Paradise Found

Road to Trinity is Open

2011-06-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings all you hikers and campers that have been chomping at the bit to get out to your favorite hiking trails, the road is finally opened to the Trinity TH & Phelps Ck TH. Now that the road is opened that doesn't guarantee that you will be able to get to your favorite spots just yet, there is still lots of snow up at higher elevations above 6500'

The deer have been flooding in here for the last couple of weeks but they were about 2 weeks behind when they normally arrive but just like clockwork the hummingbirds showed with a vengence, the males have moved up higher and the females are back to build their nest and lay eggs.

This was an extremely weird winter not as cold as we would have liked and much wetter making things very difficult but we survived another one and looking forward to many more, too bad all of that rain wasn't snow or it would have been a record year...

It only took me 7 mo 6 days to get my truck in from the garage back to Trinity, the dogs are digging getting to ride in and out once again...

Get out and enjoy this beautiful weather and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us everywhere here in the mountains...Peace

Mudslide Damage on Road to Trinity above Atkinson Flats

2011-06-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

These photos are of the last narrow bridge heading to Trinity above Atkinson Flats, normally a dry ck until meltout happens but unfortunately this winter's rain changed all of that for us...
According to the FS road manager they might not get up there to look at it until after the end of June if then...
Both gates are still locked as of now but will keep ya'll updated on how the melt is going...

Memorial Day Meltout continues

2011-05-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day everyone, thought I would give an update on the meltout and road conditions for those of you aching to get out in the mountains.

The road to Trinity is closed at the first gate because of the snow still on the road and will be for at least another couple of weeks and then it will only be opened to Atkinson Flats, as the 2nd gate is also closed due to a sever mudslide at the narrow bridge just north of the 2nd gate which will require work before traffic is allowed on it, and we've been told it won't be until the end of June if it happens then.

I know this is not what many hikers and campers want to hear especially with the long delay in opening the roads. These photos were taken right around the houses and across the creek this morning to show just how much snow is still here. I'll do my best to keep ya'll informed as I know the changes to the road conditions. For any of you planning early trips up this direction you might want to rethink or reschedule your plans...

Get out and enjoy the day with friends and family...Peace

Really cold temps but sunny

2010-11-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

Talk about a crazy start to winter, the snow has been slow in coming with only a couple of inches at a time it seems, and with only 14" total and temps dropping to -1 for a couple of days but we did have nice sunny weather...
The snow stopped basically except for small light flurries during the day that didn't amount to anything, but that has changed now the temps are back up to 14 and overnight we almost doubled the total amount of snow here in just one 24 hour period...Even though we are about half of what we had already at this time last year, at least it's snowed all the way to the lake 23 miles away and that is a good thing so they will possibly start grooming on Dec 1 which is the offical start of the sno-park season.

When we came home last Sat after visiting some friends and getting another 300# of dog food, we said goodbye to the dog bus from Trinty and sent it out to the garage for winter, but were wondering if we had made a mistake since we weren't seeing any snow, just really cold temps, well once it warmed up here came the snow.

These photos are of the dam in it's frozen glory when the temps had dropped to -1 overnight and stayed coooooold for a couple of day, the top photo is of the dam itself, the 2nd photo is of the icedams forming on the rocks below the dam and the 3rd photo is looking back above James Ck...
For those of you that have ben waiting for the snow to get here before breaking out those sleds, well it's time to get them out and go have some fun, there is now plenty of snow out here to have a nice POW ride, you can get first tracks out this way but know that I've enjoyed the first tracks here for the last few days and it's good...

Now get out there and enjoy the POW and leave the shopping to those who just don't know better...Peace

Happy Birthday Ron

2009-12-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a surprise visit from Ron a man I've gotten to sorta know through this blog for the last 1.5 yrs or so.

He's read about the hills and snow and rides with other friends and hoped to get up here before now but the weather or snow hasn't always worked out.
Yesterday he showed up with about 10 other friends on sleds so I gave them the grand tour starting at the dam since the snow is deepest and most pow available along with some hills to climb.

Well the virgin snow isn't virgin anymore after Ron and Adam tackled a couple of the hills around here.

I hope you had a good time Ron and as you've heard and now seen and enjoyed plenty of snow here to have fun with and it would take many days and much gas to explore all there is behind the gate not including what is available before the gate.

According to them the trail here was smooth and fast very few tracks and all on the trail nothing through the trees or off trail except what me and the dogs have done around here.
Not many people can say that they got to hill climb, play in the POW in the mountains and even throw a few strikes at the Wilderness Bowling alley along with being the first to really shred some of Atkinson Flats along the river since the last snow we got last week. It was a great day I think hope ya'll did too.

The biggest surprise to all of them was how well Bear, Peace & Lillie kept up or lead the way for the snowmobiles, several people commented that one minute they were passing one of the dogs only to meet them further up the trail on the way to the dam.
I have to admit they are the best snowmobiling dogs I've ever seen yet they aren't into riding one just yet.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

Coldest Morning So Far this Winter

2009-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

This top photo is of the hot tub out back and the easiest way to get to it, just ride up to it, get off your sled and climb in, the water is only 116 degrees as you can see in the 2nd photo. The last couple of mornings we have had 27, 26 and this morning a whopping 22 degrees which is making the snow hard as concrete until it finally warms up just in time to start getting hard as the sun goes down again.

This photo is of Buck Mountain this morning as the sun is just peeking up over the Entiat Mountains @ 7am. It's one of my favorite times of the morning because the sun is just saying hello for the day.

This photo is of Massie Ridge while the Low is sittin on top of all of the mountains yesterday morning as we first got out and going for our morning hike. this is what makes living here so worth it beacause everyday is something new to experience in Paradise.

We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too. Peace

Deep Snow Already Here

2009-11-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

The top photo is the front gate yesterday morning before we started tto dig it out enough for my friend's ATV could get in here and we could raise the gate

This photo is Phelps CK looking upstream from the side of the bridge at the front gate.

This is looking at the bridge from the upstream side back towards the parking lot this morning. It was this Deep snow that caused difficulty for my friend to make it in here on his tracked Can Am 800.

This is looking at the gate from inside looking out and the snow at the bottom of the gate is from yesterday because we had dug it out yesterday enough for the gate to open wide enough for the ATV to get inside. Unfortunately this deep snow caused him to burn much more gas than expected and he ran out so he hunkered down at the Basalt TH restroom and Dave and Cricket rode in and found him and brought him out last night around 10pm. We have received 56" of snow since Monday morning with over 5' on the gauge already and it's not even Thanksgiving. Thanks to everyone that helped Bob get out of here last night, much appreciated.

4" more of wetter snow

2009-11-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

Good Morning it is 32 degrees here and we received another 4" of wetter snow overnight. It seems to pack a little better not as sloppy as before but still lots of deep snow between here and Fish Lake and so far we haven' seen or heard of anyone making it out this far yet. The snow level raised overnight instead of getting colder and setting the snow up nicely it stayed warmer and wetter clearing the dish for me overnight after shutting it down earlier in the day. Get out and enjoy this winter wonderland and give me a shout if you get this far. Peace

Snow caves forming @ Trinity

2009-11-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

This is a corrected photo of my porch today on Monday you could see the bottom steps today not even the porch which is 7.5' above the ground. More to come soon Peace
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Recent snow photos around Trinity

2009-11-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

Phelps Creek by front bridge

Bear is in the 2nd shot above Phelps CK on snow bank
My house is the 3rd photo and Lillie at the front gate is the last one enjoy

Back online after lightning strike

2009-10-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone, we're back!!! First I'll give a general update and then will write about each event with photos later.
After a busy Aug and Sept and early Oct around here, and a very early morning thunderstorm 9/3 knocked out the satellite things are starting to get back to normal, well normal for Trinity.

Let me tell you a little of what has been going on. First in Aug some friends came and helped me with a work party and we worked on the Bowling Alley building, clearing out all of the trash, sweeping, stacking, and blowing, made it a destination for some of my friends. Jeff Burgess found a couple of Bowling balls and got 48 used pins from Eastmont Lanes since they had purchased new ones to replace them with. Also big thanks to Jeff B & Jill, Mark, Mike& Kerry D, Johnny cat, Jesse, Jordan, the Loomis' & Twitchell's my closest neighbors, Bill D, Fritz, Andrew and Laura D (first woman from WA to run the Iditarod) along with her team for a great weekend. If I left anyone out please forgive me in advance.
The bowling alley had looked the same since I got here 5 yrs ago filled with broken bales of straw, , and bales of woodchips from the Cascade Quest and had been that way for some time before that. All of the trash was removed and put into a burn pile that will be torched when there is over 1' of snow on ground this year. We also closed off all big openings in walls to keep the snow out this winter but doing so made it very dark in there. It only took about 3.5 hours of humping it on everyone's part to get it done and the first pins set and first strike was thrown in the first few throws, it was great.
We still need to build a ball return ramp and cage around the transformer for safety reasons, but it is usable. Everyone camped here for the weekend and we had lots of fun with a little work but got it DONE. Great Job and heartfelt Thanks to everyone that helped.

In Sept we had another workparty with the mushers & members of NWSDA came and helped work on the auto bridge railing that had fallen down after last years snow and worked on the valve house that was knocked down by snow load 2 yrs ago. Didn't get the last wall up or roof on it yet but got much further along than we had been. It was a long day but had a great time. Big thanks to Jay & Becky Justus, Dave Ford, Patti Kirkness, Kevin Casey, Don Duncan, Dan Bishop and Jasmine who will be coordinating this years Cascade Quest volunteers that are working @ Trinity. Great job and big thanks to all couldn't have gotten it done without ya'll.

This past weekend we had a Cub Scout pack that came here and installed a new Flag pole for a project. The weather was colder than expected so they also earned their winter camping badges for camping with overnight temps of 22 & 17. They did great. While they were working to finish the flag pole installation one of the boys saw smoke and even though they were young and learning, each grabbed a shovel and ran to the smoke finding burlap burning right behind my house, two of the leaders Will and Todd flipped it over taking the flames away from my back porch and all proceeded to put it out. I am very grateful for their quick action and fearlessness in saving Trinity, with the dry conditions we have been having all summer a true disaster was averted and my house was saved. Thanks to Will, Jamie& Devon Rau, Todd, Tristi & Noah Buchan, Scott Dunham, Denny Van Dorn, along with a couple of others that left before I could get their names. I'll be writing another post about this weekend and will get those names and put up photos of all if these events soon.

October 2-4 Laura D and team along with her parents Bill & Carole and sister Corrie along with her family and friends family, and other friends family we had 28 people and 22 dogs enjoying the cooler temps and Laura got in several training runs which she hasn't been able to do at home. It was more of a play time yet we still got things done also. Some of those here had only been hearing about Trinity for years yet never been able to be here, some were visiting from FL and had only been in WA for 2 days before coming to Trinity for the weekend so they started with Paradise and then returned to the dark side for the remainder of their visit. It's always a pleasure to see friends and have them visit, and 8 of them were kids under 8 who explored and played using their imagination and things found around here for all of their toys, not a video game or manufactured toy in the bunch and they had FUN.

Thanks again to everyone for all of your help and laughs you bring each time, got lots done, and another reason I love this place...
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too...Peace

More Dam Pics

2009-06-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

The top 2 pics are of the dam with Phelps Ck forcefully going over the dam. The creek is almost 2' higher than what it normally runs when it isn't melting out due to the very warm temps we have been having. The water is clearing up daily and lots of oxygen in the water. just being up there and listening to and seeing the power of the creek when it is flowing like this, seeing all of the gravel in spillway and hearing the rocks which sould like bowling balls underwater is a powerful reminder of what it can do. Below the main spill is nothing but large boulders and bedrock that have been cut and carved over the years by this creek but at this time you can't see it because of the quantity of water flowing over and down the creek right now.
This pic is of the inside of the spillway/aquaduct the bright side is the spillway which supplies the water through steel screens with only 3/32" holes to keep the fry from entering the aquaduct and making it to the powerplant, this past winer it had 3-4' of ice on top of what you see here and why the powerplant froze up this past winter during the -10 nights, it froze faster than I could clear the screens so no power for 7 days. the spillway was 80% full of gravel and rocks when we got up there so had to pull the boards to lower the water level and get the rocks moving then assisted using a shovel to keep the gravel moving back into the creek, there was very little sediment it in, the screens are running down the middle. the darker side is still water that feeds the aquaduct which runs 9900' to the settling tank to get the debris out of the water and let rocks and gravel settle to the bottom of the tanks then send it on down to the powerplant to make power for the houses.

The lower photo is looking up at the dam from the road, below the dam is bedrock and boulders that have been carved by the poser of the running creek, this creek is not glacier fed. Above the dam and around a bend is a very beautiful tropical looking waterfall and several pools which are nice holes for cut throat trout to hang out in. This upper section of the the creek only cut throat trout are found and about 1.5 miles downstream below a 30' waterfall you will only find Bull trout because they eat everything else. Just above the upper waterfall is Spider Meadow but very few have ever experienced this area, once they have they always want to return.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

forest Flowers and Buck Big Red

2009-06-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have been asked where the forest flowers are in my photos tht I have posted lately since most have been of the river & creek while rising and waterfalls around here. These are a few of the flowers we have seen while out on our morning hikes, the top flower I'm not sure what it is called i believe it is a bulb plant with a pretty yellow flower that hangs upside down, it found in various areas aound here.
The next photo is of Trillium which are some of the first flowers we see here they love acidic soil for sure and pop up quite quickly after the snow melts, likes shady areas mainly it seems to me and grows all over the flrest floor.

As they get older more mature they turn to the purple color which gets quite deep purple which you see in the next photo.

In the bottom photo is some of the many deer that show up during the day to take their turn at the salt block I put out about 10 days ago and it will be gone in another 3-4 days. It's hard to tell from this shot but the deer in front is a year round resident buck i call Big Red and he already has antlers double the length of his ears and both sides are already forked and the left side rear is starting to split to fork again and it is just June 3. Each year he is a wonderful looking big massive buck with very wide 4x4 and he is extremely wiley and out smarts the hunters each year. He stays here during the winter and never migrates out towards Fish Lake like many of the the deer do.

We actually drive the truck in to Trinity yesterday it's still muddy in a few places but drying nicely aith a couple of snow spots left, it's nice to have y truck home from the garage after 6 months makes going & coming a little easier now.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

First Visitors to Drive into Trinity

2009-05-31T06:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze and good friends. After going for our morning hike and checking the flow of the river and creeks we got home and had an email from friends telling me they were going to come up and hike in to visit. When we came home on Thur we parked down at Little Giant TH and the barricade was put up due to a couple of snowdrifts still lingering and some very soft muddy spots in the road to give it a chance to dry out. Jeff had helped me move vehicles on Thur and knew where we parked which is 4 miles away and they planned to park there and hike in, but instead they figured to see just how far they could drive, well they drove all the way in without tearing up the road and showed up at the gate, very cool.
Jill decided she wanted to not only be the first to drive in to Trinity but the first into the pond which is normally 42-48 degrees in the summer but due to all of the melting snow and shallower water in the pond it was a little warmer. Jill gets the award for not only being the first into the pond this year but she went in twice so I could film it also, she's such a trooper, while Jeff, Johnny & I watched. We had such a great day just having them visit and showing them around and showing them all of the water flows happening right now due to the much warmer temps we have been having. While we were walking around with all of the dogs chasing critters we heard another dogs bark and as were walking to the spillway from the tailrace to show them how it was flowing over we ran into a couple of hikers with their dog, they had come to the same place and found out they could not get past it due to the water flow being rather high. I let them go around and up the road to the trail simply because they had stayed on the trail and didn't just go on their own, they respected private property.
While were out looking around I showed them where the deer had been tearing up the salt block that I just put out last week that was almost 50% gone. Every morning more and more deer show up to enjoy the minerals and socialize or fight whichever you want to call it. Lots of very healthy doe and some really nice bucks already with antlers taller than their ears and forked. The old trailer we are sitting on is from when the mine was running and the sawmill was in full production, we made some guesses of what it was for but aren't really sure, notice the wood spoked wheels they are in great shape for being over 90 years old and buried under lots of snow each winter. We figured it was for hauling logs because of the many leaf springs under it for large loads. Top photo is of Jeff, Johnny & I.
Bottom photo is Jill, Johnny & me with a better view of the powerhouse in background. This is the beginning of the camping and hiking season now that the gates are open with just a barricade up for a few more days anyway.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too. Peace

Constantly Changing Chiwawa River

2009-05-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

This top photo is the newest channel cut by the river, it has been working on this for a couple of years but up until this year this was only a bypass and the major channel of the river went right by Trinity and the Buck CK Trail. This nes channel cuts through the trees closer to James CK and then back around and into the old channel here by Trinity it's where it joins back into it.. It appears to be a fairly deep channel without a rock base like that we normally see it have, now all of the gravel bars are just sitting there huge areas bigger than a couple of football fields with only a trickling of the river along it. If I had my knee boots on I could have gone to get a closer look at this channel but that will be another journey.

