old female boxer. She's looking up hopefully waiting for me to give her the treat I'm using to get that soulful look from her. She's lively without being too hyper and she just might be going home with a lucky guy on 1/4 acre who was very, very interested. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

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