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Author Archives: Teri J Pieper

Ice and Snow

Another fun day outside! Eight of us – four dogs and four women – travelled with classic skis and waxed paws to look at the frozen Falls Creek Falls. Yes, that’s its name.

Falls Creek Falls. It’s a place that we frequently take out of town guests, even the elderly that can’t get around to well, to see in the warmer months. It’s a reasonably short drive from town and the short trail is paved for wheelchairs and the falls are really a sight to see. In the spring and early summer, the water is high and spray cools the air and keeps the surfaces wet and slippery. Later in the summer, it’s a refreshingly cool spot. And fall is lovely with colorful foliage.

I’ve always wanted to see it in the winter but you can’t drive there. The road is closed and maintained for snow machines but that doesn’t mean you can’t ski to it. So when Jennifer said she wanted to go, I was ready. We thought about taking fat bikes but someone said they are not allowed. That left us with classic cross-country skis. I must say, I have not used my classic skis in at least a couple of years having become a devoted skate skier. This year, with little snow in the Cascades I have not done much of any skiing so I figured I may as well dust off the classics and give it a go. Jennifer’s skis are so old (how old are they?) that they have 3 pin bindings! She bought them used more years ago then she cares to say. We recruited MA to join us and she got Christiana to go too (and drive) and we were set. A sno-park pass is required so we needed to cram all of us into one vehicle to make it not too costly. Four women, four dogs and all the ski stuff and other gear – well it takes up some space. And to top it off, the roads were not in good shape – new snow was covering the old ice.

Not only did we have the fun of skiing with our dogs on a day that went from nearly sunny to snowing hard, we also enjoyed the trail to the falls and its icy beauty and on the way back, we stopped to observe some ancient pictographs. It was another fun day in the Methow.

Frida leads the way
Sky is trying to keep up with the big dogs
Now why would I do that?
The puppy sneak
The puppy leap
No wonder Wyatt Ann doesn’t like Sky.
Treats? Anyone got treats for dogs?
No treats here.
Frida is reasoning with Christiana
Treats?
Treats?
What are you looking at?
Note that her paws are not clumped with snow. They have ‘mushers’ wax on them.
You’ve got something on your nose.
Falls Creek from the bridge
The frozen falls
Lots of water coming down
A small hole in the ice
Cedar tree trunks
Pictographs along the road
Sky found something special
Real winter weather
I like the snow

The First Annual Big Wheel Derby at TwispWorks

Uh oh. You can tell that this winter is going to be a long one. The lack of snow is bringing out some real creativity in the valley.

Yesterday Jennifer asked me if I was going to race and I had not a clue what she was referring to. Then she said ‘bring your camera to TwispWorks at noon’. Hmmm. MA knew about the race too and apparently was thinking about entering. She and I had a dog walk this morning and, well, we were a little late but we figured, like many events around here, it might not start quite on time. We were wrong. By the time we got there, most contestants had already had their practice run and their competitive run. MA was convinced to join in the fun and did really well, coming in third place out of about a dozen qualifiers. There were a few rules. Knocking over a cup would cost you time. Going off course would get you disqualified. Costumes were encouraged.

The judge
All the media turned out for this event.
Game Face
Jennifer had a great costume
A silent spectator
Jennifer gives pointers while MA gets outfitted for the race
Equipment adjustment
Practice run
Uh oh
Good thing it was practice
Ready to start for real
It takes some effort to get the thing moving
On the back stretch
Kelly tries again after disqualifying earlier.
Mo won. It was her machine and her idea!

Steve Foreman’s video from the Big Wheel Derby can be seen at the Methow Grist.

 

Above the Clouds

This week the valley has been mostly enshrouded in thick cold ice fog. Thanks to abundant web cams I figured out that up on the Loup (Loup Loup Pass) there was sunshine and twice I went up there to escape the fog. Not only was it sunny but the trails are not icy like they are in valley and the low lying-hills. That is because we have been under the effect of a weather inversion. This means that high pressure and warmer air are trapping the fog and cold air down in the valley and it is warmer as you go higher in elevation.

This is one goofy winter.

On this day the fog layer was not as thick.
Here the fog is much thicker.
Oval Peak. I don’t know why it’s called Oval.
Mount Gardner

Walks with Friends

The dogs and I love walks with friends  – both canine and human. These images are from a couple of walks on the Wildlife Area near Frost Road. It’s really just a mile or two from our house as the raven flies, however there is private land in between here and there. Consequently we have to drive about fifteen miles to get there.

I wonder what Sky is thinking about?
Better quit thinking and catch up with the pack
January? Really?
Look what Sky brought us!
Frida leads the way
A frozen hay field
Here comes Frida!
And Luna is right behind her
Terrific clouds
Looking towards Frost Lake

Two Hawks

Lots of catching up today. My computer is facing another serious meltdown and sooner or later I have to take it in for another new hard drive. I am caught up on work stuff so that should happen soon.

In the meantime here are a couple of hawks I’ve seen from my dining room this month. I think they are both first year birds – a light Red-tailed Hawk and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. If you have other ideas about their ID, let me know.

I think this one is a light juvenile Red-tailed Hawk
I am pretty sure this is a Sharp-shinned Hawk, probably a female since it seems big.