This photo show just how much snow is still on the trail in places over 3+' in several shady spots along the trail, also a large tree blocks some of the trail, will have to get cut I just wasn't into cutting it today was enjoying the view and being out with the dogs.
This next photo is the spillway at the lower end of the tailrace, just where the Buck CK trail crosses the stream to continue on to the mountains. This spillway is being slowly removed to allow for a more natural flow making it easier for salmon & dollies to get there from the river. This is just above the confluence where the tailrace and river meet and about 500 yds from the Phelps CK logjam and confluence. If the Forest Service and those in charge of powerplant relicensing get their way and finally make up their mind this spillway could be taken out of action due to rerouting the tailrace back closer to the houses joining the spillway from the front creek and all of that tying into the old creek bed which hasn't been used for
thousands of years. Now the tailrace has been there for over 90 years working just fine and the fish continue to come up it into the pond even though they were spawned in Phelps CK it is the same water they just stay in the river a little longer, they want all of this done for the Dolly's and their breeding beds. It sounds all well and good but it definitely is one of those things that should use scientific data to base their decisions on instead of personel preferences, all of the Big Dolly's are hanging at the waterfall pool about 1.60 miles upstream, not down at this lower end...

This bottom photo is of the gravel bar that was where the river used to be, now it is big enough for several football fields long and wide yet totally hidden by the alders when hiker's are on the trail. I might just have to set up a tent and all out there and build a firepit it's far enough from anything but rocks with the river at either end. Well the alder is so stinking think that without loppers or a chainsaw you won't get through and what makes many of these places not accessible in summer . One nice thing though today did not see any bugs or mosquitos during any of our hikes lately which is a very good thing. Now if the beetles and moths would go away instead f killing off so many trees each year. Looking up and down the valley and seeing the destruction those bugs cause makes me sick, fortunately there are too many other good things to enjoy here.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too, Peace & One Love

Getting warmer waters rising, snow melting

2009-05-19T02:54:00.000-07:00

The top photo is the gauge by the foot bridge on Phelps CK and since Sat it has come up almost .7' and still rising. We checked it yesterday afternoon and it was very dark and murky but not muddy which usually means lots of debris in the water which isn't good for the screens at the dam or settling tank, and can shut the plant down.

The next photo is Chiwawa River @ Phelps CK campground, the bend and Peace is doing what she always does she's looking for the dipper birds that live along the river, the sing and she goes after them without a care. All of the dogs use trees like bridges or highways through the trees, they are true mountain dogs, and love the snow.

The next photo is all 3 of them doing what they do best and that is hunt, not sure what went into the hole in the rocks but Peace is excavating which she is very good at, those big paws can move some dirt, whatever it is it won't get past the 3 of them. It's their favorite past time and they don't really care what it is as long as it runs or flies they will chase it.

This bottom photo is at the auto bridge at the gate, looking up stream of Phelps CK, in the last week it has come up almost a 1' with most coming since the temps went over 70 on Sat & Sun and the nights have stayed warmer than what they have been lately. The afternoons the water is murkier and darker but in the morning it is clearer. This afternoon we heard the tale tale sounds of rising water in the creek, it sounds like bowling underwater from the massive boulders that roll along the bottom, rocks you or I can't lift without help and they are easily pushed down the creek, and the noise alone is becoming defining if you are close. It's a sure sign that spring has arrived at Trinity.
We found out Paradise, hope youfind yours too. Peace

Late April Snow Showers

2009-04-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

This morning while the dogs and I were out hiking and checking out the melt out progress along the river and creek the sun was out shining bright. This afternoon around 3:30 we started getting snow coming off the mountains, but instead of it just being blown by strong winds the sow oved into the valley. These are some of the shots I took while it was happening and still is happening but I wanted to get this posted while it was happening. This is the latest storms we have had while I have lived at Trinity and is one of the things that makes living in the mountains so very special.

If you love the snow as much as I do then enjoy these few shots and if not and you are seeing snow then just send it this way where it is very appreciated... I like the cooler temps that allow for the snow instead of rain which would really make things difficult for getting around.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

Paradise from the Front Pond

2009-04-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

Many of my friends and people I meet think that I must be crazy to live in the middle of nowhere as they call it, just because I'm not in town or have a store down on the corner, closest one is 23 miles away. At first I had to get used to it by making sure to get what I needed while in town or being able to do without it until the next journey out. Sometimes it isn't the easiest especially for someone with very bad knees and shoulders but then I go outside and look around me and see the wonderful majestic mountains surrounding me and the beautiful landscape that changes often.

These photos were taken from the front pond actually the south side of the pond looking back toward Buck Mountain and the Chiwawa's in the top photo. The middle photo is looking back from the front pond toward Fortress Mountain & Massie Ridge and the bottom photo shows Massie Ridge and Chiwawa Mountain with Red Mountain. When I get up each morning and look out and see those mountains all around me and no traffic to contend with especially right now during the meltout I am grateful to live in such a wonderful place, fact is I can't see living anywhere else.

Most of my friends that make it here want to stay but just can't break away from the rat race, and I don't even know what that is. Living here is slow paced most of the time unless I'm trying to keep up with the dogs on one of their outings. I think it is wonderful to have such a place to live and enjoy everyday and the only thing that could possibly make it better is someone to share it with all the time, my dogs are great and they do have their own language but it is still a guessing game as to what they want at times. It's nice to have someone to talk to while exploring all around the place we call Paradise.
We found our Paradise, hpe you find your's too. Peace

What a Difference a Day Makes

2009-04-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

These are phots I've taken the last 2 days to show just how fast the creek & river are rising due to the really warm temps and fast melting snow. The top and 3rd photo are of the bend at the Phelps CK campground showing how high the water was today and how high it was yesterday around the same time .

The 2nd photo is of the creek just in front of Trinity at the auto bridge, showing melting snow and rising levels. The creek is still fairly clear but getting muckier each day. Loosing almost 18" of snow since the weekend on our gauge and seeing the river rise almost 1' since yesterday is making for a very interesting meltout. It's supposed to be cooler tonight with the possibility of some snow overnight at 3000' would be nice but will really suck if it is rain here. Hopefully the temps will cool down and slow the melting process some. The advantage this year is that what snow we did have was much wetter snow and when last measured had almost 43-44% density which is much better than what we had last year.

Now that these logs and snow are under water now or melted I will be using the last photo to show the difference of the rivers depth and flow daily but at the rate we are going it won't even be visible after a couple of more days, that is unless the temps cool down alot over the next few days. I've already had friends cancel coming out yesterday on snowmobiles due to the lack of snow between Alder Ck where hey would have to launch and Chickamin flats which is 8 miles up the road. From Chikamin to Trinity there are a few dirt spots but should still be passible for a while but it is really going to depend on what the weather has in store for us.

If things keep up like the last couple of days we could have some really severe flooding so we are praying for cooler temps even during the day it would be a blessing right now, it has been much worse at this time other years with water flowing everywhere, while we still have 2-4' of snow on the road but just one step too far off the road you sink to your knees.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your too. Peace

Meat Friday & Gibbs Organic Farm visit

2009-04-13T05:25:00.000-07:00

This past Thur the dogs and I headed into town, me riding the ATV with them running the 23 miles to the garage, then on to Leavenworth & Wenatchee to run errands. This was to be the longest time away from Trinity since we parked the truck at the garage in Dec. We went out to visit friends and attend Meat Friday at Ryan & Sarah & Holt Walker's. Since we went to visit our friend Grant and wanted him to go with us we had to wait for him to get off work at Steven's Pass before heading to eat meat. Before we could leave though we had to check on the new bull calf that was born just before Grant got home, having just being born 15-30 min before hand, he's a good looking and very strong calf.

We were a little late getting there and not alot of people but tons of different meat dishes, anyone that didn't get full it was there own fault. Got to see old friends we haven't seen much lately and some new friends we hadn't met before, and even got to meet our neighbor's at our garage the Loomis'. We had a wonderful time and had plenty to eat even having lunch and dinner the next day from leftovers we took home.

Grant and I worked at the farm to get things ready, harrowing the hay field along with other chores around a farm while Grant sprayed his trees. We kept watch for the calf and as the day got longer he got stronger.

When we went out originally we we had planned to come home Sat but it was warm in town and thought we would put it off until Sun or Monday giving the snow a chance to set up so not so soft for the dogs that they punch through and get hurt. Easter morning I got a phone call from a friend telling me that he just saw it was already 45 @ Trinity yet only 38 in Leavenworth which when checked again the last update from the webcam was at 2:45 on 4/11 and normally when that happens it means one thing, the plant has dropped/ shutdown, meaning we had to pack and head home immediately so we did. The closer to Trinity we got the wetter it was and not the best for travelling on snow. We headed in from the garage around 11 and after almost 2 hours arrived home to find 4" of new snow in a mix or rain & snow from Chikamin to Trinity. This was a great weekend with friends, just cut a little short.

The best thing was when we got home the plant was still up and running and it was just the computer froze up which was a pleasant surprise. All in all a great weekend and the dogs got to all the stores that have doggy treats in town.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too...Namaste'

Skate Skiing to Trinity

2009-03-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Rob & John started out to Trinity around 6am from the Fish Lake Sno-park skate skiing to Trinity and arrived 2 hours and 22 min later, a very quick trip for 23 miles on skis. I got an email from Rob earlier this week about them making the run out here since the trail was getting groomed one last time for the season. It was raining at the time and we got over 1" of rain that day, yesterday morning I emailed him to let him know how wet the snow was after our morning hike. He said they were coming as long as it got groomed wo we both wanted colder temps than 33, we got it 23 overnight due to clear skies. This morning couldn't have been better for them the road was groomed and freezing temps set it up nicely making for a fast trip. I had coffee on for them and the dogs let me know they were here. We had coffee and visited for a little while while they warmed up some, but since the sun was getting higher and higher fast they headed out after their snack and coffee to have good snow on the way back instead of soft snow, it really slows them down. This is the 2nd year for this trek and they couldn't have had a more beautiful day for it, who wants to join them next time. It's an adventure with a cozy resting place with a hot cup of coffee and happiness in the middle of the mountains.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Playing in my Backyard

2009-03-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Since yesterday we've had over 18" of snow fall here and today several friends came out for skiing, snowmobiling & brunch. It was a great day it puked snow and for the first time since mid Jan this is the most snow at one time we have gotten here. Sometimes it was snowing over 2"+/hr of beautiful POW. Everyone had a great time and the dogs really loved it, at time all you could see of Bear was the top of his head but they just love the deep POW to play in, but then again don't we all. We are now over 6' on our gauge and that is a good thing.
Even though we have held what snow we have had here never getting lower than 3.5' it just wasn't adding up do to warming and settling before it got to 4' and then today we finally went over 6'. I've always liked the snow and seeing everything white in the trees because it is so clean and beautiful but until it stopped snowing I never realized what kind of impact it caused. Most people that know me know I'm very laid back and never let things bother me, take everything in stride but when things started turning white again I realized I was feeling depressed due to the lack of snow especially during the middle of winter, now that it's snowing I feel revived and much happier now. I love the snow and the mountains and getting to live here is the Bomb, just can't see living anywhere else.

I feel great now and have enjoyed sharing this wonderful place with my friends, if you love snow and wintersports of any kind you can find it here, most only visit but my dogs and I live here always, what could make life better... that is another story...
Get out and enjoy these beautiful surroundings and the POWPOW, it does a body great.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste'

Skiing Miner's Playground

2009-03-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

This morning Ivan and I snowmobiled down to the campground and went to a run I have been watching for over a month since the conditions are such that I could walk anywhere without lots of new snow. This morning we found POW everywhere we went, crossed the river over a tree/snow bridge. The dogs of course showed the way since it is something they have done often chasing the dipper bird. The photos aren't in order since the top photo is of the trip end getting ready to go have breakfast.

The next photo is of Ivan skinning up the mountain in some wonderful POW with bear along for the trip they are about 650' above me at this point and headed up another 500-600' before making his run down. What made this trip so cool is that it is a Virgin run no one has skied it until today and it is just one of several I have found since living here, and one that calls to any skier or snowboarder.

The next photo is another of Ivan on his skinning up the mountain, it definitely was a good workout according to Ivan and I was envious I wasn't getting to make that run also but next year I will be if I have to do it on a ski bike. According to Ivan the snow was in great shape, even with all of the icy conditions we had the new snow is bonding very well with very little sluffing at all but plenty of give making for great action on the skis, tis was an east facing slope about 120 yads across with some trees bordering both sides and some in the middle but plenty of room to move around and pick your lines.

The bottom photo is just as Ivan started up the mountain on the way to a first run giving him the honor of naming it so he called it Miner's Playground and with skinning and skiing he totaled about 2500-3000' in about 1.75 hours. When we left the house this morning around 8:45 the sun was poking out a little but you could see the snow coming in and the entire time Ivan was climbing up the mountain the snow got harder and harder I had over .5" of new snow on my pack before he started skiing down and I had a hard time picking him out up there due to all of the snow. Just as he told me he was switching over to skiing and removing skins I looked around and saw blue skies a around with just the snow around Ivan becoming less and less, by the time he started down it was clear and sunny making for the perfect beautiful run ending up at the river close to our tree/snow bridge. These were perfect conditions for being outside and playing in the snow. Even though neither of remembered to set our clocks ahead this morning it was a good skiing weekend for Ivan and snowmobiling for both of us in some wonderful POW 12-18" in places. The only thing that could have made this a better weekend was that it lasted another 2-3 days. There are so many great runs and with the latest snow we've gotten 18" in last 11 days, all you havve to do is pack your skis on your sled and get your butt out here I'll show you where to play and there are no crowds to deal with, you could even name your own runs.

We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too. Namaste'

Dam icicles & fresh Bear tracks

2009-02-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

The other day Bob, Peggy & I along with the dogs went up to the dam , it was a beautiful sunny day and 20 degrees so we decided to head to the dam before it got too warm. On our way there we did a couple of repairs to our road and the bridges we had built out of snow we made it. While we were at the big slide repair and while watching the dogs checking things out I noticed some tracks I knew weren't the dogs, even Peace's big feet were no match for these tracks, they belong to a very early bear that is confused by this weather and lack of snow so he's already moving around. I went out Tues morning to meet Bob & Peggy at the garage I thought I saw some tracks that looked like bear tracks coming this way but knew it was just too early for them to be moving and so thought we might just have a very big wolf out here, well after seeing these tracks on Thur I realized I had seen bear tracks.
While going to the dam and climbing almost 800' elevation from my house we found almost 1' of POW. These are just a few photos I took while at the dam and on the road to the dam. The top 2 photos are icicles from the dam that are getting bigger everyday. The 2 lower photos are of the bear tracks that were on the road to the dam. The dogs went a little crazy wanting to find him, it really kept them busy and got Peace to stop looking for the dipper bird to chase.
The conditions out and about are really great for being able to really go anywhere and if you are looking to do some backcountry touring either snowmobile or skiing you really can't ask for much better conditions. The Phelps Creek TH road is clear and has 2-6" of POWder and closer to the TH almost 10-12", even though the base is great it isn't as frozen as it had been so makes for great exploring. Since we have seen temps in the 40's each day the afternoon's are better for snowmobiles especially since the trail is very hard and icy in some places, but ice scratcher's help greatly, late afternoon's you might post hole in some places as the snow softens late afternoon, as soon as the sun goes behind the mountains though the snow is quick to firm back up. These are the things that make living here so great, everyday is something different, spending time with my dogs watching them enjoy life, the only thing that would make it better is having someone to ashare it with.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

New Snow & Artist Conch babies

2009-02-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when we went hiking it was starting to snow lightly and as the day progressed the snow got heavier. We had quite a few snowmobilers & friends come visit some we haven't seen since Peace was 8 weeks old and Bear & Lillie weren't even here yet. Our friends Dan, Jen, Jake, Jared, Allan, Chris, and some friends of their's came out riding and have helped me out in different situations over the years, it was good to see them.
The top photo was taken during the snowfall yesterday, the middle photo is this morning after the snow stuck everywhere.

