Urban Outcast Music #31 - Small Giraffes by Alan Gogoll. Great working music if I could get myself to stop watching his technique. Whimsical Toad and Grizzly Caterpillar are a few other strong contenders. Finally, for really tuning out the world, there is trying to figure out how he makes a guitar sound like bells (I just lost another 4 minutes making sure the link worked).
Three months of R&R finally paid off when we got to take the little man to the property last weekend. This would be the family's first visit since August when the highs were in the mid-90s. With feet of snow on the ground it was the perfect time for Orrin and I to learn how to snowshoe. We arrived to find that someone was already snowshoeing our planned route. I'm going to need to work on my affable landlord speech because when he made it back to his car, I went with the silent treatment... not sure that was very effective. On the other hand, Orrin did some very impressive wailing on both days so hopefully word will spread that the place is haunted.
For Day 1, I played both the crippled old man and amateur cards to get out of the hard work of carrying that very dense little dude. The snowshoeing itself far exceeded my expectations and even when I found myself floundering on steep slopes, like one of those deer the wolves are running down in your favorite nature doc, I was excited to get my own hardware. **Side note - both grizzlies and wolves have been spotted in the area since the 1980s as I learned reading the public disclosures for some visitor facilities planned at the meadows. ** Biggest tracks we saw were coyote but it looked like most critters had the good sense to head to lower elevations.
While the family headed back to the car, I headed up and around our two mounds to see some new country and to check traffic on the meadow side. There was almost a groomer there but by that point I couldn't summon the outrage that might still be an issue during elk season. Maybe it's because the feeling of ownership is still surreal but it's hard to hold it against folks for seeking out such views and peaceful silence. I'm curious to see how my position evolves as I'm already pretty far along the progression to cranky old man on the porch...
I still haven't climbed the highest point on the property yet but its going to make a great sledding hill/frisbee golf tee box location.
Day 2 was as just as beautiful and we followed the tracks of the interloper to see where he had ended up. Turned out not very far (a little disappointed in his drive) and we continued on to make a loop of the lower third. I failed to get great pictures but the best artifacts of critter presence were "elevated tracks" that we found in a few spots. Maybe the rest of snow was blown off but when you would come across these they were impressions that rose above their surroundings. 2nd shot has Oak's tracks going left to right for contrast but he is so dainty they are hard to spot.
I dont think we made it over two miles either day but it was such a relief to be back outside again. Turkey season is only a month away!
