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Sunday, January 6, 2019

Beautiful days and skiing


It has been a very nice week for weather after getting dumped on just previously. We had lots of snow with another foot or more coming tomorrow.
There was a beautiful sunrise a couple of mornings ago and even though I only had a cell phone I wanted to at least capture the colors in low light. Not great shots, but you get the idea. Of course the opportunities only last a few minutes. 


Yesterday I finally got out skiing for the first time this season. I went to my favorite place and realized that as a U.S. Forest Service trail,  it had not been groomed since the federal shutdown (more thanks to the brain-damaged baboon in the White House). It had mostly been used by dog walkers and snowshoers, but was barely passable for that. Given the two foot (60cm) base, packed hard but unevenly, was not a good bet for a first time out for an old guy with non-original knees.  I tried, but didn’t get far realizing it wasn’t going to be worth the effort. So I got back in the truck and headed down the hill to Pincushion (North Superior Ski and Run Club) to use those trails.

The Pincushion Trails were beautifully groomed and there were only a handful of people using them at the time so it seemed like a good thing. They are a little challenging, though, even the easy trails. Given that it was just above freezing the trails were very fast and a little icy. Being partly in and partly out of the direct sun made them a little tricky as far as speed and control. To make a long story short(er), I was not entirely in control of my speed and balance and wiped out no less than 4 times, maybe more. It is all a blur now. Most of them were at speed going downhill. I was able to successfully snowplow a few times, but otherwise I would get a ski slightly out of position and crash before I even got to the bottom. The only thing that had any residual effect is a shoulder that aches a little if I move it a certain way. I had intended to add a short flatter loop at the end, but was slightly discouraged at that point and decided to call it a day. 

 From the parking lot.

 
It was a beautiful day, though, and I took my cell phone in order to take a few shots of the surroundings (or call for help, assuming I was still conscious). It was good to be outside again. Next time I will just do the flat loops until I get my legs and confidence back. Maybe next weekend if the weather is nice.

29 comments:

  1. that sunrise shot is GREAT! HNY to you and your family and all the furry creatures!

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    1. Thanks!I hope all is well for you in Philly!

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  2. Well, Jono, at least you're out there in the fresh air getting some exercise! It's more than I can say!

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  3. Lovely snowy pictures. Here it's been green then white then green then white and now it's a combo whitish green. My family all went skiing a few days ago but I'm not a skier. Too late for me to learn.

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    1. Normally, I would say it's never too late, but if I didn't do it already, I wouldn't.

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  4. Jono--Gorgeous photos, as usual.

    Yeah, even if we still have our "original" parts, we still need to think before taking a risk on a trail or a hill or a mountainside...

    What does Mellencamp say? Gettin' old ain't for sissies.

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    1. Fortunately, there was no audience to watch an old geezer flop around in the snow. Might have made some interesting video, though!
      I wondered who said that.

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  5. Thank you for your wonderful post!

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  6. LOVE your sunrise. And that chilly beauty. The only time I went skiing I discovered (rapidly) that I was fastest on my face.
    Have fun, and I do hope you get your ski-legs back soon.

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    1. Yes, must be careful of face plants. The snow is often abrasive. I should be okay next time I go.

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  7. What beautiful colors in your sunrise photo. Sorry to learn that the baboon ruined the spot where you want to ski. He will have to give in on this wall business sooner or later, but he is stupid and proud of it.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Yes. Have you ever met any actual smart people that had to tell you how smart they were? I didn't think so.

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    2. My ex-husband bragged about how smart he was. He knew a lot about certain topics and nothing about many others. He certainly doesn't have any emotional intelligence.

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  8. Glaf you went out. Better luck next time!

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    1. It's like getting your sea legs back when going on the ocean. It doesn't take long.

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  9. Wow, what gorgeous colours in that sunrise! (Probably similar to the gorgeous colours blooming in your bruises right about now.) I hope your next ski trip is more fun and less, um... 'eventful'.

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    1. Fortunately, the snow was fairly soft and I have been working out the kinks by shovelling a foot of heavy, wet snow today. Oh, joy!

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    2. Ah, what fun. We're predicted to get six inches of snow tomorrow, but the sky is clear tonight and I'm hoping the snow will be cancelled due to lack of interest.

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  10. Your snow is beautiful! Skiing sounds like fun...maybe I will get to try it before I die.

    Happy New Year!

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    1. Thank goodness you are young and have so much of your life ahead of you. You would probably like it!

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  11. Nice photos. But that's why I don't ski anymore ... can't take the falls.

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    1. I can't take them as often as I did, but all the practice I have had over the years certainly helps!

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  12. There really isn't any way to inch along on skis, is there? (You know, the old-person inch, one foot barely in front of the other. The one we do on ice after a certain age.) I hope you recover quickly and the next trip is less of the sitting/lying down and more of the sailing along.

    That's a beautiful sunrise. I'm always amazed at how fast a sunrise or sunset changes and disappears, too.

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    1. I can still glide along pretty well once I get my rhythm back. It seemed lacking this time, though.
      The beauty is fleeting, isn't it?

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  13. Sunrise photo is lovely but living beside open water in real winter makes my blood run cold.
    Old joke: What has 8" of base and 3" of powder? Tammy-Faye Baker.

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  14. Damp cold can be very penetrating.
    Haven't thought about TFB for a long time. Still very funny!

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