The bottom photo is actually a fungi commonly called an artist conch, as you can see it grows in and on dead trees and what you are seeing is the fruit of said fungi, which after growing and covering the outside of dead trees people remove them, dry them out and then use them for a canvas for paintings and other art work, some we have found are over 15" across. The photo is of the bottom side of the fruit which is just starting to form but will be solid off white and dries to the texture of an artist canvas. I have found them all over out here in many different sizes and shapes some only possible to see when there is 10-12' of snow because they are so high in the trees/snags.
I'm not an artist, I can't even draw stick figures without a ruler or template but I do have a good eye I believe and see lots of possibilities with them from their beginnings like the photo to those that are multi-faced or 1' across, so until I learn to draw, I might just have to collect them for friends that are artist like Amanda & Rusty Gibbs and see what we ca come up with together.

I am grateful for the new snow and hope to see another 2' or more of snow so that it won't be so dry this summer. Everyone that has been here during the winter & come out here this winter are shocked to see so much of the buildings out here at this time of year, we are usually buried in snow and basically live in an ice cave for 3-4 months with only a way out and a couple of places to look out front and back. I normally have to climb up and then down to get to my porch 4-5' and usually getting i the powerhouse means climbing down 10-12' just to get inside it, this year I made steps in Jan and haven't had to dig another thing since which has been nice for sure but it's not good for keeping the fire danger down. Get out and enjoy the beautiful POW, get some fresh air, and enjoy the natural beauty all around.

We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Ice Wall, River & Spot Satellite Messenger

2009-02-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

This top photo is of one of the ice walls formed from all of the water coming out of the mountain above the river. It's one of the places the dogs like to go run especially Peace & Bear because it is where the dipper bird hangs out and he likes to get them to chase him and they like chasing him. The next photo is the river just below the ice wall and the log jam at the confluence of the Phelps Creek and Chiwawa River, nice hole for the fish to hang out.
The bottom photo is a self portrait with my newest peice of safety equipment my Spot Satellite Messenger. Living out here and doing most of my traveling and hiking alone with my dogs I've been limited in what I can do because of being so far out here and being alone, especially having bad knees and shoulders, this is such a beautiful area and because of that beauty I find it hard to stay inside but have felt limited in where I could safely go up to now, usually I would just email a friend to let them know i'm going hiking and to where or if I'm going out to garage or snowpark, then call once there and when I'm heading back home, with an email once safely home, always with the understanding that if not heard from in 2-4 hours depending on how I'm traveling to call 911 because there was a problem.

Well with the Spot tracking messenger I can let people know where I am in realtime on google maps by turning the tracking mode on, I can also just check in to let them know if going out and if I'm OK even if my power is out now, a nice back up to have. I can send an OK or tracking message with GPS coordinates of where I am or where I have been for 24 hours or longer if I reset it again. If I'm out now and have a problem mechanically or physically but not a real emergency then I can send a help message with exact GPS coordinates and then if it is a real emargency I can send a 911 message which ties me in to the geos emergency worldwide service and will inform the authorities closest to me and get emergency teams dispatched to where I am using GPS coordinates. I believe this will give me an added sense of safety & security whenever & where ever I choose to go now with pretyped messages for check in or help depending on what I'm doing. You can find out more about it at www.findmespot.com if you are interested especially if you love the outdoors as much as I do and live as remotely during such crazy weather times like we have been experiencing. I purchased mine from Rescue Essentials for $149 and it came with the tracker option included via coupon for 1 yr a 49.95 value, then had to purchase yrly service plan for 99 and also got $100K SAR insurance for anywhere in the world for $7.95 and then repair or replacement insurance for 17.95 total of 135 for total service including tracking and unlimited checkin & help, I thought this wasa very good deal since they retail for as much as $169, but shop around there are deals, I'm happy with Rescue Essentials and their customer service is 1st class thanks Jorian, find them at www.rescue-essentials.com
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Making a Snow Road on way to the Dam

2009-02-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

This past Monday Bob and I went to see just how bad the road to the dam was, and this slide and one other small place made it difficult to get past. This area slides every year never fails to let go and normally by this time of year we haven't been able to get to the dam for over a month or two. A few weeks ago when it was raining and we were getting wet snow I thought for sure that the whole face of the backside of Phelps Ridge had let go and slid, well I was wrong. The owners had gone up there a week before and told me they had to do some digging to get by on snowmobiles because of the slide area letting go as usual.
As we got up to the settling tank we had no difficulty getting there and were feeling good about getting up to the dam but we had to do some cutting and digging to make it level enough to get past on the ATV. We found it to be gorgeous going up there and we even found several natual ski runs across the creek. They are accessible from the Phelps Creek TH and by doing a little skinning you can get over 2000' of verticle skiing done and end up at our road across the creek. We had a great time getting there and seeing all of the beautiful snow and ski runs normally cutoff during this time of year.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Cascade Quest Sled Dog Race 2009 @ Trinity

2009-02-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the annual Cascade Quest sled dog race and we had 4 Purebred 6 dog teams, and 12 6 dog teams plus a 12 dog team that wasn't racing just a practice run. The teams started getting here around 6:15pm last night and last team arrived at 9:05pm. It took a while to get the dogs fed and settled in for the night so it wasn't real quiet for a little while after they arrived but once they got full and laying down for the night it got fairly quiet until about 4 am when someone must have been moving around and within a moment all 108 dogs outside started singing in harmony with my 3 dogs joining them for a moment. The dogs outside continued singing until they finally restarted the last leg of the race at 8:30 am.
This was the largest group of 6 dog teams in the last 5 years that I have been here for the Cascade Quest. This year we had a completely new crew here except for us and Dr Ty Johnson the Trinity vet not only for the race but also for my dogs and cat also. It's nice having a vet that makes house calls to Trinity and this year he brought his daughter Haile who is 8.
Haile got to meet Emma Porter a first time musher to Trinity who made here first snow run, night run, & overnight run all in one race, but she isn't new to Trinity. For the last 4 years she has come up here as part of the crew here during the races with her dad Tom. This year Tom ran the sporting class team race while Emma ran the 6 dog staged race.
This year the trail was fairly fast due to the conditions we have had the last 3 weeks with very cold nights and warmer days so we were expecting some of the times records to fall this year. We had a great time, had many returning mushers and dogs some with different teams and owners along with some new mushers to this class race who did very well. Not sure how things finished today at the Rec club but should know in the next couple of days. If you haven't had the chance to witness the superb atheletes in action you should check it out. Once the mushers start putting the harness and booties on the dogs the switch goes on and the dogs are ready to run, it's a beautiful thing to watch.

Now even though we had all of those dogs here the only ones that didn't enjoy it were Peace, Bear & Lillie because they were put on house arrest and lockdown while all of the other dogs were here, just didn't need them wanting to play with all of the tied up dogs, it wouldn't have been a pretty site.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

Ice Formations upstream Phelps Creek

2009-01-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning when we went for our morning hike we headed upstream on Phelps Creek and found it to be colder that heading downstream towards the Chiwawa River. It's quite easy to get there now because the alder is buried under the hardpack snow and there are ice bridges everywhere, some cover the creek completely. Peace, Bear & Lillie love getting out and hunting, following scents to every tree the find, and playing chase and having fun.
I'm also curious about the forecast we have been having for this week, I keep seeing fog forecast but we haven't seen fog or anythig else but beautiful blue skies with a few clouds on occasion. It has been about 4-8 degrees colder than being forecast for the nights which is causing moisture to be pulled from the snow and beautiful hoar frost on the surface of the snow, to me it looks like beautiful snow feathers some alsmost 3/4" tall and the dogs love to eat it as they are walking & playing. It looks like the cold temps will get colder through the weekend with Sunday down to possible -2. When hiking around we hardly leave footprints even in the hoar frost. It's been great to be able to go any direction we want each day without fear of post holing or the snow dropping out from under your feet, no need for snowshoesbut some good ice cleats don't hurt.

The water temp of Phelps Creek usually stays between 42& 47 year round until we get into single digit temps, upstream is not as open as downstream therefore it stays colder because of mountains on both sides, not as much sunlight reaches it at this time of year and it is why we are seeing the great ice formations in the creek, I think they are beautiful, hope you like them too.

I am really enjoying having the snow set up so well so early in the winter and I've been taking advantage if it and using it as part of the rehab on my knee. I go walking everyday with the dogs to exercise and keep my knees stronger, it's just very confining when it is so deep and POW with no bottom makes it much more dangerous, you never know if it will hold you or not. Becasue the snow looks like big white pillows and is uneven it makes for good therapy, helping me to strengthen both knees, up & down, crossing creeks, side hilling to get some places and inclines that challenge me without being so dangerous, each day we do a little more. Every morning we go out for a 1.5-2 hour walk and exploration, checking out places to ski and snowmobile that aren't usually accessible and then come in for brunch, which also helps the healing I normally don't eat but once a day. After brunch and a slight rest we head out again for another hour or so, everytime heading a different direction, I'm finding it to be great therapy and fun at the same time.

If you like being outdoors and hiking this is the time to get out and enjoy it, no snowshoes necessary, pack a snack and water and a good walking stick of choice and get out and enjoy. For those that like winter camping there are plenty of snowpits readily available from treewells and fallen trees that will protect you and give you a warm place to sleep.
No need for trails since you can literally walk anywere you want without having alders and vine maple everywhere to hinder you. Jump on your sled, grab your dogs or friends and get outside and enjoy this beautiful winter weather, it'll do you some good.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too. Peace

Exploring with Ivan on Snowmobiles

2009-01-20T23:22:00.000-08:00

This winter I've been taking it easy letting my knee heal after surgery in August, all I've done as far as riding has been the tracked ATV just to keep the snow packed down and making it easier to get around. After the snow settling down and becoming hard packed and I do mean hard, I've been walking with the dogs and checking out places to ride that usually aren't accessable this early in the year, checking out ski runs and places to snowmobile that no one ever rides through the trees.
Today my friend Ivan came out to ride with me and just have some fun in the snow before he heads to Jackson Hole and then on a cruise. We rode down to the horse camp and Phelps Creek campground riding through the trees getting off the trails and making our own way and exploring some new ski runs that need to be named. We found many places on both sides of the river to ride and play lots of mid sized jumps and getting to ride along the river was a great feeling. The dogs had a great time chasing us and hunting anything that moved or the scents left by the martens and other critters we all got some good exercise. The morning started rather cold 14 degrees and Ivan got here at around 9:15 after a chilly 30 minutes ride out here, we had some coffee and caught up some but we had to get out in the snow and all. We headed out to the campground to look at some ski areas that need to be skied and enjoyed, we just need about12" of POW th really make it nice riding.

The places we went in the summer aren't accessable because of all of the mountain alder everywhere but now the snow is just deep enough to hold it down and the snow is hard enough it won't pop up and hit you, and we had 3-4 X's as much area as in other previous years to ride and the nice thing is you can't get stuck, it's a great feeling, and allows you to be more daring, it was wonderful and so much fun. With the 20 degree temp swings everyday into the teens at night and up to mid 30's to 40 during the day also cause some of the biggest snow feathers I've ever seen and each day the become larger, when you walk across them you hardly leave tracks across it. Today was a wonderful with a great friend & adopted family member and even though I will feel it tomorrow it was worth every little ache or pain, it was a big part of the healing process, being outdoors surrounded by the natural beauty all around is very magical.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

Hiking up James Creek

2009-01-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

Today started out foggy here in the valley, but you could see blue skies above, so I knew it was going to be a nice day for a hike with the dogs. Yesterday we walked down the Chiwawa River snowbanks to the Phelps Creek campground, the snow is hardpacked enough you don't need snowshoes or have to worry about punching through and post holing. These are the conditions usually not seen until late Mar, early April after the snow basically has stopped falling but before the melt out. It's the time to go snowmobiling and not have to worry about getting stuck, you can go up hills and all normally impassable because the snow snow is so soft and deep POW.
Once we stared out we walked up the river until we found an area to cross on snow, not a downed tree and then we walked as far up the west side of the river as far as we could without going up the mountain just yet. The dogs had a great time chasing snowshoe hares, squirrels, and the martens across the snow. Since last Easter when some friends and I hiked up there in white out conditions so they could ski while walking the ridge above the creek and looking down on the creek I've wanted to hike it. It is almost impossible in the summer because of the mountain alder being so thick only deer and small creatures and my dogs can get around through it, I haven't tried but know those that have to their painful regret.

Today was perfect but almost dangerous, it was 18 when we started out, the hoar frost looked like diamonds, you could see how high the river had been running because of the mud on the ice & snowbanks, and the alder were buried and held down by the hard packed snow that is almost ice due to wet snow and rain last week and the 20 degree temp swings each day, warming to 40 and down to 18-20 overnight. I didn't have to worry though I had my ice traction studs on , they are great best I've had or needed being here. Today though we walked up the creek from the bottom up either walking beside or right up the middle on the snowpack. We found several small snow sides not big but slides none the less and because they are basically frozen now made nice stairs for climbing up once we got to the bottom of the waterfall, the dogs and I investigated as much as felt safe. We actually were standing right below where Grant, Ivan & I took a breather last year just before they skied down, one of the slides was at 3 Dog Run which we named last year after the dogs took off and ran to the bottom and back up again. These are just a few of the photos to show how gorgeous it was there today, you can see more on the web album online. Today's hike was a blast temp was 25 when we returned 2 hours later, the snow was just starting to get soft enough to see where we had been. The only thing that would have made today better would have been to have someone to share it with.

We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too. Peace

Old Friends Remembered

2009-01-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

The snow here is very firm with 23 degrees, you can basically goo anywhere because the snow is compact, more like springtime conditions than what you would normally expect for mid-January. No new snow and lots of sunshine and plenty of early morning Alpenglow.
I often get asked about the wolves I shared Trinity with for a couple of years, so here are some photos of Kaia & Nashaba, thanks Ted and everyone else.
This is the time to get outside and enjoy what snow we have. Peace

Are You Kidding Me !!!

