January Snow

We got snow this week.

The forecast said we wouldn't, but at 3 am our power went out, and when I got up in the morning, there was enough snow to decide to stay home rather than risking the roads, especially with a winter weather advisory in effect all day.



With the power out, once it was light, the best thing to do seemed to be taking the dogs out for a walk. We often walk in the forest just across the road from us, owned by a timber company, so it seemed like a good destination.



Koira is 12, but feeling young and spunky most of the time. (You can see her wearing a Marco Polo radio tracker in these photos, because she went missing for 5 days over the summer and we're not taking chances.)



Neither of the girls likes the snow much in and of itself, but they are always up for a hike as long as they don't get too cold.



They both really enjoyed catching snowballs (I ran out of cookies). It does chill them a bit, but we were close to home.



We were out for about an hour, and the girls were ready to be inside and warm next to the fire by the time we were done. It also started snowing pretty heavy right as we got home, so it was pretty good timing.



With the sun peaking through the clouds, and a mist over everything, the lighting was amazing.

February Snow (take two)

Ptera really prefers not having snow. She gets cold quickly. But as long as there is a ball to play with, she will put up with the snow for a little bit. And despite getting almost five inches, the day was actually pretty warm.

Ball

Ball?

Doing terrier things

February Snow

Towards the end of last month, we got a decent amount of snowfall. Koira loves the snow, except in the backyard- she doesn't like having to pee in the snow. 

Crater Lake in the Snow

Squinting in the bright sun

The day after Christmas, we headed up to Crater Lake National Park for the day. It is a long drive for a day trip, especially with icy roads in the mountains, but I have been wanting to go to Crater Lake while there is snow on the ground ever since I went in October a few years ago (gorgeous, but well before any winter weather hit that year).

The view over the Rogue Valley (apparently Shasta was visible in the distance, but I couldn't pick it out)

Crater Lake in the winter is pretty hit and miss, with more misses than hits. The lake is often covered in clouds and mist and either fully or partially hidden. I got super lucky when I went in October a few years ago, and lucked out this year as well. The weather was clear and sunny, with just a few high wisps of clouds.

Posing in front of Wizard Island

The larger dog kind of blocks Wizard Island from view while posing in front of it...

The snow was gorgeous up there. It had melted and refrozen, so had a solid layer of ice as a crust, which made it less than ideal for snowshoeing, hiking, or skiing. But with the use of snowshoes, we were able to enjoy the rim of the lake without breaking through the ice crust and stepping knee deep into the snow with every step. (There are snowshoes for rent up there if you don't own any, and there are free ranger guided snowshoe hikes all winter long as well.)

The three of us, staying well back from the edge, keeping the tiny dog warm in my jacket

The dogs aren't actually the biggest fans of cold weather and snow. Koira tolerates it, and actually enjoys the snow a certain amount, but Ptera thinks that cold is stupid. She rode around tucked inside my coat about half the time, despite it being a balmy 38 degrees while we were there.

Tucked in where it is warm

We play now?

A few hours at the lake, then we turned around and headed home. It was a long day, especially for so little time actually spent at the lake, but still well worth it, and with only two iffy ice encounters while driving (one being turning around in the parking lot, where we watched a few other people have issues as well).

This sign wasn't kidding. Especially with the ice on top of the snow, it was slick, and the drop into the caldera is steep. You would not want to slip or fall

The day just kept getting clearer the entire time we were there

Dogs are only allowed in the parking lot and the viewing areas right near there, so it isn't an ideal destination for traveling with dogs. But it was warm enough that we went ahead and brought them and just bundled them up in their crates in the car when we went places they couldn't go, and they stayed plenty warm. Overall, with or without dogs, Crater Lake is certainly worth visiting.

WW: March

Guess what our week started with?







Weird weather for an Oregon March. We'll have to see what the rest of the month brings.

Saturday Selfie

A few weeks ago we had a good bit of snow on the ground here and a bit of a break in the weather between it snowing and the freezing rain coming down. So me and Ptera had to get out of the house for a walk in the snow at the park.

She is looking super pathetic, and desperately needs her nails done (they grow so fast! I dremel them every week!)

This is part of my effort to make sure I am getting in the picture with my dogs. I ask people to take pictures of me with them when I have the chance, but I realized I am missing out on having pictures of me with them whenever we are out and about by ourselves, so I wanted to make an effort to change that.

BW Sunday: Another Snow Day

In a strange twist, Oregon has been having a stupid amount of winter weather this year for what is normally such a temperate climate. We got about two inches of snow on the ground yesterday on top of about a 1/5" of ice, and right now, we have freezing rain depositing another 1/2"+ of ice on top of the snow.

Another snow day. Good thing she has a warm coat!

Starting a New Year

I've done wrap-up posts in the past, where I go over the past year and how it has gone. And I've done goal posts as well, saying what I plan on doing in the coming year. I suppose this is a goal post, of sorts. But I don't have a big list of goals. Specifically, I have two.

