Winter Adventures!!!!

So one has to wonder, what do people who sail do when the snow flies and the lakes freeze over with ice? Well, we ski!!! Cindy and I love to cross country ski and we have infected two other couples with our snow addiction disease as well.
 Snow came early for us this year, December 6th, but who were we to complain as we loved it. The worst part was that it was a few hours late getting to us so most of the day we sat in fear that the weather man got the forecast wrong again. But it finally started snowing and by 3 that afternoon we were loading up Juicy with the skis and headed to refuge to meet the gang for our first ski of the 2013-14 ski season! Here is the gang, minus me, during our first ski

 

 It was not long before it was time to share our favorite adult winter beverages in the snow

 

 the snow just kept coming down that night and upon returning back to the Snow Lover's Lodge we got to go on our very first nighttime ski around the trails at Dottie's just across the road from us. The  snow conditions the next morning were great.

 

Dottie even got her new snow shoes out and played a bit before her knee started hurting and she had to turn back.

 

My daughter Breanna even got her skis out and skied with us Sunday evening right before dark.

 Cindy's grandson Miles got to come down the next weekend and spend the night and luckily we still had some snow left despite the warm up. We decided to go ahead and give him his Xmas gift from us early so he could play with them on the snow as we never know when it will go away. As you can see he took right to his new skis and we think he will be a natural!

 

Miles first time on snow/ice. We have to take whatever we can get when it comes to snow this far south!

 

 It was not long before Miles was making tracks, with a lil help from Nanna

 Just as soon as the snow came it was gone and we hit a snow drought. I am glad I chose to give Cindy her new skis for Xmas early on the 6th with the first snow as we never know if that is all the snow we will get here in southern IN or not. It seemed like forever but the snow finally fell again but the really good snow was just north of us about an hour. We tried, unsuccessfully to drive up to the Indy area to ski twice but due to horrible traffic delays we had to turn back. Not easily discouraged we plotted a course for a new destination of the Morgan Monroe state forest as they had plenty of snow. The trip there was beautiful, and blocked in several places due to downed trees but it sure was a pretty drive.

 Our favorite was the downed tree with the x painted on it to alert you of low clearance. Luckily the ski rack fit under the tree!

 We finally got to the park just before dark and we jumped out and got on our skis the first place we thought looked suitable. We got in a quick 2 mile ski before it got dark on us. Here is Cindy and Amy making tracks in 6" of wonderful snow!

 It has turned out to be a long and cold winter but most of the good snows have just missed us to the north. We have had snow cover but just not enough to really ski on. Nothing more depressing than to have snow but not enough to ski on, day after day. Miles got to come back down for a visit and of course we brought his skis back with him but we did not have enough snow to ski on. I had just finished my first pulk that we are going to use on our up coming trip to the UP of Michigan this December. We are going to ski into a rustic cabin on the shore of lake Superior and spend 3 days and two nights in the rustic cabin xc skiing during the day and snow shoeing in search of wolves and the Aurora Borealis at night. We, I, can't wait!!!! Sorry, getting ahead of myself. A pulk is a sled that attaches to a harness belt around your waist with solid fiberglass rods so you can not only pull it but also hold it back from running you over when you are going down hill. I thought Miles would be a good way to try it out for the first time. Well, Miles was a bit leary of the sled so Nanna wound up being in the sled with Miles for the first actual pull. Nothing like overloading the system right off the bat to see if it will fail!

 





 

 I did not get a pic of them both in the pulk behind me as I was a bit busy pulling them but the stitching I did on the belt and the whole attachment system held just fine. I doubt that we will ever have over 50 lbs in gear in the sled in Michigan but it is nice to know it will carry 3 times that much. After a couple laps around the drive Miles was hooked. So it was across the road to Dottie's to hike the trails. After pulling him up the drive the thought of sledding entered my mind. So I unhooked the tracer poles from the sled and let Miles and Nanna use it to sled down the drive.

 

Again, just enough snow to play in but not enough to ski. All was good though as everyone was having fun, especially Miles!

 After each trip down the drive Miles would just look up and Say "More!" Gotta love it!. After several trips down Nanna took Miles on a hike through the woods.

 The pulk worked great and Miles was really enjoying the ride.