2009-01-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

I normally keep a pretty close eye on several different forecast to get a good idea of what the weather is supposed to do, but then I also watch what is going on around here at the same time. The forecaster's missed this by a mile, it was supposed to be in the mid 20's last night, instead it stayed above 40 all night with crazy winds some over 30 mph. It has made the snow very slick and glazed, from firm to soft and we are now below 4' on the gauge. The road here was groomed last night and if it had gotten as cold as forecast would have set it up nice, since it is so warm I don't even want to go out walking around much due to severe risk of post holing which is something I prefer to avoid, evenn the dogs are having difficulty with keeping their footing and sliding around, it is funny though. In just over a month we have gone from lows of -9 to now highs of 49, making it very hard on the water supply for summer. Like I've said the macro-climate here at Trinity is so very different from anything you will find in this area, Fish lake is at 36 with 1mph winds and Steven's Pass it's 32, yet it feels like I went to sleep and woke up and it's late April the snow is dirty with debris fom the trees, the snow is melting due to the strong winds and if you are walking in this snow wear snowshoes or sink, the advantage is I can go just about anywhere on my snowmobile and not have to worry about getting stuck in bottomless POW. If this keeps up we will not have any snowpack by the time April gets here which reminds me of the first winter I was here, I hope we don't have a repeat. This continues to be a crazy winter and everything that normally takes 5-6 months to happen here has now happened in one month.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too. Peace

Beautiful Day @ Trinity

2009-01-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the snow was firm but not frozen like it was yesterday, and for the first time we could get to the foot bridge without punching through post holing. Now that the temps have gotten warmer the ice dams are melting somewhat revealing the creek a little more everyday. The dogs love it too, they can go anywhere they want which means they can hunt without having to snowplow to get to the smells and have fun playing in the snow without getting wet. Bear found something he liked in the snow by the foot bridge digging as deep as half of his body as you can see in the photo of him, Lillie likes to belly slide on the snow, Peace was out hunting somewhere else. I was able to drag around Trinity and even started getting things ready for the sled dog races that will be happening in the next few weeks, it's called the Cascade Quest. With all of the snow we have had I haven't been able to keep it knocked down and with the rains the snow is like Big pillows of snow, not very even and so it will take some work to get it ready for the dog teams. I hadn't been out there very long and the temp was hovering around 32 so that it was firm but still soft enough for the drag to cut the snow down some without being so hard it does nothing. That only lasted about 45 minutes and then it warmed up and got very soft so that I went from barely making a mark to cutting a 10" trough, so I decided it would be better to stop before I messed up what I had done already. The rest of the day we kept an eye out for any sledder's that might make it out this far but so I could find out what the road south of here was like, probably not passable due to slides and possible downed trees. There is always tomorrow and with the warming trend expected this week I'll only be able to drag early in the mornings and only if it drops below 30 at night. We'll just have to see what happens and hope they groom this week all the way out here then for sure friends can come in to visit without difficulty. All in all today was a beautiful day and the dogs had a blast gettting to go places thaty haven't been able to for a while. The marten has been around here causing Peace to go a little nuts, once she winds something she wants to find it no matter how far away it is or where it has gone. I believe Peace would be great at an extreme obsticle course the way
she, Bear & Lillie travel through the woods, they are all bushwackers, I don't think she would find a closed course very challenging, especially since she uses downed trees as bridges and highways through the woods, deer trails, the creek and river to get around in the brush, and she just loves to run, not bad for a Lab/Rott/St.Bernard mix but she has the heart and soul of the wolves I've had, she just stays closer to home. Well that will be someting else to write about another day. The snow and rain is gone but the winds are picking up getting stronger keeping the wind chimes singing their songs which I love to hear, but it also knocks the snow down compacting it even more.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

Icicles a Favorite Toy

2009-01-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

Most of us are thrilled when we see big icicles hanging off of buildings and windows and all but my dogs could care less when they are hanging around here, but once they fall it's a different story. They can not go outside without grabbing one before coming back inside which is OK but can be a surprise if you happen to be walking in your socks sometimes.
Today it started out snowing around 8 and we had friends coming out to visit and they were leaving the snow-park @ 9:30. They got here around 11 and were soaked because it had been raining Fish Lake and half of the way in here but the whole time they were here it snowed about 3" in about 5 hours but that turned into rain within 20 minutes after Ivan & Sam left. We had a great visit and they brought in some needed supplies of ice cream, 1/2n1/2, & milk.
With these warming temps and now the rain all of the snow that has been piling up on the roofs is starting to slide off & building up around the houses which is helping to insulate things but most of all there are icicles everywhere and not one time can any of the dogs go out or come in without picking up one to fight over. It's another of the many things they do to entertain me everyday. If you haven't met Peace, Bear & Lillie in dog you are missing out, even though at times it seems chaotic with them they each have very definite dogalities and are a pleasure to be around. They have never met a stranger either 2 or 4 legged and they are my best friends. It's such fun to watch them playing in the snow, playing keep away or tag using a branch that has fallen, it just doesn't matter to them. After spending $100's on toys for them the ones they like best usually can be found on the ground while they are out playing, keep it simple is even true for them.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

Meet Gizmo the Cat

2009-01-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

This is Gizmo the Cat he's lived here at Trinity with me almost 4 years, the longest of any animals that have lived here with me. Since most of the photos I take are when we go walking and include the dogs I was asked why I never had photos of Gizmo so here they are. The top photo is when Gizmo met Sadie thePine Marten who came up on the porch one morning looking for something to eat. The next one is of Gizmo in his favorite place to sleep and look outside the window to see what is out there. The bottom photo is where he was thinking about attacking Bear or possibly looking for a place to lay down with them. Gizmo is not like most cats in that he isn't afraid of the snow and if we go outside he usually follows to see what the dogs are doing. Gizmo si also a pretty good hunter until it comes to mice and he would rather play with them and then let them go but not until the damage has been done & I find them a few days later. I'll try to do better to show all of the animals including Gizmo in future post.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your too.

7 Degree Morning

2009-01-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

Good Morning it's a beautiful day at Trinity crisp and clear outside with beautiful blue skies. These photos are of Buck Mountain & Fortress (Massie Ridge) and you can see they are beautiful with the sun hitting them and the blue skies behind. The one thing about living here is that the landscape changes constantly at this time of year but seeing it like this is best.
Took the dogs out for their early morning run and after taking care of business was just checking how well the snow had packed where I had dragged it was very nice and firm, in the snow drifts I spotted the Marten's tracks going from my house to next door, it didn't take long for Peace to pick it up with her famous nose, and she blindly jumped into the snowbank plowing through it looking for him. She is very amazing, the slightest scent and she gets into hunt mode instantly, to her it doesn't matter that she often disappears when jumping into snowbanks like that but it doesn't matter to her, it's all about the chase. I might have to start a wilderness obsticle course because all of thses guys are bushwackers for sure and they know how to use everything in the terrain to get around it is amazing to watch.
For those of you sledders that wait for beautiful conditions for your rides, you couldn't ask for any better, than what we have today, so get on that sled and ride but be careful, if you get off the trail don't let off the POWer in the POWder or you will be digging out. Go out and have some fun in the woods.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

Sno-jammer's New Year's Day Visit

2009-01-01T16:54:00.000-08:00

I first met some these sledder's last year on N Y eve they had made it out here through almost twice as much snow as we have here now, only a few of the group that started out here made it. They ended up helping me find a person that tried to come in here when they had no business with the conditions as they were. From that initial meeting last year I made some good friends that have come to my rescue or helped me out several times, along with coming up everytime they come up to sled, especially Spero & Kristyn owner's of Wildfun Powersports in Lakewood. We have built a nice friendship around sledding and them coming here to show people Trinity and the powerhouse and whatever is possible to get to.
I knew they were coming here this week and made arrangements for them to bring a few things in for me when they came this direction and found out they were coming today but I didn't know just how many were coming. I went out early to drag around here to get some of the snow snow packed as well as I could and was just finishing up when I had Glenn open the door to the powerhouse, he said
he had the first group but I was surprised to see just how many made the trip out to Trinity. They mentioned having about 60 people staying at 1000Trails and today 3/4 of them were out here, it was a sight to see and a very welcomed visit. It's things like this and meeting sledder's that have formed many of the friendships I have today. I shoed them around the powerhouse and they ate lunch and just had a good time, did have a few that became casualties of the Bottomless POW here getting stuck especially trying to help me out by opening up places I haven't been able to drag or pack lately, now I probably can now and will try tomorrow. It's these visits and friendships that I value everyday, you just never know who you might meet so always be nice to them, even though caretaker's at Trinity have had a bad name that isn't the case now.
Everyday I'm grateful for the friends I've made since living here, it's one of the things that makes Trinity so very special. Thanks guy for you help and your visit, hppe you enjoyed it as much as we did... Have a wonderful year.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace everyone!

It's a New Year start it out Right

2009-01-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of 2009, a new begining if we choose or we can continue to hang on to last year and all that has happened, in the past. Myself I like the fact that everyday is a new day and what happeded yesterday is in the past, so I leave it there and each day is all we really have, to make the most of it. One of the things I love about living here is the pace, I've learned to slow down which for me makes life much more enjoyable and full. I get to take in the wonderful beauty that surrounds us here and it is so peaceful. The snow continues to fall turning everything white making it beautiful fun to get out in at the same time it can be very dangerous for those that get in a hurry ant not heed the warnings. Just like in life we can get n such a hurry that we don't listen to the warning and end up paying a price I know I have. I have enjoyed not having to go anywhere and taking care of the things here to be able to get around and all have kept me busy for sure but I have learned to not rush through it but instead to take my time and it's worked much better for me. My hope is that each one of you find that place you can go and take time to enjoy every moment you have making the best of any situation, you deserve it and you control it. If you love the snow as much as I do get out and enjoy it, being safe, sharing love and peace in all you do, it will make you happier & healthier for sure.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

They Groomed to Trinity

2008-12-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

For all of you snowmobilers who have waited to ride out to Trinity because it hadn't been groomed can now take the ride you've been waiting to make, they groomed all the way out last night. There is probably 10-12" of new snow on top of the grooming but that just makes it more fun. For those that aren't used to riding in very dry Pow I would suggest staying on the road, you can get stuck very easily, Power is your friend and most of all enjoy the ride.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

New Year's Eve @ Trinity 2008

2008-12-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well it seems 2008 is trying hard to go out with a Bang, well maybe not a bang but lots of snow. Even though we just started getting snow that stayed on Dec 11th which is very late for Trinity it's been trying hard to catch up since then. Last night we got another 10.25" of POW but it was windblown. We've finally started seeing some snowmobilers making it up here after Christmas and even though they haven't groomed out here yet people are still making it out here, just having to break new trails each day and avoiding a few downed trees, they still love to get out and ride. We've had a few friends come visit and are looking for more the rest of the holiday weekend, actually some we just met last year that jumped in to help someone they didn't know when someone got lost on the way here and at the time we had almost 10' of snow with over 6' of new since they had groomed last which made it very challenging to say the least. It will be nice seeing them again this year. The last couple of days we have some very strong winds blowing the snow to whiteout conditions worse than anything I ever have seen here but it doesn't even phase the dogs, they just want to play as the photos show. Phelps Creek is almost completely covered in 3-4' of ice & snow this year already and we only have almost 5' on our gauge because of settling.
This is the time of year that most people make new resolutions that sound good but they never really plan to keep them it seems, I just plan to make each day the best that I can, to share Love & Peace with all I come in contact with, it makes my life better, an adventure in the making.

I hope each and everyone of you have a great celebration knowing that everyday is a new day and doesn't have to be controlled by past events because they are over, future events aren't here so enjoy today making it the best you can because it is all you have.
Peace, Lillie, Bear Love, Gizmo the Cat, and I wish you all the very best life has to offer. Take the time to enjoy the moment not be so rushed you pass your blessings by.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

From POWder to WET Snow

2008-12-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

This morning when we got up we had 17.5" of very wet snow on top of all fothe very dry Pow we've been getting for the last couple of weeks. To be very honest it should make it easier to pack being as wet as it is and what is even crazier is the fact that since Dec 10 yesterday & last night were the warmest temps we have had by almost 25 degrees. I mentioned that I had my first snowmobile visitors yesterday and they told me they had to work to get here through the deep POW but that it was fun, they also told me that towards Fish Lake it was raining part of the way here then they got into the snow the closer to Trinity the got. Last night the owners came in around 11pm and at that time it was still over 30 and snowing but very wet snow, the wet snow started to slide off the roofs leaving lots of very wet snow between the houses and when it fell it rattled both houses, they said it rained the first 14 miles in or so, then the snow started. Getting wet snow has some advantages in that it packs nicely but if it is too wet then it makes snowballs when dragging and if it freezes like that makes it hard to get around but it's better than lots of very deep POW that has no bottom, this might make a nice base and much easier to get around. One comment that has been made by everyone that has made it to Trinity the last 2 days have all made the same comment when they got here, "There isn't enough snow are we sure we're at Trinnity" because normally by this time of year we have to step down to our porches but right now we are still climbing stairs might just be 4 or 5 steps but that is alot last year we had 250" of snow just in Dec and this year just a little over 90" at the same time. It's nice to come out of the deep freeze we were in and yet Wenatchee & Leavenworth have actually been colder the last few days than it has been here which is definitely different. Everyone that has a tractor and snowblower are working overtime just trying to clear driveways even Don the man that keeps our drive cleared at the garage has been working all day and was still at it when the owners arrived at the gargage. It seems the snow is starting to slack off which means it's a good time for me to go and drag the trails and paths I try to keep open all winter making it much easier to get in & out not only for me but the dogs too. Well hope all are recovering from the snow & rain and haven't let it ruin your holidays, it is things like this that make it easy to stay in today because it is all we really have, make the best of it always. Peace
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

First Snowmobile Visitors of the Season

2008-12-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

Today after eating lunch and taking the dogs out for a walk I was just settling in and the dogs all jumped up and went to the door very excited. I let Peace & Bear out and the immediately headed out towards the gate and then I saw the yellow jacket at the gate, so I quickly got dressed again and headed out and there were Brent, Rolf & Jude neighbors from out on the road, they had come up for the holidays from the west side. They said there was lots of snow on the road and there were some single tracks coming this way but they widened things up a bit. It was nice to see them they even brough ice cream & cokes. They said the trail didn't have any trees down just deep snow without much base, for those from the west side it could cause some problems because this is very dry POWder out here. After a nice visit they decided to head back before it gets too dark, the dogs did good and Gizmo even got some much wanted attention, nice to have friends show up at Paradise, especially those that enjoy the outdoors as much as I do. This will probably be the beginning of visits from snowmobiler's for the rest of winter.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too. Peace and Happy Holidays from Paradise.

Crazy Winter Weather

2008-12-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

This has been the craziest winter I have experienced in the 5 winter's I've lived here. Even though we got early snow Oct 17th and Nov 6th and very small amounts after that we also had lots of rain to melt the snow we had here. Then on Dec 11th this extreme cold and snow started which shut down the plant for 6 days and now we have been back up for 6 days but we've gotten over 73" in that time and the temps stayed below 6 for 8 of those days and then it started warming up Christmas eve, it's been up to 19 for a couple of days and today we already hit 26 which can cause some slides but should help the snow to settle a bit, or it should.
I have to admit that this has been the quietest holiday season as far as sledder's go, we haven't seen not one snowmobiler, not sure if it is because of the bad weather on the West side or the economy or just what it is. Today while I was dragging the trails here at Trinity and out to the road we did see that someone had come up yesterday afternoon because we had gone out around 2:30 and no one had been up by that time. I do know that we had gotten about 3-4' of snow since Pacific Mountain Services last groomed so people are possibly staying on the groomed trails which are usually closer to Fish Lake. The creek is still covered in ice & snow except for where it's cut it's channels and now the water is a couple of feet below the level of the ice bridges. Well if any snowmobiler's happen to come out this far if you would give me a shout just so I can find out what the trail conditions are like coming out here and I will gladly pass along what I find out. These photos are of the creek as of yesterday just to show the difference from the earlier photos when everything was frozen. We hope that everyone has been safe and enjoying the snowy Christmas holidays, spending time with family & friends and spreading Love & Peace to everyone you meet, that is something we can all do no matter what is happening.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste & Peace

Big Iciciles

2008-12-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

These are the iciciles hanging off my roof from these extreme cold temps once I got my power back on. The next photo is of our hot tub and it being buried in this snow, it shows how much snow we have gotten so far. Last shot just shows how hard it's snowing today, Christmas eve and there aren't many sledders that have been out this way so far this year, been pretty quiet but imagine that will change if the weather warms just a bit. We're just happy to be here and at home.

