Lunar Eclipse

I watched the lunar eclipse last week.  It was interesting to watch the earth’s shadow travel across the moon.  I tried to take some pictures, but mine did not turn out nearly as well as this one from the Daily Summit Newspaper.  

Breckenridge

 My friend, Barbara, and I at the top of Breckenridge’s Peak 7, on our last day of skiing on this trip.  We will be back later in the season.

The View From My Window

Looking out the large picture window in the condo, we see this spectacular view across the gulf course. 

Before it became a golf course, elk could be seen grazing in the meadow and finding respite from the wind in the trees and willows just beyond.  My friend hasn’t seen them in a while and wonders if the increased development has had an influence on their behavior.

You can see the tracks of cross-country skiers traversing the edge of the golf course just before the sun makes it way over the mountain. 

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The Top of the Mountain

 Here I am at the top of the Lenawee Lift at Arapahoe Basin.  Much of the skiing here at Arapahoe is well above timberline.  You can see the craggy peaks in the background.  Just after my friend took this picture the wind came up and the blowing snow made visibility  difficult.   No falls today.  All body parts safely in tack.

The view at Arapahoe Basin is spectacular.  Everywhere you look you see mountain peaks.  the summit at Arapahoe is at 13,050 feet.  The lodge is at about 10,000 feet.  It is the They get over 350 inches of snow annually.

 The sun is just coming over the mountain to light up the rest of our day.

Skiing in Colorado

Today is a glorious day in the Colorado Rockies, specifically Keystone, Colorado.  We are sitting on a bench waiting for the bus to take us back to our condo.   The Keystone area provides these busses for pick-up at various points around the ski area.  Across the street you can seek part of the close-in paid parking area. (Expensive)

This one of the busses used to shuttle skiers around the area.  It is a great service.  You can see our ski equipment in the little red wagon.  These wagons are provided so you can easily get your equipment from the drop off area to the ski slope—-much easier than carrying everything.

Out For A Hike

On a recent glorious, sunny and mild winter day my husband and I decided to trek over to the Sleeping Bear National Seashore for a day wandering the dunes.

Very few people were out and about and we practically had the place to ourselves.

Long before the National Seashore was developed my parents had a summer cottage just south of what was then the state owned Sleeping Bear Dunes.  I spent most of my childhood summers romping around these dunes.  My brothers and I  hiked all through this area as kids.  Revisiting the area is always a pleasure.  The land we used as a summer playground is now part of the Sleeping Bear National Seashore and open to all.  

The cottage is gone now.  The park service took it down years ago, but the  sand, cedars and white pines remain.  I can still see where the cottage used to be, although the wind and weather have taken their toll.  Nothing remains  except memories.  




My father planted these white pine trees the year I was born.  It is amazing, to me, how much they have grown; how big they are now.