Oh... DEER!

Paddling out to BBQ cove

A Kingfisher squaks at us for disturbing him (but he wasn't nearly as obnoxious as the cranky Great Blue Herons!)

   Joni and I went kayaking out at Hillsdale Lake yet again, and yet again we'd planned to stop at Hillsdale Bank BBQ to get takeout on the way there. Big burnt end sandwiches on incredible homemade wheat buns! SO GOOD. We arrived at the put-in and paddled over to the cove that we have deemed "BBQ Cove" to enjoy our dinner.

(photo coming)

   We were sitting in the middle of the cove, smacking our lips and talking, when all of a sudden we heard a noise that was too big to be a fish or a bird. We looked up to see twin fawns approaching the water... right in front of us! It had been over 100 degrees all day, and they were very thirsty. They drank for a long time.

   Suddenly their watchful, high-stepping mother came down silently to check on them, and to herd them off to safety.

   Such an amazing experience to see them so at ease in their natural environment!

Enjoying "dinner and a show"

   On top of this, it was just a beautiful night to be out, as the breeze cooled us off and the heat slowly subsided. There were very few boats on the water, and we were the only kayaks, so we had the place to ourselves... other than the wildlife. Perfect!

Oh, Buoy!

   Our day of kayaking was super-fun and remarkably free of mishaps, considering this was only the dogs' second outing. They were extremely well-behaved throughout the day, and I was very proud of them. Until... as we were all paddling up to the boat ramp at the end of the day, the dogs noticed a buoy bobbing in the water. They stood at attention and watched it, then began to bark, warning the foreign being to stay away. It bobbed in response, and they did not approve.
   This started a firestorm of barking. As is my custom, when my dogs are wary or afraid of something, I take them towards it, so they can meet it firsthand and understand that it won't hurt them. We've done this with bikes and strollers, plastic bags blowing in the wind, ... and captive bison. It usually works like a champ.
   This time, however, as we rounded the buoy, the dogs surged forward and the barking escalated out of control, and (after I was forced to shut off the camera for safety) I had to grab the handles on their life vests and hold on, to make sure they didn't jump out, and capsize us.

   Brett yelled, "PADDLE AWAY FROM IT!"
   To which my only response could be, "WITH WHAT HAND?? I CAN'T LET GO OF THE DOGS!!!"
    Fortunately, Danny was nearby and came to my aid, dragging my kayak back towards the ramp. Crisis averted. Thank you, Outward Hound, for adding the handle to the back of your life vests!!!

Antioch Park Sunset

   I took the dogs up to Antioch Park tonight, to take advantage of the incredible weather and to enjoy the blossoming trees before they give way... to the NINETY-degree temperatures coming on Monday! (What planet are we on, exactly? And just how unbearable is summer going to be, if March and April are tropical?)

charming dogwood

   A maintenance worker, still wearing all his gear, and his daughter stopped me soon after we began our walk. They recognized Shibas because they have their own red sesame at home, a 7-year-old male. They got all googly over my dogs and told me the story of how strongly their dog's drive to escape is. He jumped out of the window of a car moving at 70 mph on the highway—and survived! He blasted out one of his hips and it required intense surgery, but he got to keep his leg. And THAT is why my dogs aren't allowed to hang their heads out of my car windows.

the buds were extra intense in the late sunshine

commingling white- and redbuds

floral fireworks!

   Tons of people had the same idea, and while we made our way around and around the park, on every trail and around every lake—twice—we met many children who were delighted by the dogs. One adorable little girl shrieked, "I LOVE YOUR DOGS!" as we walkey past. Gregarious Taylor is always beloved, but even Aki was all warm and fuzzy. She approached kids and sat with them, allowing them to stroke her fur. Usually she lowers her head as the children approached her, as always, too quickly for her tastes, and with little hands overhead, which makes her recoil. She didn't tonight! Progress? Or just a good mood?
   While we stood and talked to a sweet and chatty little boy and listened to a man playing a flute and loaning his mandolin to a little girl who wanted to try. The boy told me about the dogs he used to have, a husky mix named Smokey and a chihuahua. But he said my dogs were the best. Suddenly, my eye caught something. We were right on the north side of the lake, and a cement drain was just below the embankment. It had just a trickle of water in it, but as I glanced down I saw a small creature shuffling along it. At first it looked like a tiny beaver (about the size of a small rabbit), but when I saw the tail I knew it was a muskrat. Although, I'm not certain how I knew that, as I had never seen one before.