We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

There is a Silver Lining

2008-12-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

After this past week and being without power for 6 days eating things that didn't require cooking like Tuna and Peanut butter and crackers, I've enjoyed being able to cook which is something I usually don't like to do just for myself but Thanksgiving day a friend of mine Brad had given me some elk meat he got this past hunting season. What was nice was I actually got 2 days of meals from one pkg of meat and it tasted so good, if you've never eaten elk you really don't know what you are missing. There are only a couple of other meats that taste better and are good for you one being Axis deer which is considered the best meat in the world and Blackbuck antelope both of which are from India, but as far as what is native to the US Elk is #1. To me cooking for one person just isn't worth it but on these last 2 days it was very worth it and I appreciated being able to go to the freezer and breaking it out, it was fantastic. Thanks again Brad for sharing this wonderful meat with me, I enjoyed it very much. Now if the Fish & game dept would bring them back into this area and let them establish a herd here would make things just right and reintroduce them to an area that they would have more food and cover to bring wildlife that used to roam here naturally until they allowed them to be killed out, they belong here and I would love to see them here again, to bring back the balance of nature to a pristine area suited for them.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Winter has Arrived with a Vengence

2008-12-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays to everyone from Trinity. I've had several people ask why I haven't been posting to the blog and so here I am again. These past few months well since August I have been recovering slowly from total knee replacement surgery, spent about 8 weeks at the farm, doing therapy and trying to get ready for this wonderful time of year. Recovery has been slow but steady and some days more painful than before the surgery.
We came home in October hoping to see snow which we did as early as Oct 16th but then it melted and we saw it again on Nov 6 we got around 10" but then it warmed up and started raining and it melted and that seemed to be the pattern through November. We went out Dec 8 to see my Dr before I couldn't and came home on the 9 to a little snow but the promise of more on the way and come it did Friday night we got 18" which was a very dry POWder but not too deep to get around and over the next couple of day we got another5-8" but the temps dropped into single digits which froze everything up at the dam and shut us down, so Sun I went to clear the dam and ran for a while but after spending about 4 hours to clear the snow & ice it only ran for about 3 hours so we spent the night without power and built a fire to stay warm, on Monday 12th I went back to the dam and found worse conditions than the day before, spent almost 5 hours clearing the ice and snow but it froze up faster than I could clear it, I did get enough water to bring the plant back up and while I was doing that had a visit from friends Grant, Ivan & General who drove in which was surprising since I figured they had already groomed part of the way here meaning it is a sno-park for the rest of winter. HAd a good visit and they found out I was say and helped me get the generator so I would at least have some power if the plant went down again. Well they had been gone about 45 min when the plant dropped again and with it snowing pretty good and the temps dropping figured I'd wait and see if it would warm up enough to help thaw some of the ice. It just got colder and I spent most of my days just trying to get the snow here knocked down and trails made which make it easier to get around and keeping the fire going. The temp were the coldest I have ever experienced here by 15 degrees and as low as -8 and hovering around 0 for several days. On Sunday I decided to see if I could get the plant back online and after using a torch to thaw out the wheel so I could increase the water flow and spin the wheels, I got it back up but not knowing how long it would last based on previous trips to dam and not as cold I figured I should sent out messages to everyone I know that snowmobiles and comes up this way especially during the Christmas holidays to know I might need help. Well I'm happy to say that the channels cut by the creek must have formed correctly and giving us enough water flow we have been running since then without even a fluctuation.
The dogs are enjoying playing in the snow and disappear quite ofter especially Bear but then he pops out of the snow looking white and they have a blast. The snow being so cold is not so fun for their feet though and you see them constantly shifting to 3 feet stances. I've included a couple of photos of what the creek looks like and the progression of the ice dams. Well since I know friends read this blog I'll do better at keeping up with writing and telling you what's happening here. Stay safe & warm this holiday season and we'll be sharing our adventures, Peace & Love/
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Urgent need in WA Wolfdogs need homes

2008-08-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Today I received an email from a friend of mine in OR and she told me that there are 14 wolfdogs and doggies that are in need of foster homes or forever homes immediately. If you love wolfdogs and wolves like I do and are in a position to give some love to one of the most beautiful animals that can teach you so much I urge you to get in touch with me @ trinity5.peace@yahoo.com or you can contact Kim her website is http://www.myspace.com/wolfangelrescue. These animals will need containment and someone that is willing to make them part of their life. Many of you had the opportunity to meet Kaia & Nashaba my last 2 woofers who lived more like wolves here at Trinity yet they were very loving and everyone who was blessed by being around them know just how special they are. I'm having my knee replaced on the 12th so will not be very mobile and won't be home lots for the next couple of months or I would take a couple even just to foster for while to give them the chance they deserve you will be blessed more than you know. This is very important as they are living on chains right now. Thanks in advance to everyone that can and will help. Namaste'
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too and please help these guys out you won't be disappointed.

What July 4 Means to Me

2008-07-04T04:13:00.000-07:00

Today is Independence Day and I believe many of us have forgotten just what that means, it was when we as a new country declared our independence from British rule because we didn't agree with their rules and taxes, but look where we are now. We have a government that is run by Big Corporations that have paid excuse me given donations to politicians that are supposed to work for us. The rights that were given to us by our forefathers have been systematically been taken away by our government and they have done everything to instill fear in to the population. I believe we need to stand up for those rights now more so than we have because if not those rights will disappear if left to those politicians in office, they have forgotten their job and are more interested in giving support to business over the welfare of the people.
Our Preamble states " We the People of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice and insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense & promote general welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America. It seems to me that we have done just the opposite in the last 50 years laws are changed to benefit big business but the people get left out and it's time to say enough. We are the wealthiest country and yet we have more people without proper medical coverage again because politicians are owned by the Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, defense contractors none of which benefit the people of this country. In the 60's we protested the war in Viet Nam and when we saw things that were wrong to let the government know we were not satisfied with what was happening and change happened but now we have become complacent while more people are suffering.
I've come to realize that if I don't speak up I have no right to complain because I am responsible for myself and holding those politicians responsible. I've written letters to Doc Hastings and have never spoken to such a close minded individual especially when presented with medical facts and studies concerning medical cannabis and will do everything in my power to see that he and many like him are removed from those positions of trust. We have to take back our government, when politicians give themselves raises before tackling anything else something is wrong with that. They should be paid on what they do for the whole not just those that can buy them. This is what today means to me not just fireworks, picnics and baseball, but to make our politicians accountable, to see that everyone has medical care, that those finding help with medical cannabis are no longer arrested and convicted just because they were following a Dr's recommendation because our government has their War on Patients going on and fear is the motivator. If we ran our households like the government is run we would all be in jail yet they get raises and lifetime benefits just because they were in Washington DC, what is wrong with that picture.
Take a stand with action continue to be bullied the choice is yours.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Just Saw Sicko

2008-07-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

I just watched "Sicko" a Michael Moore film and if you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it. If this doesn't open your eyes check your heart. Get in touch with your congressman to support HR 676 remind them they work for you and if they want to keep that job they need to listen or we can put someone in that will. It is time for empty words to be replaced with action, and caring & compassion to extreme profits.
When I hurt my knee in '99 I went to the VA one of the benefits of serving in the Navy or that is what we are told, I have never experienced treatment like that but I did learn a valuable lesson and that is if you don't speak up it won't change. I was a guinea pig for their medical trials with negative results and suffering unbearable pain. Drugs like Vioxx & Celebrex that didn't help but messed up my stomach and with pain so intense making it hard to do anything. I left the VA when I couldn't get proper care and instead of them caring about the patients welfare they were there for a paycheck and retirement once hired it was almost impossible to get fired, li.ke most government jobs, they take care of themselves first , we were an after thought. So you think you have medical insurance, and trust them to do what they say, think again. A change has to happen and it starts with me. Find out what is being done in Washington and get involved, don't let this madness continue. I realize this is a change from what I normally write but I'm fed up with the lack of positive action concerning health care and access to medical cannabis without concern of going to jail even though it is legal with a Dr's recommendation and because of it I have a life not wasted with narcotics that were prescribed for pain because I wasn't old enough to have my knees replaced because they only wanted to replace them more than once, more concerned about feeding narcotics for pain instead of giving quality of life by doing the knee replacement 8 years ago. Become aware stand up and be counted tell our government to get out of the war and into caring and to truly be one nation, that cares follow the examples that are working because it is broke and needs to be fixed.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Freemont Fair & Soltice Parade

2008-06-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Marysville to stay with Bob & Peggy just to visit and go to the "1" event I really enjoy going to on the westside, that is the Freemont Fair & Soltice Parade to welcome Summer. It is the one day where anyting goes in Freemont (the Center of the Known Universe), at noon there is a parade welcoming Summer and the unofficial start of the parade this year were around 350 nude & bodypainted bicycle riders which is a very fun part of the parade. There were dancers, clowns, belly dancers, a group giving hugs to anyone that wanted it, bands on trailers and marching bands, each with their own theme, many colors and just a great celebration. At the fair there were booths with anything you can imagine, everything you wanted to know about eating and living healthy, a nudist group looking for new members, lots of great music, several beer gardens and people having a good time. When we got to Bob & Peggy's I called a few friends and made plans to meet them at Freemont as you can see from the photos we got together. The top 2 photos are of Misha & July a couple of friends I met early on in Seattle.
The 2 bottom photos are of new friends I just met that day they are Fari & Mark (Wickeddread) with Culture Yard.
After the parade I & Peace, Bear & Lillie walked around checking out the music and booths but was really looking for my friend Erik an artist who was the first person I met in Seattle when I moved here from Texas I hadn't been here 24 hours at that time and we've continued to have a reat friendship since and he had told me that he was taking some of his artwork and just setting up on the street but when we couldn't find him I called him and he told me where he was and we made arrangements to meet on 35th & 1st ave street sign. He said he was a friends house and it was the only house in the area surrounded by businesses and warehouses in the area with music blasting in the yard and jerk chicken on the grill we were introduced to Pappy, Mark, Kevin & Fari and treated to great hospitality. they have Culture Yard, great reggae music production and anything reggae related. Jah is good as he provided a wonderful place to hang out and take a break from walking around the fair and wonderful music, it was an answer to prayer as on the way there Bob & I talked about wanting to have a place to go hang, which we had had for a couple of years before but it was still a good 8 block walk to get there, this was right in the middle of everything so it was much better than I thought it would be.

Mark was the cook for the day and kept the jerk chicken and roasted corn coming and throughout the day we were constantly meeting new people as they came and went and then the main group started arriving around 7-8pm. This was the place to be for sure, the wonderful sweet fragrance of food , herb was wonderful and it was like being on the island, can't wait until next year. This is the way the world should be everyday with Love & Peace as the main ingredients and everyone getting along, so I take it with me everywhere I go it makes life Great. Much Love & Respect to Mark, Fari, & Pappy for welcoming us.
We've found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste'

Hinchey-Rohrabacher MMJ ammendment

2008-06-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

The link below is MPP's email they just sent out about the ammendment Congressman Hinchey will introduce, and below is the letter they are sending with my personalized addition to it, anyone that personally knows me knows this is something very close to my heart and many of you have seen the changes since I have used medical cannabis. Please check out the website and sign the letter and send it to your respective congressman to get these laws changed and quit seeing a war declared on seriously ill patients and caregivers who use cannabis as medication. This is the opportunity to have our voices heard and end one of the worst WARS ever.

Marijuana Policy Project:

This summer, during consideration of the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-Calif.) will introduce the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment. I'm writing you today to ask for your support on this legislation.

Earlier this year, the American College of Physicians called on the federal government to change its policy towards medical marijuana. In a landmark position paper issued Feb. 14 and available online at http://www.acponline.org/acp_news/medmarinews.htm, this organization of 124,000 physicians, including specialists in treating cancer, heart disease and neurological diseases, called for the federal government to stop arresting medical marijuana patients.

Congressman Hinchey's amendment would prohibit the federal government from interfering in state medical marijuana laws, by arresting seriously ill patients who are using medical marijuana on the advice of their doctors and in compliance with state law. This bill could tremendously improve the lives of people suffering from serious illness the 12 states with medical marijuana laws.

I have been using Medical cannabis since 2004 because after trying every other medication available for nausea & vomiting that didn't work it was suggested by the head of the UW Pain Clinic to ease the nausea and increase appetite I lost over 120# due to not being able to keep anything I ate down. Since using medical cannabis I've been able to reduce the amount of narcotic necessary to control by 75% and believe I could cut it out completely if cannabis was always available especially since the DEA still says we are criminals, I don't speed I don't drink I don't get into fights and am respected in my community and just want to be able to have medical cannabis available as are any other medications I take. Having this medication available to me the last 4 years has given me a quality of life that I had missed for the previous years since being injured in 1999, please help me and many others enjoy the quality of life we deserve just as you do, cannabis is an herb with many healing & medicinal qualities with many medical reports and studies available to support these realities.

I urge you to support the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment. Your vote of support will benefit tens of thousands of patients, and I will be immensely grateful. Thank you.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste' & Peace

Leavenworth Video/ Tri-House Coffee

2008-06-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

The last time I made it to Leavenworth I took my computer along as usual but when I went to the 76 store to plug in to the Wi-Fi it wasn't there, making it difficult to see what was happening at Trinity, especially during this time of year. Fortunately for me and many others Leavenworth Video/ TriHouse Coffee House stepped up and recently installed Wi-Fi along with many other great changes from what was here a year ago. The person behind it all is Charlie Voorhis who is celebrating with a 1 year anniversary party week starting the Sunday before July 1 and will end the following Sunday. If you haven't been in to see him check it out and bring your computer and enjoy quick connections, he's got a great selection of videos & DVD's new and pre-viewed. A very pleasant place to use your computer and have a great coffee while doing so, what a great place for Leavenworth to have available to us especially appreciate having it available to me when I am not at home.
We found our Paradise hope you find your's too. Namaste'

Deer & Hummer Return

2008-05-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

Well this morning when the dogs got up to go outside I looked towards the salt block and to my excitement was Big Red along with several does & yearlings, but what surprised me the most was that he already had velvety antlers outside of his ears with 3 pts on each side it's only May 25th. As the day went on other came in which is nothing new but several were the other bucks that stay here with Big Red and they too had velvet outside of their ears, the rest are does & yearlings, they look very healthy. his is when I say spring is at Trinity because wildlife reappears after it being white since Nov. It won't be long before there are as many as 3-400 deer per day out back, in 4 days they have already licked half of the block away.

The hummers on the other hand came in slowly and were about a week later than usual, but hey are making up for it now as you can see in the photos, it's flying room only with a slight wait. The feeder in the photo holds 48oz and it took only 5 days for the humers to empty it, they are very hungry and busy, most of the time getting along but then other times they come in looking like anti-aircraft guns at the ready and will challenge anyone that comes near, even me and my camera. I've learned that unless I want to get swarmed by them not to wear red when taking photos of them.

The snow is almost completely gone from here yet there is still anywhere from no snow to about 3.5' of snow still on the road in places making for a very difficult travel in & out so I haven't done much of either but plan to go out tomorrow and survey everything, see how much the river has changed this year, it's alive and constantly changing as do the creeks and anything affected by lots of water.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste'

It's Melting Now!!!

2008-05-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well the snow is over now after dumping 515.25" of snow this past season and we even got snow 2 weeks ago Sat in flurries, and the creeks were starting to come up slightly but this past week the creeks have come up almost 1.5' and the snow has dropped to less than 2' when it was over 6' May1. Not only the creek but the Chiwawa River is also coming up and it is now filling the pond in back but not so much that there isn't still water in most of the pond. It is getting very difficult to try to walk in the snow because places that were firm in the morning are very soft and you can posthold very easy which isn't so good on the knees for me, even the dogs find it more difficult geting around once it is soft because the nose dive because of sinking in the snow, they are still constantly hunting anything that they see running across the snow or flying around. If we get the warm temps that are being forecast it could become very sloppy very fast, this is one of my busiest times of the year because with allof the snow melting and water coming up there is lots of debris in the water that tends to clog up the screen at the dam which can shut the plant down so I stay close during this time of year, not only that but with this fast warming there can be some slide action which could block roads going in oad out so it will be interesting to see what happens. This is just the beginning of the water coming up even though it is cloudy it isn't dirty which it will become very soon.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

What a Difference 50 miles makes

2008-05-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Well I'm finally back on the air after replacing my computer made it easy I lost all of my photos and music which really sucked. Oh well back to taking lots of photos and maybe this time I'll put them on an external drive, it happens.
As you can see in the top photo that I was getting snowed on April 29&30 while down the road at Gibb's Farm they are working wildly too get things ready in the garden and orchard and I'm still watching the snow melt and not so productive outside right now especially once the sun has been up for a while it is very hard walking around without punching through the snow. This past winter was a very strange winter with big snow dumps when you didn't expect it and then much later snows this year than since I've been here.
I guess that is what makesliving here so special for me I can go snowmobile in my backyard area in morning and go to town and wear shorts & tank top in Leavenworth that afternoon, gotta love it.