I purchased an annual sno-park pass, chains for my car, and two new sets of snowshoes (one of my previous ones broke on my trip in December, so I am now up to three sets of usable snowshoes). The annual sno-park pass is good through October at national park sno-parks. A single day pass is $5, while the annual is $26.

So, my first "goal" is to use my annual sno-park pass a minimum of 6 times, in order to make it financially reasonable to have purchased the annual instead of the daily pass. So far, I've use the pass twice since purchasing it, once in December 2015, and once in January 2016. I'm making plans on going snowshoeing again soon, and possibly sledding at one of the parks in the next few weeks as well.

I think this is a reasonable "goal" to set. I have the financial motivation to do it, since it is already paid for. I really enjoy snowshoeing and getting out into the mountains. And it is really only a little over an hour (two hours if I have to chain up early due to snow on the road) to get up into the mountain for a good snowshoeing trip. The more I go, the more I want to go.

My second, and final, "goal" for 2016 is to get in the picture. I've spent years taking pictures of my dogs, my cats, the places I've been. But I am in few of the pictures, and I want to change that. I want to be able to look back and not only think, oh, look how cute Koira was when we were snowshoeing that winter. I want to be able to look at a picture and see us both out there having fun together.

I'm not setting it as a specific time frame, or with specific numbers. It isn't a matter of "take one photo of me with dog each week" or "photos must be submitted by Thursday" because I want to succeed at this. Some weeks, we don't do a whole lot. Or I am not feeling good. Or I am super busy and unable to find the time or motivation to do it. And I don't want to feel like just because I've missed a week, I've failed. That isn't how this is going to work. Instead, what I want to do is when I am out doing something fun, when I have my camera out and am taking pictures of Koira, I want to get some pictures of me as well. I might only get a few photos one month, and then a hundred the next, because that is how life works out for me. And that is okay. The "goal" isn't a strict, rigid structure. I just want to get more pictures of me with my dog.

With my snowshoes.

To this end, I purchased a remote for my camera. I have a tripod, but is a large, bulky one that is hard to haul around with me. I have been shopping around for a small, lightweight tripod that is still heavy duty enough and heavy enough to balance my rather large camera. I'd like to get really good at using the remote and tripod combination to get some pictures. Broaden my photography horizons and all that.

She thought this trip was cold and ill-planned.

For now, my mom took all of these photos of me and Koira when we went snowshoeing this past Saturday. On Sunday the weather changed and we were hit bad with freezing rain and ice over everything, so we were lucky to get a chance to spend a day on the mountain before the bad weather came in.

She was half making sure I was okay after I fell, and half trying to get into my lap so she didn't have to stand on the cold, cold snow any more. 

Anyway, what do you think of these "goals"? Think they are silly? Awesome? Strange? Do you live in the area and want to help with them by taking a trip up to the mountains for snowshoeing, sledding, cross country skiing? Feel free to comment and let me know!

Wordless Wednesday: Snow in the Mountains

Or rather, a wordy Wednesday post.

On the Saturday after Christmas, I took off to the mountains with Koira. A friend and her dog came along for the fun as well. We went to a sno park near a popular skiing destination, and took to the trails on snowshoes.

Dogs with snowshoes

Koira wore her brand new coat that I made her. Waterproof and fleece lined, it still wasn't quite enough to keep her warm when we were standing still.

Shivering in her new coat because we stopped moving

I am trying to remember my new policy- get in the photo. I look back on so many adventures and there are not pictures of me. I want to be able to look back on this trip, and other trips, and see that I was there with my dog and with my friends, not just behind the camera.

This road was closed.

Koira doesn't do a lot of off leash stuff with other dogs anymore, as she has become less tolerant of other dogs as she gets older. Ripp is totally easy going and one of the mellowest dogs ever, though, and these two got along great.

Dogs headed back to check in

And seriously, Ripp is about as adorable as it is possible to be.

Ripp posing in the snow

Even though I rarely take shots that don't have dogs in them, some of the scenery was just too amazing to pass up on this trip.

Close up of a snowy branch overhanging the trail

This is probably my favorite landscape shot I've ever taken. I just love the clouds giving texture to the sky, the mountain in the background, the trees covered in snow, all of it.

Looking back on the trail behind us

I don't think Koira appreciated the views much, but I know she enjoyed the adventure.

Heading back to check in

In fact, she kept heading off exploring with Ripp, so lots of opportunities for dog butt pictures.

Off exploring

Mr. Ripp was becoming a pro at posing by the end of the trip.

Picture perfect smile

Overall, we had a great trip to the snow. Despite having to chain up on the drive (for the first time in 10 years probably), despite breaking a snowshoe on the hike, it was an awesome, relaxing, fun way to spend a day. And I can't wait to go again.

Koira, being adorable. Color version of the photo posted on Sunday