Image source

   The boy and I watched it. It appeared wobbly and clumsy, and just before it traveled out of view, it stumbled and fell, got up and continued. Not a good sign. I stopped by the park office to report it, fearing that it might have rabies or distemper. They were closed, so I'll call tomorrow. Poor little guy. I'm afraid reporting it will be a death sentence if he's spotted again, but it would be kinder than suffering through an awful disease, and may protect other animals and people.

This appeared in the KC Star two days later!

   It was very sad, but I have to say that the sunset over the lake was enough to brighten my mood again. This path led right up to the lake, glowing like golden fire.

and the show got even better and better!

Smithville Hike Photos Posted

Check out the awesome hiking weather we had in January!
...and the trouble Aki got herself into!

A Great, Great Blue Heron

   After stalking the snowy owl by the boat ramp for a while, Joni instructed me how to effectively approach a great blue heron at the end of the dock. These guys are quite shy if approached too quickly. We were able to get some decent shots before he swiftly flew across the water:

Heeeeeere's... Asher!

This was actually surprisingly suave for a puppy...

Joni caught a still shot of the goofball in action:

To which we say:

Dam Funny

   As we hiked the trail along Smithville lake, the dogs found a place to get down to the shoreline and delighted in playing in the water and running up and down the edge. Except Aki and Taylor, that is. They found a beaver dam and were sniffing and racing around so wildly that I was just sure we were going to have a "Wild America" moment. It is quite amazing how strong their prey drive is, as any Shiba owner will tell you. They go deaf when they catch the scent of something: completely single-minded and focused.

   Taylor was content to explore the surface, but Aki was determined to find a way in.

   Aki walked around and around, sniffing the large den just under the surface... and then suddenly DISAPPEARED down a tunnel that took her deeper, and underground. That's when I really got nervous... she was GONE. Who knows who or what she might encounter down there, if she'd be able to get back up, if the tunnel was flooded and she may be in danger. My heart pounded as we called for her and waited.

   While we were waiting, I heard and saw TWO large, torpedo-shaped creatures jet out from under the dam and into the open lake. The beavers were home, and Aki had flushed them out! Was she still in pursuit? Would she surface in the lake? She is NO swimmer!

   Needless to say, I was quite relieved when I saw her white face and dark eyes appear again, unscathed.

   It was a tight fit, but after a couple of tries, the dam gave birth to my Shiba.

And lest you think that Shibas have all the fun, check out Asher.

Lake Tahoe, Day 4

   This morning we checked the ski report for Heavenly & confirmed that no additional runs had opened up. So we rented a car and headed up to Northstar. We had breakfast (oatmeal and fruit) but I guess I must be burning extra calories by working out several hours a day... I'm ALWAYS hungry! So I ate my leftover pad thai in car on way.

   We got a noon start at Northstar and I spent the majority of my time on Skid Trail, taking it to Lumberjack (both greens). There were some steep spots, but these runs offered great opportunities for me to practice linking my turns. I had to consciously weight my front foot, lean forward over my board, thrust my hip forward, and use my gaze to point my direction, hip and shoulder aligned. When I was able to do all that, I had some great, long stretches of time where I just coasted, then alternately got more aggressive and sped things up. So fun.

   I still had a number of tumbles, but much less today, so I was really pleased with my progress. Fingers crossed that another day at Northstar will set me up for the last day and a half of the trip, at the hellish Heavenly...

   I finished up as the lifts closed at 4:00, coasted down to the gondola base, and dismounted. I had a great conversation with Gary and Anastasia, a Northstar employee and Epic Mix photographer, respectively. I am amazed at how helpful and friendly all the employees are--at Northstar, Heavenly, and even in Breckenridge back in March! The resorts seem to attract the best and brightest consistently, & it makes the experience that much more fun. Kudos to them!

   Along those lines, Brett and Rafael have been great travel companions; very fun and flexible, and we've gotten along great. I feel very lucky to know them!

   So, famished, we had dinner at the Chocolate Bar in the Village. I devoured my share of honey-bbq chicken wings, and then a flatiron steak with broccoli and a heaping helping of sweet potato fries, all drizzled with balsamic glaze. YUM.

   Then we drove home, stopping at the grocery store for some provisions for tomorrow. A couple glasses of wine and again, I was out like a light. Turns out that hours & hours of exercise + good meals + early sunsets makes you tired.

Deja vu

   Eating pad Thai in the car again, on the way up to Northstar. Just like the intermission during my hiking adventure in the Columbia Gorge last week!
   We rented a Ford Escape from Avis this morning and are on the road. I am so thankful to be going to Northstar today & tomorrow, since they have many more open runs that suit my skill level. My big learning from this trip: careful booking early in the season when there may not be much snow, and if you do, go someplace with a ton of green & blue runs on which to play.
   My goal for today is to work on the basics: simple, tight serpentines of toe- & heel-side down the slopes, building up speed and building up to steeper inclines. If I nail that in the next two days, I'll be in good shape o finish out at Heavenly on Tuesday & Wednesday... Wish me luck!