The farm has some new help this year Allison & Matt are interns helping and they are a great addition to the farm helping Danielle and Grant get it looking great ready for Farmer's Market. The bull calf is the latest addition to the cow herd and has some great markings, last but not least is Danielle with baby on board driving the tractor getting rows ready for planting. The farm is alive with activity and you definitely know it is spring there while back here at Trinity except for the warmer temperatures and the creeks and river's coming up still looks like winter just harder to walk on the snow without postholing.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste'

We have to Speak Up

2008-05-09T08:12:00.001-07:00

Most of you know that this blog has been mostly about the adventures we have here, and even though I don't watch the news or read newspapers there are some things you just can't ignore. Many people are talking about the upcoming election and what changes they hope to see come about after the election but the only way changes are going to happen is when the people stand up and speak out. We've been lied to so often and the only people who benefit normally are those making the laws or the companies who support those lawmaker's with special interest money, what happened to "of the People, by the People for the People?"
Many of you who know me know that I'm a caretaker, but I'm also disabled and have been since '99 because of my knees and the pain related to them and my shoulders which continues to get worse all the time, my knees need to be replaced is what i was told in November. It took a long time but 4 years ago I received a doctors recommendation for medical cannabis because for 3 years prior I was nauseated and lost over 120# was very weak and in constant severe pain that the narcotics didn't help much with and it was difficult to do much, life was painful. Once I started using medical cannabis I started eating and holding the food down for the first time in years, and within 3 months I had reduced my narcotic medication by 75% and have been able to have a somewhat normal life now and thankfully Washington is one of 12 states with medical cannabis laws but unfortunately the federal government still looks at us as criminals and throw us in jail for using medication recommended by our physician and have closed many dispensaries down and arrested patients for using medical cannabis, they have declared war or the people they are supposed help, War is not the solution.
It's taken 36 years since the National Comm on Marijuana & Drug Abuse suggested to then President Nixon to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, but it never happened but the war was stepped up against cannabis smoker's and has been only lately in some states and cities been a little more relaxed yet there are many people still in jail for small amounts of marijuana while killer's and rapist and other violent offender's get out after a few short years, where is the justice in that.
With all of that being said kudos go out to Congressmen Barney Frank & Ron Paul last month introduced to congress " The Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008" which would eliminate the threat of arrest & prison for less than 3.5 oz, and or the not for profit transfer of up to 1 oz. This doesn't do anything for the medical cannabis laws in states with them but it might if passed encourage states to change their laws accordingly, it is the first official step in the right direction and now it is your turn to step up and contact you congressman or contact Marijuana Policy Project @ www.mpp.org and you can do that through their website, it is time to SPEAK UP and tell your congressman to support this wonderful bill which is the first step to end the WAR on Drug's that is more of a war against patients trying to have a somewhat normal lifestyle, I'm a patient who lives daily with pain so severe that without medical cannabis I couldn't function because of the pain but with cannabis I have the pain but it is tolerable and has made the quality of my life so much better and I appreciate my Dr. for being open enough to stand up for what works, Thanks.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Not giving up just yet

2008-03-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well if you enjoyed the sunshine and warm temps in Feb and early Mar and were thinking it was spring, surprise, surprise, surprise, Mother Nature had other ideas. I can't say I'm surprised or unhappy about it, I can still snowmobile and play in the snow and the dogs love it too. Today is starting off just like Sunday did and we ended up getting 13" that day so who knows. Lately the pattern has been sunshine then snow, then sunshi9ne again and has been since last week when it started doing that. It took a long time to go over 480" and now heading closly to 500" for the season, not bad for being at 2800'. The dogs are loving the new snow and are really getting into hunting mode they've ben chasing the marten's trails and also found river otter in the river, now I know why they are gone for the long runs they take, once Peace gets on a trail she goes into auto mode and won't stop and her ears don't hear until she finds the source of what she smells. Life is great, enjoy every minute and you will never have regrets.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

!st Weekend of Spring @ Trinity

2008-03-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

After waiting for a month to get some new snow and wanting to break the 480" mark for the season it finally happened the 1st day of spring with a whopping 2" making it 481" in 2007/2008 season.
Friday I met Ivan & Grant at the sno-park around 1pm and after getting loaded up we headed out to Trinity for a play weekend but we didn't make it far before the first challenge came up. After working on the sled and hopefully getting it in top shape it only made it about a mile so we reloaded what we had and left the sled on the side and headed on up, getting here around 4pm. Got unpacked and tok Ivan up to the settling tank so he could ski the pipeline a couple of times, then we went and played in the meadow on the sleds for a bit. Played some cribbage ate well and planned on getting across the river to ski Ice Cream on Sat morning. After a good breakfast Ivan & Grant and all of the dogs headed up the mountain to get in some skiing and as far as I know they are the first to ski where they did. That afternoon after having to go back up and look for one of Grant's bindings Ivan also found a new run Ice Cream scoop close to Ice Cream but better he said. They had a good time but then I towed Ivan up on Phelps Creek TH rd and he skied it a couple of times between him and grant they each got in several good runs each day along with playing on the sleds being able to go anywhere you want perfect spring conditions. We got up Sunday morning and planned to head up the James Creek draw and it started snowing around 6:30 very fine snow but that kept geting bigger and bigger and by 9:30 we already had gotten 3" of new snow and so after getting Grants ski fixed and me on snowshoes headed across the river again and over to James Creek where we found the waterfall and some beautiful runs here are a few photos of Ivan, Grant & myself on 3 Dog Run in James Creek. This was one of the best times here at Trinity with great friends and loads of fun, skiing, snowmobiling and cribbage along with great food.

While Ivan & grant skied on Ice Cream I had another visit from Rolph & his wife and the Wildfun gang, showed them the Bowling alley and settling tank and some beautiful scenery we ate hotdogs at the bowling alley then they headed back, it was great seeing them and they brought me a wonderful BD present, for which I'm very greatful. It seems that most people are giving up on snomobiling after this weekend and we ended up with 13" of beautiful POWder, what more could you ask for on the 1st weekend of spring.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

New Transplant to Trinity Gang

2008-03-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce everyone to Lovely Lillie the latest transplant to Trinity, by way of Gibbs Farm. Peace and Bear have known Lillie since they were little because everytime we go to town that is our home away from home and we are very grateful for having a place to stay where they can run and they know the farm as well as they do Trinity. Since the farm raise chickens for eggs it is part of their income and Lillie discovered she liked eggs not the chickens just the eggs and so instead of her ending up in not so good a place and because she already fit it with the kids I agreed to bring her out here and after some delays Danielle brought her to the snowpark to meet me 3 weeks ago and everything was fine put her in the hauler and thought she was in it but when I got to Trinity to let her out surprise there was no Lillie. I turned around and rode back out to Chikamin Creek but never saw any tracks but the snow was frozen solid couldn't even see my snowmobile tracks and running low on gas turned around and sent a few emails to friends at the other end of the road and close to Fish Lake to be on the lookout for her. I've been in and out a few times and never saw here and had heard nothing about her but knew she was OK. Last Wednesday Ivan & Don snowmobiled out here and we played for a few hours riding around areas that hadn't been touched by anyone but me and the dogs it was a blast. They left around 5 that afternoon and not long after they left I got an email with a couple of photos and there was Lillie looking tired and hungry but safe. She showed up at Dave &Suzanne Neir's place on Fish Lake and they took great care of her until I could get out Fri to get her. Planned to do it Thur but after the riding we did I was very sore and could hardly raise my arm's but it was so much fun. Friday after our morning visit from Rob, Mike &Jon I went out to get her. She is fitting in well and stays close to me right now but everyday she's exploring more and staying with Peace & Bear, they have become a good hunting team and love chasing squirrels and birds.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

A Real Workout

2008-03-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

> This last Friday we had a visit from 3 guys that skied up here from Fish Lake Sno-park. they made it in a little over 3 hours and would have been faster but they had to let the groomer get ahead of them since they followed him all the way out. Rob from Plain Hardware fame, Mike from North Rd, and Jon from the other side, he's a part-timer. By the time they got here they were looking good but need to dry out a bit, drank some coffee talked a little about Trinity and what I know of the place and they got to watch Bear & Peace do what they do best play and do what they can to get attention from all of them. Gizmo even got in the game with nuzzling up to Rob. This is the first time since I've lived here that anyone has skied to Trinity and visited before returning. The stayed for a little over an hour and then I let them have a head start since I was heading out to my truck, and didn't want to make tracks they would have to cross or deal with. That is a great workout since roundtrip is a little under 45 miles and it isn't something I could do on skis anymore but love it on a snowmobile especially when it is freshly groomed. It's always nice to show friends where Paradise is.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too

Kids Playing at A Paw Above

2008-03-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Leavenworth to celebrate my 53rd birthday, listen to live music and jam with friends it was a great time. Most of you know Bear &Peace already but this is Abby one of Bear's playmates, she live with Susie & Matt &Katie and she loves to play with Bear & Peace. When we go to town A Paw Above is one of the first stops we have to make so that they can play and get their treats from Susie & Gaby at Siefert's, they race to see them and the love is returned. If you have a four legged family member and you haven't been to A Paw above then you are missing out, go see Abby &Susie, you will be glad you did. We spent 4 days in town which is the longest we have been away from Trinity since last Oct, so it was a great time for all of us. Hanging at the farm was great too now we are all recovering from the adventure and looking forward to the next one.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Peace &Bear's Favorite Places

2008-02-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

Everytime we go to town there are a couple of places that Peace &Bear have certain placesand people they want to visit. Here are a couple of photos first is Aunt Michelle & UncleTR of Uncle Uli's famous porch where dogs are allowed to hang out with their owners and friends. They've been watching Bear &Peace grow up and once downtown it is a race to get to Uli's for water or to A Paw Above &Aunt Susie &Uncle Matt and playtime with Abbey, not bad for bringing in customers either, they can keep everyone entertained and have endless energy while they are there. They know their food and snacks come from there so it is definitely a Big Fav of theirs. Here Susie is getting them to sit for treats, too bad Abby wasn't there to play and be photographed.
You might not recognize the floor in the last photo but that is the floor of The Purple Pot and Bear's baby sister Gypsy and everytime they get together they cover both stores the Purple Pot &Purple Passion since Gypsy's mom works there or is being watched there so it is usually a good bet there will be some playing involved if we go there. If you haven't checked out any of these places you might give them a shot if the animals love them then the parents should too. It's what makes Leavenworth such a great place to live.
We found our Paradise, Hope you find you's too.

Walking the River

2008-02-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful week we have had, sunshine and clear cold nights, the moon has been getting full and then on Wed night even got to enjoy the total lunar eclipse, real Coooool. We had been hearing that it was going to be cloudy with possible snow but again the guys got it very wrong, good for us though it was a beautiful clear night lots of stars were visible while the moon was in the shadow but once it cleared out from bottom to top it lit up the snow like being in a ballfield, simply gorgeous. Peace &Bear just played chasing each other and barking at the owls that were busy talking up & down the creek it was very cool, only thing missing were wolves howling which is a sad thing, we need them, but that is another topic.
We took a walk up the Chiwawa river and I was amazed at how far we could go without having to cross the river but that is because it has changed course and is now flowing against the mountains to the west of Trinity, that could be interesting this year, but not unexpected since it is a wild river and changes several times each year.

You know it is times like this week when it would be nice to be able to share these experiences with someone special, but for now Peace & Bear are it.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Enjoying the Sunshine @ Trinity

2008-02-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

What a difference a couple of weeks makes. 2 weeks ago all of the passes were closed in WA many people couldn't get from Seattle to the East side of the mountains because of avalanche dangers and work being done to remove what had fallen on the roads. We had the sled dog races but even several mushers weren't able to get here, it was a mess. Then last weekend the sun started shining and the temps warmed up into the 40's even here at Trinity. We still are 10.5" short of 40' for the season but I'm not concerned it's not over yet. With the warming temps during the days and freezing at night it has really helped to set up the snow so that it is easy to walk almost anywhere they sun has been able to hit but in the trees and shade it is a different story, you can still punch through and sink up to your waist if not careful, note to self, still wear your boots it's not sandle weather just yet.

Peace, Bear & I took a walk up the Chiwawa River and found that it has again changed course and is now moved west up against the Chiwawa mountains instead of flowing towards Trinity, so this could make it interesting this year. The snow is so firm we were able to walk almost a mile up the river to places that we could have snowmobiled to this year before haveing to cross a snow bridge to continue up the river, it was gorgeous. Bear &Peace seemed to have a blast and they like snow bridges and will use everyone to see just how far they can go. This morning we woke up to some light snow/sleet but it turned to rain and has stopped for now. It was supposed to have moved in this Wednesday but fortunantly it help off until late last night so I was able to enjoy the total lunar eclopse which was very beautiful and Big, once it was over though the moon lit up all of the snow as if we were at a ballfield with all of the lights on, I guess it is what I enjoy the most about the winter full moons. What a beautiful time of year, very peaceful.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

What a Beautiful Week

2008-02-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

This week has been beautiful, the sun has been shining & warm and the nights clear & cold. Peace, Bear &I have been going for walks because the snow is frozen from melting and refreezing each night, it's been great. On Wednesday night we had a total lunar eclipse which was very cool got to watch it for over an hour, but weren't sure because they had been calling for clouds & snow which didn't happen just a beautiful full moon and once the eclipse ended the moon lit up the snow, it was fantastic to see and experience. This morning though when we got up it was snowing lightly almost sleet and 30 degrees with warming today so what snow we get will melt before the day is over. That is what the weekend will be like I believe. We haven't had any snow all week and with the warming trend we have had the snow is down to 8' on our gauge and we still haven't cracked the 40' mark yet but based on what we have experienced here in the last 4 years it's not over yet.

During our walks we have noticed that the Chiwawa River has changed course once again and is now up at the base of the mountains to the west and further away from Trinity so the melt will be interesting to see what happens. We were able to walk up the river for about 1 mile using snow bridges to cross to the other side of the river and got up past the James Creek drainage and it was so beautiful & peaceful, and makes life great.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

More Friends from the Weekend

2008-02-18T12:20:00.001-08:00

Sergio and Amber showed up to listen to Paul which was very nice, you can see Sergio at Osprey if you want to ski or Whitewater, he can get you there. Sandy with Peace behaving and Bear checking out the lens as I snapped the photo. Sandy and husband Charlie (not pictured) own the Tumwater Inn, see them if you are hungry or looking for entertainment check it out in Leavenworth our home in the Mountains.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Saturday Night @ the Tumwater

2008-02-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night live music started again with Paul Sweeney accompanied by John the bartender. There was a good and rowdy crowd there and the music was great as always. It was the first time this winter that the weather cooperated so that I could stay and visit friends for a couple of days, Peace, Bear &I had a great time and it seemed that everyone at the Tumwater also had a good time. If you haven't been there yet it is one of the stops you should make when you are in Leavenworth for the weekend. If there is one thing wrong with Leavenworth it is the lack of live music venues or live music shows except the festivals and all which is something maybe we as locals should do something to change that. All in all the sun was shining and everyone starting to think Spring. Live life to the fullest and you will not have any regrets.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Doing what they do Best

2008-02-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

These are some photos of Bear &Peace doing what they do all the time, they constantly keep me amused and make life interesting.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

And You think You have SNOW

2008-02-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

As of Friday morning @ Trinity 56.5" for Feb 2008 and 469.25" for the season. This is a photo looking between my house and the owners house which are normally 30' apart and the porches are normally 8' above the ground but where I have driven between and continue to pack it is well over 12.5' and still coming down. This has been the hardest snow to keep up with because we aren't getting any rains to consolidate the snow and compact it, even though we have gotten some wet snow there are many places that you can get stuck very easily or just sink up to your neck. With almost 5' so far it looks like this could be another record month for the snow here. Yesterday while we were maintaining the trails around Trinity we heard snowmobiles @ the TH outside the gate and went to check it out and 2 of the 3 were stuck in the deep POWder and they commented that down below the snow was very wet and easy to get on top of but that isn't the case out here, if you are going to go through anything out here that doesn't look like it has been travelled on then POWER is your friend if you try going slow plan to have to dig out, this stuff is very fluffy and deep with not much bottom to it and once you break the crust you can instantly sink to your teeth, not too much fun, but I love it here and there is no place so beautiful at this time of year.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

446" and Still Snowing Hard

2008-02-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

This year for the first time I started keeping very accurate measurements of the snowfall we have received at Trinity this year beside just the stationary gauge we have, and have been blown away by the amount of snow that has fallen at Trinity. As of this morning we have had 446.75" which is over 36' of very dry fluffy powder but on the gauge it shows just over 10' because it is constantly settling yet in some places it is still very soft and deep, which is why I got stuck yesterday while knocking down the trails around Trinity. This year has been the hardest to keep up with of all of the snows I've experienced here so far, we get such large amounts of snow at a time that just to get on top of it has been difficult and I've had to dig out more times than I would have liked. It's been great for skiers because of all of the POWder days but for getting around it has been very difficult to get ahead of and stay ahead of. This winter we have only had maybe a week of temps over 32 and the snow is so dry that when it hits the water it becomes a slushy creek which effects the dam and powerplant making life more difficult but not unmanagable, just more wood on the fires.
Getting all of this snow in the amounts we are getting makes life interesting and gives me time to catch up on some reading and resting up because when I do go out I know it will be a busy time for me, clearing the trails around here and keeping the plant running between the dumps. By this time last year most of the big snows were over completely and we just got a few inches to maintain our amount of snow but nothing to really add to the depth, I believe records are being broken everywhere this year especially the fact that most of this snow hasn't had much moisture in it so it will be interesting to see what happens during the melt out.
We've found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Cascade Quest 2008 6 Dog Purebred Race

2008-02-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

There was a new class race this year as part of the Cascade Quest and it was the 6 Dog purebred dogs which are Malamutes, Siberian Husky and Inuit Dogs, these are not the speed dogs but they are very powerful and normally are your freight type sled dogs, these are not your speed dogs but they can pull a heavy load. We had 4 Purebred teams here at Trinity Sat evening and overnight. I believe we had 2 teams of Siberian Huskies and 1 Malamute team and one Inuit team, it was a beautiful sight to see and hear Sun morning as they were tuning up and getting ready for the re-start and finish to the race.
We found our Paradise , hope you find your's too.

