Ten Days in NJ

Heading back west later today but we sure found some fine weather here on the east coast. It's very warm and the forsythia and magnolias, daffs and hyacinths are all putting on a fine display. Although it is pre-migration, the bird life has been interesting and it's always wonderful to see those spring bulbs. Tomorrow and the next day are predicted to be record setting highs in NJ - they are looking at 28 for Friday!! Glad I'm out of here. I have really noticed the humidity. The running has gone okay and I'm managing about 30 - 40 minute runs, but the day I left it late in the day it was WAY too hot to run. We've had some gorgeous hardwood forest walks and we also get to look at our gorgeous Callie! She seems to be coming into her own this week - playing so happily on her own, sleeping well and just being...well....perfect.

One Ski Trip

I got out on one ski trip this year to the cabin just north of here. We had a long slog of a hike into it in very heavy snow and then couldn't ski because of the avalanche hazard. It was still beautiful up in the high country and we could tour around a bit. It was a good little slide into the cabin entrance! I have to say that I'm ready for spring but it's good to know we have snow up high to fill up the rivers, creeks and lakes this summer.

Snow

This is the good thing about living in a place with snow - this picture was actually taken a couple of weeks ago when we went to "our" ski hill up Bjirkness Creek FS Road. This morning we've got another 10 cm to shovel. I have to say that I'm getting sick of it. Winter came to Rossland on November 3rd so this is almost like living on the prairies with the length of winter! However, this year the prairie seems to have managed to avoid the worst of winter. There's been some lovely skiing, I have to say, but it's March now and I am definitel ready for spring.

Evaluating Translink

This picture has nothing to do with the topic - it was my only good sunrise to see while visiting my folks near Sidney. This is the view from their place.

My goal was to reduce my carbon footprint by NOT flying all the way to Victoria and using public transit after arriving in Vancouver. It worked fairly well. From the South Terminal I took the free shuttle to the main terminal at YVR and from there it is a set of stairs and arrival at one end of the Canada Line. The trains are frequent and I managed to arrive at Bridgeport Station within 5 minutes. Then a bus arrives (only once per hour) for transport out to the ferry terminal. The bus ride took about 40 minutes. The information I got on the internet was entirely accurate. I'd say there were at least 500 foot passengers on the ferry going both ways, so you need to be at the head of the pack when doing the return trip because only two double-sized buses were awaiting our arrival in Vancouver. If only the planes could fly in the winter into the Kootenays it would have been a great trip but I got to spend a lot of time at YVR on my journey home.

Visiting Victoria

Where else in Canada can you visit in February and be able to take a picture like this one? We didn't have truly fabulous weather and I did have trouble both getting out of Trail and getting back into Trail, but Dad and I had a lovely walk at Tod Inlet near the Butchart Gardens, with actual warmth in the air when we were in the sun. The "Indian plum" plants were just starting to show a bit of green and a few clumps of snowdrops and crocus were in bloom. I noticed that the daffodil pickers in the fields near where the folks live were just starting to get set up for work. It shouldn't be too long now, Canada!

Reducing the Carbon Footprint

I know we're not really supposed to fly places if we really want to reduce our carbon footprint so this Friday I'm attempting to reduce my environmental impact by only taking a plane from Trail to Vancouver. From there, I intend to use public transit, taking the Sky Train from YVR to the bus and then carrying on to the ferry terminal to get to the Island. The internet states that this should add about 90 minutes of time to my trip. As well, I'll have a little over 90 minutes on the ferry. This same thing could be accomplished by about a 12 minute flight to the Victoria airport. The option that I am attempting on Friday is certainly cheaper, but will add a lot of travel time to my day. I'm hoping the public transit facilities work well that day. Has anyone had any experience with getting from YVR to the ferry terminal?

More Queens of the Mountain

Last weekend was Rossland Winter Carnival and while watching the bobsled races, I enjoyed seeing all the kids playing along the Spokane Street route. It was delightful to see these girls setting up their jumps from a garage roof into a big pile of snow! Here are more of our Queens of the Mountain in Rossland. From watching kids along the street, I think many of them get a good hands on education in how snow can avalanche and I hope the lessons remain with them as they grow up and head out into the back country!