Ow.

My knees say STOP!!! 

But my brain says KEEP GOING—THIS IS FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!

Lake Tahoe, Day 3

   Today we got great news: Heavenly would be open & the gondola started running at 8:30! We had a big breakfast, got dressed & took the very short walk to the gondola. The ride up was a real treat: a gain of 2000', with spectacular views of Lake Tahoe. Both it & the sky were brilliantly blue.
   My good luck ended there: Heavenly beat the HELL out of me today!
   Arriving at the top, we took another lift up to access a run. Unfortunately this first run proved to be a hurdle for me: it started out with a long traverse that required me to skate, burning energy. And the run down was quite steep: a blue run more difficult than I am ready for. The fake snow was icy, so it hurt to fall, so I played it conservatively and rode toe side, then heel side, perpendicular to the mountain. Before long my legs were burning from yesterday's workout... And my energy and strength were fading fast. On the very first run. Ugh. This is where being a beginner is not so fun: it is very hard to ward off intense frustration, because you WANT to be able to do it so badly, but your body can't keep up.
   I reached the bottom, bid Brett & Rafael adieu, and hit Tamarack for a big burger, some Gatorade, & a rest that I hoped would give me the energy to get out there & tear it up like I did yesterday...
   I decided that rather than continuing to get frustrated (and sore) taking on runs above my level, I moved over to the only open green run—which was a ZOO—crawling with small children, large children, teens, adults, everyone, and with a huge range of skill levels to those who really belonged on more challenging runs. This spells danger. A guy twice my size came from behind and took me out (unintentionally of course, he was learning and couldn't avoid me)
   Ended the day by meeting up with Rafael and Brett again. We rode up the Tamarack Express, took Orion down to the Dipper Express lift, and then down the dreaded California Trail again. On the way down, I found a set of keys: car, house, everything! With a cute lil' metal bicycle die cut keyring. I turned it in to a Heavenly staff member and am hoping the poor person that lost them checked lost & found right away and didn't spend too much time panicking. Given that I've rescued three sets of keys at Snow Creek in the past, I think I am officially The Keymaster.

   I ended the day tired, but it really wasn't so bad the second time. All in all, I rode for another 3 hours or so.
   For dinner, we walked to Los Mexicanos, a little hole in the wall—but not one of those little holes in the wall with really amazing food. I ordered the camarones a la diablo (shrimp diablo), which normally has a spicy tomato sauce. This version was covered in thick, sweet ketchup. It's bizarre: I can't get enough ketchup when I'm eating burgers and fries, but on shrimp? I was completely grossed out. The sweetness was sickening. I scraped off as much as I could, and piled the shrimp into flour tortillas with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa, trying to cover the taste. It was good enough for one meal. But maybe not good enough to walk 2.8+ miles roundtrip in freezing cold weather.
   After that, home, wine, bed. The usual.

Lake Tahoe, Day 2

   The gondola and lifts at Heavenly were closed again; they made the call at 10 am. Brett was standing by the gondola waiting to hear the verdict, and talking to Ike (who works in Tamarack Lodge, a restaurant on top of the mountain). And Ike offered to let us ride along with him & his friend Jesse up to Northstar! It took about an hour to drive up there, but it went quickly with the beautiful views of the lake. We had a mega-quick lunch at Subway and were on the gondola by 1:30. We rode til almost 4:30 (the lifts closed at 4:00, so we were sweeping the trails—the last run of the day! I was able to ride down at least 5 times—I kind of lost count. Once my muscles remembered what they heck they were supposed to be doing and I switched on my iPod, I really got into the zone and was linking turns and having a blast, accompanied by Rihanna, Dorrough, Coldplay... What. A. Blast.
   Ike and Jesse drove us back down to Heavenly, we thanked them & said we'd look for them once the gondola opened up, & then we were off to change and find food. Ike had lived in Thailand for a year and a half, and recommended Nakorn Thai (west of the ski village). We had a glass of wine, hopped the Blue Go bus and for $2 we made the 20 minute trek. Ike was not wrong: the restaurant was EXCELLENT, and our server had an equally good—and very dry—sense of humor. So fun. We shared a big bowl of Tom Yum Goong soup with tomato, ginger, lime and lemongrass, with HUGE shrimp. And I sampled their pad Thai... And promptly downed half of the huge platter. So good! Then we hopped the bus back to Forest (nearly freezing during the 10 minute wait at the stop, enjoyed a glass of wine (well, I did. The boys had beer). Then it was off to rest...

Hello Northstar!