 Just can't beat a good sled ride when you are not having to do any work and can ride along covered up with a blanket!
 We kept getting one inch snows but still  not enough to ski on close to home. Frustration was sitting in. We decided if we were going to get to do some good skiing we were going to have to go north. So after a quick check of snow up north we put together a trip up to Pokagon State Park in the northeast corner of Indiana. We decided to drive up the night before so we would hopefully miss the next snow storm coming at us and it turned out to be a really good idea as the roads were awful the next day but we awoke safely in our rooms and ready to hit the trails! After a quick stop by the breakfast buffet we were all on the trails making tracks!

 We ski kinda like how we kayak, we don't hit it really hard and we stop often for adult drink breaks. We stopped at the shelter house to warm up by the fire, roast some marshmallows, and let Bill cool off as he was about to melt down

 Like all ski trips Cindy and I have to get our pic taken so we have one for our photo album

 The trails at Pokagon were awesome, probably the best we had ever skied. The snow was deep and firm and they got new snow  both nights. The terrain was varied and while the hills were not super tall they were challenging with turns thrown in just to keep you working at it.

 We really wanted to do the toboggan run but it was really busy during the day and we were busy skiing so we planned on eating early then sledding that evening. As luck would have it the roads were still a mess and the county put a snow emergency order in effect and they were issuing 100 dollar tickets if you were on the roads. So they closed the toboggan run. Bummer. So Cindy and I tried out our new snow shoes in the dark. It was so peaceful walking through the dark wooded trails. We found a bench on the lake and sat for awhile listening to the snow fall down around us. We both enjoyed snowshoeing but skiing is much more fun.
 Sunday morning we awoke to a fresh 4 inches of snow and the roads still closed so we did not get to do the toboggan run again. It was 5 degrees out with a brisk wind making it feel much colder. After another visit to the breakfast buffet, compete with prime rib, Cindy and I headed out for the north side of the park. It was just beautiful with large flakes falling down on us through the pine trees. We skied all over the north side of the park before heading back in to check on the toboggan run status. Still closed, total bummer! We checked out and headed south for home. It was hard to leave such good snow behind but we had to get back. I so want to move north!!!
 It was just a few days before Libby emailed me asking if I had heard about the 30" of snow heading our way? What!!!! Holy smokes, that is a lot of snow! Well, it turned out to be a bit exaggerated but it still looked like we could get a good 10+ inches. It started snowing last Tuesday evening as I was bringing in firewood and in less than 2 hours we had a good 4" of new snow. I was almost over joyed!!! Then it happened. The warm air aloft moved up from the south and turned the beautiful snow that was falling from the sky into the ugliest darn sleet I had ever seen!!!! I about lost it!! I watched the radar till I feel asleep hoping the sleet would not move too far north. But as it turned out it made it all the way to Indianapolis by the next morning. After getting a somewhat incorrect snow report from the lake Monroe area and not knowing any better we set a time and met the gang at the Grubb Ridge Trail. They had snow but they also had a 1/2 to 3/4" of crusty ice on top of the snow. We tried our best to ski in it but it was really more like ice sliding. Talk about loud. With every stride the ice crust would break and then our poles were breaking through it at the same time. No hope of seeing any wildlife that day! We skied out about 3 miles and then headed back. I skied, slid, ahead of everyone and got a small fire going at a campsite so we could cook some lunch and warm up.

 It was a fun day but what I did not know or think about was how sharp the ice was were I was breaking through it. I discovered when we got back to the lodge that I had cut the sides of my new ski boots. Talk about a total bummer!
 The weekend came and with the snow covering all my target sites I needed to fly I had the weekend off. Wanting to make the most of it we headed north in search of skiable snow. Boy did we find it!
 I started Saturday off with breakfast in bed for Cindy and the boys. What better way to wake up than with homemade blueberry pancakes?

After breakfast we loaded up Pearl and picked Libby up on our way our of town. Quick stop by Starbucks and we were on our way north in search of snow. The destination for the day was Fox Island country park just south of Fort Wayne. The closer we got to the park the deeper the snow got along the side of the road so we knew we were going to have good snow to ski in. The park is really a neat little place with nice trails and gentle hills. It is neat to go to places were there are actually other crazy people out enjoying the snow too. We skied almost 8 miles there and found a really cool natural tree arbor that provided a Kodak moment for Cindy and Libby

