Connie in Ouray

 We've received 6.5 inches of new snow today, and it's snowing tonight.  At one point, it was really blizzardy (a word?), and I couldn't see the pond from my house.  Our total is now 57 inches. Yesterday, Mike and I went to Ridgway to our first ever skijoring event.  It was so cold - 14 degrees in Ridgway at 10:30 a.m., but we had dressed appropriately and were comfortable for the hour we were there.  For those who don't know, skijoring is "a winter sport in which a person on skis is pulled by a horse."  The horse has a rider, and there is a slalom course set up.  We watched the amateur division - it was free! - and it was so much fun.  Highly recommend. Then, in the afternoon, we finally plowed through the last 25 yards to meet up with the Sutton Mine Trail.  At one point, Mike punched through a four-foot drift, and it took him some effort to get out.  We stopped about 10 feet from the rock couch so as not to go tumbling down the cliff,...

 I snowshoed up Veenstras' trail this afternoon, and there aren't enough words to describe how breathtakingly beautiful it was today.  The sky was clear and that shade of blue only seen in Colorado.  We had another inch of snow yesterday, and since it's been so cold, the snow was still clinging to the trees in clumps.   I followed some different tracks up that were in single file, which is something cats do to distract prey.  I had some concern it was either a coyote or a mountain lion, but after I got home, I did some research, and I think it was a fox.  Mike was at Ironton cross-country skiing and said there have been recent moose sightings, and warnings are posted.  One of my favorite lines from Men in Black is, "We at the FBI don't have a sense of humor that we're aware of."  That would be moose.   The next week is going to be super cold with few chances of accumulating snow.  As Ouray is getting ready for the international...

 With our snowfall Saturday, we're now at 48.5 inches.   Alex and Dustin went up and down the trails yesterday twice because the snow was so fantastic.  Mike and I went up this morning, and it was so quiet and pristine and snowy.  We are so lucky to live here. Heading home before the storm

 We have snow in the forecast for tomorrow, 4-8 inches, but that could change in the next five minutes.  However, my sister in Lawrence, KS and my bestie in Topeka are under a winter storm warning from tomorrow morning through Monday, ice first, then 8-12 inches on top of ice.  I'm happy to be here. The Rotary Park ice rink has opened for the first time since we moved here.  There are broomball leagues, and after just checking the website, skates are free to use and are located in the warming hut.  I've only been ice-skating once, but hey, free... Mike decided to participate in the Polar Plunge at the hot springs New Year's Day.  Outside temperatures were in the 30s, and the water couldn't have been much warmer than that.  It's a fundraise for our local Special Olympics swim team. We went over to Ridgway today to walk the Uncompaghre Trailway.  Dempsey is struggling a lot with the loss of Mirabella and won't leave the perimeter of the house or go ...

 Mike and I went up to Ironton Park on Monday, him to cross-country ski, me to snowshoe.  It never disappoints.  The snow was fantastic, the views even better. We are sitting at 43 inches of snow for the season, about average.  The La Nina year predicted for the San Juans is definitely coming true, as the northern and central mountains are getting hammered.  Our forecast for the next few weeks is pretty bleak snow-wise, hoping they've got it wrong. The ice park is up and running...and hopping!  The parking lots are full, and downtown restaurants are reaping the benefits.  A few years ago, the "Ouray Plaindealer" had an article about the millions and millions of dollars the park brings into the city, and I try to remember that when the lookie-loos walk down the middle of Camp Bird Road.

 There are so many December holidays that I hope I haven't missed one our neighbors celebrate.  Our holiday gift today was four and a half inches of snow, all during the day when we could enjoy it.