That time of year

 It's 53 degrees today, 54 degrees yesterday, and the melt is on...until Tuesday when the bottom falls out, highs in the 20s, lows in single digits through Wednesday.  Then it bumps back up!  If we want to walk anywhere longer than about a block, we have to go to Ridgway or Montrose.  The Ice Park closes today after what seemed to me to be a spectacular year, both parking lots full most of January, February, and March.

Lots of snow!

Anyone we talk to comments on the difficult winter.  The road sign as we turn onto Camp Bird Road changed yesterday from a warning not to go above Angel Creek Campground to road closed at Angel Creek because of extreme avalanche danger.  We drove over to Silverton last Wednesday, and the aftermath of many avalanches can still be seen from the road.  The avalanche shed just above us on 550 is a good example of a major avalanche happening, so big that it fell over onto the south side of the highway and blocked the road.  We couldn't see the river at that point because there are many, many feet of snow.

From what I can see in the extended forecast, mud season is on its way.   With the Ice Park closed, tourist traffic will slow down for April, and the town will get a chance to take a deep breath, fill in some nasty potholes on 550, and get ready for the onslaught. 

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