Cascade Quest 2008 Idatarod Qualifier

2008-02-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the running of the Cascade Quest Sled Dog Race, where most of the activity centered around the Lake Wentachee Rec Club where the race started and finished. There is the 10-16 dog race which is a 200 mile continuous race where each leg is 50 miles with rest periods in between. This year there were 2 teams that made it to Trinity this year but originally there were to be 4 teams. This year the weather really didn't cooperate in that it snowed everyday but Monday with almost 70" during the week making it very difficult to keep the area where they would be opened up and packed with lots of last minute repairs and changes. We had Lois Solmonson our cook for the weekend, Tom & Emma Porter who have been to Trinity each year for support staff but next year Emma wants to be a participant and has been training for the last few years., then Ty Johnson the vet here to check the dogs but he is also Peace & Bear's vet which makes it nice because he makes house calls. It couldn't happen without the volunteers , they keep things moving smoothly. The first team arrived at Trinity around 7am with the 2nd team coming in just a little after 8am, they took care of their dogs then got something to eat and some rest before leaving around 12:30pm and 2pm. Here are a couple of photos of those teams and volunteers.
It did snow all day making the course slower in places but and had some people concerned about how much snow we could get for the day especially after getting 17" on Thur and another 10" Friday.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Trinity's Peace, Bear Love & Gizmo

2008-01-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

Last week the weather was beautiful the sun was bright and the nights were clear, but for Peace & Bear it wasn't what they like the most. To them the harder it snows the better they like, but with the warmer weather earlier in the week it helped to set the snow up so that they could get to places that were almost impossible the week before. From the time they get up in the morning they play and wrestle in the snow. Normally their coats are blac or brown but now mostly white and they love it. They teach me alot about not taking life too seriously but to enjoy every moment as it arrives. After playing hard they come in for a short rest even with Gizmo as a sleeping partner for Bear. Gizmo fits right in with their play but doesn't like it so much 2 on 1, he's really sneaky and into surprise attacks especially on Bear, they keep me laughing and entertained, what do you do in the snow?

After the beautiful weather last week it looks like January is going to go out with a Big POWder dump, we got no snow last week and since Sun morning we've gotten 20" and only 0.25" yesterday giving us a grand total for the year of 367" and 101" for Jan so far and still 2 days to go, could be very interesting for the slde dog races this coming weekend.

We found our Paradise, Hope you find your's too.

What a week it's been @ Trinity

2008-01-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

This past week was very different for many reasons many I can't explain, but the biggest thing out of it that is out of my control is that my sled is at our garage at Fish Lake and I need a ride to it or someone kind enough to bring it out to me at Trinity. Once that is taken care of then I can do other things needed to be done but it's a long walk in these conditions. If anyone is out riding this way and can give me a ride out or could possible drive it in for me I will gladly cover your gas if you will let me know, I'd appreciate it contact me @ trinity5.peace@yahoo.com or 509-210-2351.
This has been a beautiful week weather wise but cold we didn't get any snow during the week and most mornings started between 0 & 2 but the sun was shining brightly and the full moon lit the mountains up even at 2am it truly is my very favorite time of winter when the full moon is high in the sky and the snow glistens and sparkles with hoar frost I call Ice Diamonds. Perry and Jan came out Friday with their dog teams and that was a nice visit, they seemed to have a great run and Jan was going to get some night time running in definitely picked a great time to do it. This past week conditions are almost identical to the conditions we had during last years Cascade Quest but this year the Quest is going to be a week later and now the forecast shows snow all week, doesn't look like large amounts but it would accumulate and make it more difficult for the dog teams, we'll just have to see. It should be an exciting weekend, if you've never seen sled dog races you should check it out, it's very exciting and beautiful at the same time.
Life is a journey full of lessons and this week reminded me of that, it seems the lessons we don't learn we will repeat until we learn them. My word is one of my greatest assets and I do not commit to things until I weigh it out and will do whatever it takes to carry it out. I have lots of people tell me thing like they are going to have to come to Trinity and I believe that they mean it at the time but for some reason it never happens so I don't repeat what they say but watch and see if it happens. This week though I believed what I was told and told others and none of it materialized with many people being concerned and confused at the same time. One thing for sure I didn't like the feelings that I had but it did remind me why I didn't do that and why at this time did I let this happen as far as my part of it, time for some self searching because I know that knowing makes me a better person. I feel great though in spite of it because I know everything I did was from a pure heart and came from a place of love and peace. Sometimes I guess we just need a reminder.
It was because of all of this that my sled ended up at the garage and me stuck at Trinity and the reason I've put this out. Thanks to all I appreciate you. FYI so far Jan has only had 96" of snow but over 350+" accumulative for the season. The gauge shows just over 9' which just shows how very dry this snow has been this year. Get out and enjoy the snow there is so much to see and experience.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Cascade Quest 2008 Coming Soon to Trinity

2008-01-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

Well folks it's getting close to that time of year when mushers and dogs are out on the trail sharing it with snowmobilers, skiers and snowshoers, along with anyone else that just loves the snow. December was wild month as far as snow goes we got a total accumulation of 225" just in Dec and so far in Jan only 81" . We've gone from grey skies and snow everyday to very cold -2 to 1 overnight and up in the 20's during the day, the snow is setting up nicely and makes it much easier to get around and all. So far it sounds like there is going to be lots of teams competing, so far 4-5 12 dog teams will be running the continuous 200 mile Iditarod qualifier, then there are 4-5 (6) dog pure bred teams and 9 (6) dog teams that will all be coming through Trinity on Sat at different times, it is a rest stop for the 12 dog teams and an overnight for the 6 dog teams. If conditions stay like they have been this past week it should be a very fast race for all involved, but then again this is Trinity and anything is possible. I have to admit that there is such excitement in the air when the teams are getting hooked up and ready to run the barking and jumping of pure delight that they are getting to do what they love. Peace & Bear might not pull a sled but they love the snow and getting to run in it gives them pleasure like nothing else .
If you have never experienced the sled dog races you are missing out on something beautiful and powerful that takes place in one of the most beautiful settings in the state of Washington along the Chiwawa River Rd to Trinity. The groomers have been kind enough to groom some areas along the trail in trailheads and campsites so that you can watch the race without being too close to the road. There is no snowmobile parking at Trinity but at the trailhead there will be areas to park along with the restroom facilities. Spectators are encouraged to come see the teams in action but please park your sled at the trailhead and walk in across the bridge. Remember these aren't pets but working dogs so check with the musher before walking up to the teams, be safe and have fun. You can check out photos of last years quest on the web album link for now my computer is still not working so all of my photos of the teams aren't available, but will be updated soon.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

God's Eye from Space

2008-01-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

This is a photograph taken from the Hubbell Telescope by NASA , it is very rare and occurs only every 3000 years I was told. It is called the Eye of God and I believe it is beautiful, hope you enjoy it.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Beautyful Sunnyday & Friends

2008-01-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day and I had several visitors some I expected and some I didn't but it was all good. I had a group from Wildfun Rentals / Sno-Jammers Snomobile club, who I had met New Years eve and they had helped when Jim was late getting here. Got to show them around the place and they seemed to have a great time even had a visit just for Bear & Peace. Thanks to Spero & Krystin from WildFun Rentals in Lakewood. For anyone reading this and never had the experience of riding a snowmobile especially out here give them a call or check out their website www.powersportrentals.com, you'll love the adventure, tell them Gregg sent you..

Also got meet more of the Chiwawa Pines group, Ray Bentley & family and Tom and family sorry didn't get all of the names. Today was some of the best conditions we have had in quite a while and it is the first time this year that we haven't gotten heavy snow right after grooming has been done and that was nice beautiful sunshine.

The top photo is of Buck Mountain this morning just as I saw it.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

NewYears Day 2008

2008-01-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

The first 3 photos are of the front pond that is actually freezing this year because the flow has been changed and so it is freezing and you can even see a big snowflake shape that formed in the ice, I thought it was very cool so thought I'd share it with ya'll.

I also need to make a couple of apologies and corrections from an earlier post, concerning the Chiwawa Pines gang. The Chiwawa Pines gang were:
Jim & Ryan Wright
Art, Eric, Justin & Ashley Alley
Allan, Shauna & Christopher
Lee, Kathy & Derrick (Mr. Highmark) for the moment anyway, I think I got everyone covered now but in case forgive me for not remembering everyone.

The last photo is of the groomer driven by Denny and Jason his helper drove my sled in
after Jim got is stuck, they are with Pacific Mountain Services and I appreciate their help with my sled and for making a pass through Trinity, I can't thank you enough for your help and saving me a long walk out to my sled.

This year has started out with snow all but 2 days since the new year started and it is still coming, should be a banner year for snow here now if it would just warm up a little to help it set up better.

Peace, Bear Love, Gizmo, & I hope you all have a great 2008. Get out and enjoy the beauty and snow all around, be safe, most of all, have Fun...

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

2Days after Christmas

2008-01-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

We have been getting snow for about a week solid as of Christmas and 2 days later friends that I met last year showed up in force, they live in the Chiwawa Pines area, Aret, Jim, Allan, Shawna and please forgive me for not remembering everyone's names they had a blast playing in DEEP POWder and even doing some climbing but getting stuck too.

Peace and Bear loved it getting the attention but they love each other too. We are continuing to get snow here and just in Dec we had 225.75" of Dry Fluffy POWder that is finally settling a bit especially since it has been warming up since yesterday.
One thing for sure what seemed like there might not be a winter at the beginning of the month it has definitely made up for it. Check out the many cool photos of the Chiwawa Pines Gang on the web album linked to here. Sorry this is late getting out but my computer is down and wasn't sure about getting these downloaded.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

Well 2007 went out with some excitement I could have done without but ended up turning out great and I need to thank a couple of people for going out of their way to help. Thia past week we have really gotten lots of new snow very dry POWder that seems almost bottomless. The last time I had seen any snowmobilers out this far was last Thur and there were 14 of them and they said they were grateful for big sleds in front breaking trail and since then we had gotten over 4' more. The grooming report said they had groomed all the way to Trinity but yesterday afternoon I met a couple of guys from the Sno-Jammers snowmobile club out of Puyallup that had worked to make it to Trinity so I showed them around, while they told me how rough the road in was and how deep the snow was. My friend Jim had told me that if they groomed he was going to come in on my snowmobile but I told him that the road hadn't been groomed according to what I saw at the Trailhead. Some valuable lessons were learned yesterday , the first one is to communicate with several people to let them know when you are making a trip like this especially alone. There were suspicions but we didn't know for sure that Jim was coming this way until around 6:30pm and he had started in around 3pm. When Glenn and Loren left to head back to 1000 trails they came across Jim about 10 miles from here and emailed me to let me know they had seen him and were concerned because of the bad conditions. That was the first confirmation that we knew Jim was on trail but way overdue. After making several phone calls and sending a few emails 911 was called around 10pm to let them know that Jim was overdue, around 10:30 I heard noise on the porch and there shaking and cold was Jim he had been walking for the last 4 hours because he had slid of trail and couldn't lift the sled anymore he was drained. I made a few calls to cancel the rescue efforts but around 1am I heard sleds outside and went out and there was Glenn & Doug from Sno-Jammers and they had come out to look for someone they had just met on trail 7 hours earlier, I sure wasn't expecting that they took my key and said they would get it out of the hole it was in and ready to ride in the following morning which I knew could be an adventure but was prepared to make it, Jim has to go to work tomorrow. While drinking our morning coffee and getting ready to go out to get the snowmobile Peace started barking like crazy and when we went outside there was the groomer with Denny driving and Justin steering my snowmobile they drug it out to us then made a pass around and back out making a very nice drive into Trinity. This was a combined effort thankfully Glenn and Darryl had seen the groomer out grooming when they were coming out here to help look for Jim and explained the situation to them and just how deep the snow out here was, they mentioned they would finish what they were doing and then would head this way but in all honesty I wasn't going to count on it and for that I apologize. A big thank you to Glenn, Darryl and forgive me for forgetting your name who came out originally with Glenn from Sno-Jammers snowmobile club, Gayle Evans from Midway store, and Denny and Justin from Pacific Mountain Services for not only grooming out here but dragging my sled in for us making life easier for us today. I've met some wonderful people Snowmobilers that have helped break trail, helping to get out of jams and I just want to thank all of them for their help and caring for someone they just met or haven't even met before it's how I believe things should be but most people are in such a hurry to get through life that they miss those opportunities, I look for those opportunities because you just never know who you might meet or help. I just want to apologize to Loren for forgetting his name and for calling Doug Daryl on the return trip. Thank You to all of you Happy 2008.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Merry Christmas From Trinity

2007-12-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

This is another Christmas time at Trinity and again it has definitely been different, it is nice not feeling like I have to get out, but am hoping everything will work out so that I can go out for New Year's eve, not that I know of anything happening but it is always nice to hear from and see my friends. It is very white around here today but we got no new snow last night so hopefully what we have will settle down a bit making it easier to get around here.
Everyday is a new day and Peace, Bear Love, Gizmo & I hope that everyone has a wonderfully blessed holiday time and realize that there is more to it than seeing how much we can spend but how much of ourself we can give to others. Enjoy every moment of everyday, it just makes life great.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

The Week Before Christmas

2007-12-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

This has been an unusually different winter this year. We got small amounts of snow early in the season but not what anyone expected but now it is trying to make up for the lack of early season snow with alot all at once. Everyday the landscape around here has looked different and some days can't see beyond the trees, then others blue skies with clouds of varying colors a little over 2 weeks ago we hardly had 1 1/2' of snow and today we are almost at the 10' mark on the gauge but some of that is because if drifting snow not actual we are more around the 8-8.5' mark.
We haven't seen very many snowmobilers out this year which is totally surprising for this time of year but at the same time awhen they only keep the lower parts of the trail system groomed consistantly because according to the forest service personell no one really comes out this far just to snowmobile. I have a favor to ask of all of you who like to ski, snowmobile, anything that has to do wth being outdoors in the snow that enjoy coming out to Trinity and Phelps Creek TH if you would please send comments ato me or to the forest service and parks system and let them know how you feel about not having access to all parts of the park just because of the way they choose to groom, they say it is for the recreationist but I'd like to hear from those of you that actually use the trails and off trails around here. Thse are just a few of the scenes around here this past week.\

We found our PAradise, Hope you find your's too.