Our friend Jay got to run down after his hockey game and ski a long lap with us. It was good to see him and were glad we finally got to hook up for a ski. We were not able to meet up during our Pokagon trip due to pesky travel advisories and closed roads. The snow started coming down pretty good about the time Jay arrived and we skied the last couple miles with snow stacking up on our heads and back packs. Nothing better than skiing through a quite woods while the snow falls down around you! Libby is really starting to get the hang of xc skiing and none of us crashed to the snow on this trip! It was not long before it was time to head for home and find some food to replace all those calories we burned! The whole way home we talked about where we could go the next day to ski. I hated to waste a day off from work with snow on the ground within driving distance and not ski somewhere. I stopped and checked snow depth and condition on the north side of Indy on the way home. While they had enough snow my fear was that since it had been several days since it had snow the walker would have tracked up the snow and with temps close to 30 with some sunshine forecasted for Indy that the snow would get soft and sticky quickly. We decided to head further north in search of better snow conditions.
 The alarm started buzzing at 5 am yesterday morning. Ugh, where did the night go? A quick check of radar perked me up though as north central Indiana was getting more snow!!! I very gently woke Cindy up with a cup of coffee loaded with carmel and butterscotch schnapps and it was not long before we were loaded up again and  heading north. Destination for the day was France Park just west of Logasnport Indiana. The snow started falling just south of Indy and we drove in snow the rest of the way there. It was a beautiful drive and luckily it was still early enough that there were not many people out on the roads and we made good time despite the snow piling up on the roads. Pearl is a real joy to drive in conditions like that with her all wheel drive. By the time we got off of 31 onto 24 there was maybe 2-3 inches of fresh snow on the roads.

 There was snow everywhere and it was a winter wonderland. We were loving it!!! A quick stop at the local McDonalds to ask directions to the park and we were almost there. Just a few miles from the park Aaron, a online friend from the xc ski website called, and was going to be able to meet us at the park and show us the trails. That was great news as the reviews of the park said it was very nice but really lacking in trail signage and their maps sucked. Aaron arrived just as I was helping Cindy up as she had tried to run me over from behind skiing down the lane. He assured Cindy he saw nothing so all was good. We were so glad Aaron was able to join us as we would have missed so much of the park had we been on our own. Aaron took us a on a wonderful guided tour all over the park and what a hidden gem it is. We headed off first to the cliff that overlooks the quarry lake that the zipline, not open in the winter, goes over. Had  to stop and take a few pics

                                                           My beautiful lil eskimo

                                                       Our wonderful tour guide Aaron.

No ski report is come complete without a pic of myself with my beautiful lil eskimo!
 It is a little hard to tell in the picture but we are actually up about 60 feet or so above the frozen lake on a rocky cliff. We all commented on how there was no safety rail but we guessed being a county park there was not the budget for it. Of course we all had ski right up to the edge to look over and see how far down it was LOL.  The snow conditions were awesome with 14-15" of snow with the 3" of powder they had just gotten. I was so glad I had brought my leg gaiters as I was just wearing running pants and they do not have elastic cuffs at the bottom to keep snow out.
 Aaron lead us down the back side towards the low ground along the Wabash river where we could see the rock walls that the river carved out long ago. Then we headed to the marsh lands on the west side of the park and then through the camping areas to a frozen waterfall that still had water running under it's frozen cover

We continued our ski around another lake back down to the Wabash where we saw a bald eagle flying over the river. Had to stop and share a warm cup of spiced wine before we headed back to the parking area. On the way back Aaron got a call from the lil Misses. He was running late as they had a get together to go to. I heard him tell her to go on and he would meet them there followed by his wife saying, rather loudly, "You took my car!". Oops, we just meet Aaron and we have already got him in trouble. Our job was complete LOL! It was not long and we were back to our cars. A little over 7 miles of skiing with powder stacking up in front of our feet the whole time. It was a workout but a very beautiful one and well worth the drive. Aaron told us of a good Mexican restaurant we would go right past on our way out of town so after saying our goodbyes off we went in search of food and drinks. With our bellies full we headed south for home. It was not long before Cindy had gotten all covered up with her seat heater on high and she was out. I swear I could see steam rising up around her head she was so toasty warm under the blanket  and her jacket!

 I guess Cindy  was a little wore out after driving almost 600 miles and skiing a little over 15 miles the past two days. I was really saddened to see the weekend come to and end. I really think if we ever win the lottery we would play somewhere, every season, everyday!
 Lakes are still frozen, so when is the next snow storm due to arrive????