BOY is it Snowing here

2007-12-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up to almost 6.5' of snow on the gauge, we got almost 16 " yesterday total and another 10" today so far and it is still coming down. Jimmy tried to head out on the snowmobile and it is so powdery and fine with no bottom that my sled just wanted to plow through it, not enough machine to get out. So if there are any of you out there thinking about making a run to Trinity we would appreciate it if trail was broke he could get out but right now just get stuck. Just let me know either by email or just come on out would definitely appreciate it otherwise we just have to hunker down and wait it out until they groom or it firms up wither of those choices would work for us. If you are coming out this direction to find POW this is definitely the place, just be prepared it is Very fluffy. It is beautiful though and we love it. Bear & Peace just plow through what they can but usually get buried in the powdery snow they play in. Thanks for any help getting Jim out would be appreciated.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

2007-12-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

Can you tell that Peace & Bear Love are happy to be home, they went out about 7am and are still playing outside checking everything out since they got home. After being very restricted in what they could do in town except for when they are at the farm our second home away from home, where they are part of the pack. They keep me laughing at their antics in the snow, they just love to be out there playing running the excess energy off. Yesterday PEace had her very first encounter with a snomobiler face to face as she was running home but once she saw the snowmobile drive up she went into charging and jumping around but she wsn't going to let them pass and he wasn't sure if he wanted to try while she was there until I got her to sit with me and watch them go by. There is no place like home and we are so glad to be home, no place like it, we like visiting our friends and having them visit us here.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Glad to finally be back home

2007-12-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

It took 4 hours to change 2 of the rubber tracks on my Ranger Thur night in anticipation of trying to get out on Friday but it was going to depend on whether or not the road got groomed. I needed to get my truck out which was 13 miles inside of the barricades @ Fish Lake sno-park, not a good place for it with all of the snow we got, but I also had to get Jim who had been waiting to start work at Steven's Pass for 2 weeks and now was a day late, we thought we could make it in 2-3 hours. Well we started out @ 5:30 am and even though it was groomed it was still very soft, not what I was hoping for. We got to the truck and had to dig it out and then ended up towing it 11 of the 13 miles it had to get out and ended up taking us 7.5 hours and the worst part is that from the barricade to the garage the road had been plowed and scraped down to the pavement which didn't excite me at all not after spending the time to change the tracks the night before, the reason I had to change the tracks is because they had stretched and got cut up on icy pavement last year taking big chunks of rubber out of the tracks.
Because of the road condition I decided to stay out for a couple of days waiting for the next snow to arrive and cushion my ride and saving my tracks, it was supposed to snow Sun night, and that didn't happen, then it was supposed to snow Tues night and it did leave a dusting, just enough to make the roads slick.
I was getting restless not seeing home and what was happening here plus we didn't plan to be gone but 1 day which turned into 5.5 days. It was nice getting to spend time with some friends I haven't seen in a while, and had a great visit at the farm, but by Monday I was ready to be home. We left out this morning with white roads coming in but not enough to really help so we drove very slow until we got to the Sno-Park then we made pretty good time got home before 2pm just as the snow started falling. Bear & Peace had fun seeing everyone and meeting new people while they were in town but once we got home they really got happy, especially since the snow is firm enough for them to run across and not drop into like it was before leaving. They both ran home the last 1.5 miles down the road just to get here.
We were very surprised to see so much snow that hadn't been shredded like normal once the park is open especially with all of the snowmobile tracks coming out this way, very few boon dockers mostly trail riders. There is plenty of snow from the barricades @ Fish Lake to travel to Trinity or anywhere else out here. I also want to thank the groomers for grooming again after I pulled my truck out leaving some serious ruts in soft snow, so even though they groomed to Trinity Thur night, they came back to Basalt and filled in the ruts we made getting out, I'm sure the snowmobilers appreciated it too.
Even though we live in the middle of nowhere as most people think because we are surrounded by mountains and 23 miles in a snow park, there's No Place like HOME....
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

It's Groomed to Trinity

2007-12-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well after lots of snow last weekend and not able to get very far because of the fluffy powdered snow just under 7' then rains for 2 days helped to settle it down to just above 4' pf pillowy snow. Ths has caused some anxiety on my part because my truck was still 13 miles from Fish Lake but after the groomers coming out Thur night and grooming I finally headed out yesterday morning, planning to get my truck out and Jim to Steven's Pass for work, he was a couple of days late since we couldn't get out. Well it was an ordeal to say the least but my truck isn't buried for tne next 6 months but is free again so we can go to more places than we could without it.
I apologize to all the sledders that come upon my ruts but it couldn't be helped and it won't happen again not by me anyway. There is snow on the mountains and the road is groomed so I will pepobably be seeing many sledders soon, which will take care of the quietness.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Got what we wanted, SNOW

2007-12-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

The past week plus a few days we've had some very cold temperatures but didn't see much snow around. Then we got 9" and went to move the Blazer and there wasn't any snow down where it was parked so I left it there even stayed in Leavenworth to see how much snow we got in the latest storm, well Leavenworth got 1.5-2" we only had about 1" but it did arrive just in time for Leavenworth to be on national TV GMA was there at 4am as were about 1500 locals. On Nov 30 we had about 20" total snow, then on Sat afternoon it started snowing and by yesterday morning we had about 3.5' of snow and it was 17 degrees so the snow was very dry powder and continued to snow all day, the dam froze up with all of the slush in the water from the cold snow so we had to rely on the furnace for warmth which isn't a problem. Since we had no power I couldn't see just how much snow we had gotten overnight 31" of more powder with no bottom to it. It took almost an hour just to make trails to the powerhouse this morning and then I almost couldn't get the Ranger out of the powerhouse because of the very deep snow. I then spent the next 1.5 hours trying to go 150' but it was more trouble than it was worth and then the rains showed up and it rained all day.

This is how last year started out only in reverse the rains came first 14.5" in under 50 hours then lots of very dry cold snow 4.5' in 6 days. We've been looking for this for a while but sure hadn't figured on getting this much this weekend. Well after this rain it should help to have a nice base to build upon. The pictures of the gauge are from 12/2 & 12/3 the bottom photo showsalmost 7' just in case you can't tell. So far it has packed the snow about 16" so far and it hasn't stopped yet we'll see what happens tomorrow. At least we got warm enough for the dam to clear the ice especially with the water flowing in the creek now. Definitely have to watch for slides in the next day or two, could be interesting. Peace & Bear are having fun in the snow but today found it very difficult to get around except for the tracks I made to the powerhouse. With all the rain lots of snow is falling of the roofs of the houses so when Bear is outside I have to really keep him away from the buidings otherwise he could get buried in the falling snow.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Saturday Night @ the Tumwater

2007-11-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is part of the usual Sat night crowd at the Tumwater in Leavenworth, they show up to watch our friend and local music legend Paul Sweeny perform original & cover requested songs, it's always a good time.

I need to apologize to the person pictured here his name is Paul Sweeny and every Sat. night in Leavenworth he performs live music, most by request but some new stuff he wants to learn, or maybe requested earlier. Paul is very talented and I thought I had blogged about this before but guess I didn't so here it is. The other person is John the bartender/guitarist who likes to jump in when it's not too busy, normally he's hopping pretty good behind the bar most of the time. If you haven't heard Paul perform, you are missing out..
There are many friends that show up almost every week and it's a fun time, there are quite a few songs where everyone is encouraged to join in.

I enjoy it because most of it is the music I grew up to, if I really ever grew up. I still feel very young in the way I enjoy life and I believe that if I can't be a kid then I must be dead and since I'm still breathing and living life to the fullest, I'm not dead. I will take the time to smell the roses and enjoy everything around me with things turning white albeit slowly, very slow this year, I'm grateful that there is snow none the less.

Well for all the snowmobilers and lovers of everything winter related it's time to stop thinking about the summer and concentrate our thoughts about "SNOW". With the very cold temps we've been having the snow is very dry and if it had a 1-2' base would be what most of the skiers I know are looking for. Hopefully with the varying weather reports coming out we will se some wetter snow which would be very nice but we definitely don't need the rain they are talking about getting after the rain. Keep it real THINK LIVE & ENJOY LIFE "SNOW"
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Are You Really Thinking SNOW?

2007-11-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

I came home yesterday after going out on Wed to move my truck because I had been told by the FS that they got 6" at the lake and we were supposed to be getting a good dose Wed night and didn't want to get my truck stuck in here and not able to get it out. We had gotten 9" but it was all like baby powder and if I was skiing I would love it but since I'd like to build a nice base before getting lots of very dry powder. The first photo of gauge was taken on Tues after gettin 9" on top of 1' we had before.

The next picture is of Peace & Bear Love playing in the snow which they both love to do, no need for additional coats for them they like to play and don't want anything to interfere with having fun. They are truely mountain dogs but they enjoy visiting town and seeing friends especially the stores that always have treats, thanks to Aunt Suzie, Gaby, Rhode and all of the others that always have something good to eat and of course all of our friends at Uncle Uli's where pets are allowed and everyone knows your name... We were even there yesterday when GMA came to Leavenworth and I was totally surprised byu the great turnout of people hoping to be on TV, I was just waiting for it to get light enough to drive home with my sunglasses which was all I had with me since I left my other glasses in the Ranger, we were hoping to get a nice overnight snow so I would know where to park my truck so I could still get out. Leavenworth got about 1.5-2" of snow but it couldn't have been scripted better for the snow, problem is they got more snow there than I got out here, actually it was just enough so that when I made tracks I couldn't see asphalt but my Ranger only had .75" on it when we got to it and at home I got 1.25" of baby powder.

This is what we have today after not getting the snow everyone anticipated.
So I believe that eveyone wanting to see snow needs to Think SNOW!!! We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

9" of POWDER

2007-11-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up to 9" of very dry Powder, it was nice to see finally, maybe this will be the beginning of the SNOW season for the year, it started yesterday afternoon. Today though we only got a 1/4" of new snow and tonight we have clear skies, so we will see what happens.
Peace & Bear just ran around like crazy several times Bear just disappeared in the new snow, there are many trails where they ran and several places that have been laid down by them wrestling with each other. Peace is quite the marathon runner, she runs to the dam when I take the Ranger up there, it's a little over 3 miles one way and almost 800' higher she seem to love running which she constantly does, when we go for walks she can be right next to us or 500 yds away chasing smells or tracks of the critters running in the snow.

Peace and Bear are quite the pair they have become true mountain dogs, they would rather be playing in the snow or on the hunt for something than being inside where it is warm, but then so would I, it is so very beautiful with the snow in the trees, changing the landscape, the snow & ice dams in the creek from the very cold temps. The other day while Peace & Bear were out playing around the river around here they came home with an old beaver skull, totally clean with a litle dirt but very big front teeth, I was surprised it was in such good shape, not sure where they found it but my guess is that the old beaver we have had problems with finally died and they found it. Maybe tomorrow we'll have to go look for the rest of it or maybe just have to go move my truck further out due to the recent snows we've had, which I will gladly do to have it a sno-park from Fish Lake. It's time to get those snowmobiles tuned up and ready to play, get those skis and snowboards waxed and ready to tackle the slopes, especially the backcountry lovers and whatever you do Think SNOW, Live LIFE to the Max, and enjoy every minute.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your too.

Maybe this Time will work

2007-11-26T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well after a week of some very cold temps we finally got some new snow today. With the cold temp though instead of being a wet snow it is very dry and powdery and we had about 4" in about 5 hours earlier in the afternoon and it's still snowing tonight so it will be interesting to see how much we get overnight. Actually we need the snow so that it can insulate the dam and aqua duct from freezing. The pictures are from up at the dam when the temperatures stayed very cold the last 2 days, I had to go and break up the ice that was forming so that it wouldn't shut down the powerplant like it has done previously.
This is what most of my friends have been looking for the beautiful fluffy white stuff, SNOW!!! Yeah! I know many snomobilers and skiers that have been watching the sky for this great time of year to finally arrive, I know those working at Steven's Pass have been waiting impatiently for this snow to get here. This could be the beginning of a wonderful time of the year, my favorite time of year in fact.
Peace & Bear Love love the snow too and once they get out playing in it they don't want to come in no matter how late it is but I can also relate because when it snows I just want to get out in it feel it on my face and see it in the headlights. I'm very glad that I've groomed all the way up to the dam and that the snow we got earlier has formed a very nice base but I will need to stay on top of it so that I can go to the dam until the first slide over on the dam road then it can be the last time I get to go until the melt out, I hope to keep it open all winter, well that is my intention anyway.
To Ivan, Bob, Eric, Michelle, Don, Jim, Jim Jack, David M, Dave W, and everyone waiting for snow, keep those thoughts coming and we'll all be riding it soon, Think SNOW :)
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

The Day Before Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T00:30:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday before Thanksgiving and we don't have much snow this year but the temps have been chilly each morning. Yesterday this is how the mountains looked as the sun was coming up, absolutely gorgeous . The last picture was taken yeserday afternoon with the early moonrise and Old Gibb still in the sunshine. Living at Trinity everyday is Thanksgiving and a holiday to me because I'm grateful to live in such a beautiful place.
Have a great Thanksgiving and remember to enjoy everyday.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

What a Strange start to Snow season

2007-11-19T09:39:00.002-08:00

Today is the Monday before Thanksgiving and we only have 1' of snow on the ground, 5' less than we had last year at this time.
When we got the first snow back on Oct 16th I really thought that we were going to have an early snow season but then that melted and the mist/rain started and it took almost 3.5 weeks before seeing snow here again and at the beginning of last week we had 1' on the ground then the rains started again and by Friday we were down to 7" and it rained most of the weekend, however the temps stayed cold and we got the 4-5" of snow back so we have 1' again but last year at this time we already had over 5' and over 8' by Thanksgiving day. It is supposed to be really cold at nights this early part of the week but not much snow expected and snow levels climbing to over 5000' by the weekend.
So for all of those snowmobilers & skiers out there looking for more of the white stuff "Think SNOW" . I have to admit that this will be the first year that I've lived here that we are actually starting out with a 1' base which normally has started out with 3-5' of fluff and no bottom so at least it is starting out right this year. Will keep you informed as to the conditions here.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Have a Wonderful Day from Trinity

2007-11-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

It's Finally Here, SNOW that is

2007-11-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday morning we woke up and couldn't see anything beyond the trees because of all of the clouds surrounding the mountains, but here in the valley it was white, we got about 8" total. It was supposed to get to the high temp by noon then start downward again then warm again tomorrow but it is supposed to get down to 20 tonight and that could actually give us a nice base which is something we haven't really had the last couple of years.

Bear and Peace are really enjoyng the snow, they are really mountain dogs and don't want to come in very much and when they do they are soaked. Peace is having a blast just running through the snow and checking out all the different smells, Bear does his very best to keep up with her but his short legs make it a little harder but he has found his own style of getting through the snow and even with the short coat he has he just doesn't want to come in. When he does he likes to lay in front of one of the heaters and nap for a while, then he's ready to go out again and play. He is growing very quickly now and has one Big appetite for a little pup but with the way they both play in the snow they should both have good appetites and do.

So for those of you that have been looking to the sky and for the pretty white flakes look no further, it's here so get those skis waxed and snowmobiles tuned up and get ready to have some wonderful winter fun. Think Snow
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Bear Love & Peace Enjoying the Snow

2007-11-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

This is Bear's very first snow and he enjoyed it very much, he and Peace stayed out for almost 4 hours before they took their very first break and napped. His coat has thickened up alot and the cold we have had lately doesn't seem to effect him anyore. They played and tore up every bit of snow that was here and you couldn't find any sign if fresh snow after a couple of days and now it is gone and we are all waiting for it to Snow.

Peace is hunting for chipmunks under snow covered wood pile, this isn't her first experience with snow she got to play in it for a couple of weeks when she first came to Trinity and loved it then and loves it even more now that she's getting bigger everyday.

Peace & Bear looking in a hole for a ground squirrel that popped his head out of the hole in the snow, Peace first spotted it and Bear had to join in the hunt. They had such a great time playing and ripping up the snow and keep looking towards the mountains to see if they are beginning to turn white. LET IT SNOW!!!!!!

We found our Paradise in the beautiful Cascade Mountains, hope you find your too.

Signs in the Forest

2007-11-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

Recently the Forest Service took out the sign in sheet at the Trinity TH for the summer and put in sign in sheets for Winter users of the TH, the put them in the box used in the summer and there is only one problem with that it will covered up with snow pretty quick since it is only 4' above the ground. The map in the tree is where the snow usually is after they groom in December and the scarfman is where the snow was when it started melting out. It's a great idea to know how many people use the TH in the winter but they will need to put it some place else to be used.

First Snow of 2007

2007-10-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

This morning we got up and everything was white, not heavy white but white none the less, it is the first snow of the season. It's beautiful and white and continuing to come down mainly for today and tomorrow but then after that it should stop except higher up. We'll see what is happening. Get those snowmobiles and skis ready it is coming to your favorite place well my favorite place.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Hard Core Hikers

2007-10-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning 8 PCT hikers left out from Trinity headed to Stehekin but first they had to get across Buck Creek Pass a 5900' pass to get to the PCT and back on course to make it to Canada, there was new snow down to about 5000' and they were hoping to make it there and headed down again before the day was over but they had to contend with the snow that had fallen and the clouds surrounding the mountains. It rained all day yesterday with the mountains only peeking out of the clouds for brief moments during the day. Yesterday afternoon while the rain had let up we went for a walk as the kids were getting restless and we came upon a couple of more hikers headed up to Buck Creek Pass but it was 4pm at that time. They had made the trip before but not with this much snow on the ground and more on the way with the snow level down to 4500' and then down to 3500' tonight and 3000' Thur which means all of the hikers will be doing most of their hiking in the snow, to me it didn't appear that they had the gear to get through much snow and the weather service shows that there is around 4-15 " at the elevations they are going to have to travel over. They are trying to beat the winter snows to Canada, this should be interesting for them this early in the year. We send them all Trinity vibes and best wishes for a safe journey to all of them on the trail.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.