It's April..... Fools!

It was -19C this morning when I got up today.... on APRIL 2ND..... what the...???!! It is really starting to feel like the winter that never ends, as snow continues to linger in the forecast and daily temps aren't making it very far into the positives.... oy....

Anyway, regardless of the weather, the good times continue to roll. Over the past several weeks, I've gotten a few lovely days of skiing in, plus my dear friend Lisa got married! Woot! Some pics from her wedding are here if you'd like to check them out.

This was the scene on Friday morning!

The neighbor's deck ornament looked as though it was mocking all of us.... how fitting that some Christmas decorations are still out!

Eerie early morning light at Sunshine.

View from the top of the Norquay Chair.

Just happy to be outside!

I'm thinking that there will be at least a couple of more opportunities to hit the slopes, and then perhaps it will be time to dig out the hiking gear! Keeping my fingers crossed....

Cheers!



March Madness

Who'd have thunk that all of this late-season snow would be so much fun! With temps hovering in the -5C range and over half a foot of the fresh stuff, it was hard to keep the grin off my face this past Saturday and Sunday!

I don't have much else to say, other than #feeltheburn....LOL.... and I'm looking forward to more of the same this upcoming weekend!

Cheers!

Still one of the most iconic views in the Canadian Rockies....

Local Pow

Well, March roared in like a lion.... Late last week, heavy snowfall warnings and windchill advisories were being issued left and right, plus I had to work on Friday, so I didn't stray too far from home this weekend.

In spite of the weather, I did have a lot of fun doing something that I haven't done in ages - I spent a day at Canyon Ski Resort. Now if you are a competent skier or boarder, I highly recommend using your own gear if at all possible. All of my skis are in Canmore, so it took a few trips back to the rental shop to find some boots that fit and sticks that were somewhat tuned up. But in the end, I was able to fully enjoy the surprisingly great conditions!

Powder day in Red Deer!

Overall, it is an awesome little hill - we are super lucky to have it within minutes of the city!

The rest of this (very short) weekend is being utilized for home improvement projects. Not my home however, but I don't mind helping out by prepping walls for painting and by picking glow-in-the-dark stickers off of ceilings.... Oy....

And then it's back to the serious grind tomorrow. *SIGH* I'm afraid I won't be having three-day weekends for the foreseeable future.... we are at that point at work where it is all hands on deck, for the next few months at least. So I am reminding myself to appreciate the simple things and make the best of my days off that I am around Red Deer.

Cheers!

Spring Pow!

Last weekend was filled with powder and ink.... what a combination! It started on Saturday, when I was second in line at the ski lift after a night of intense snowfall.

Beauty day of spring skiing!

I think EVERYBODY felt like this, after ripping
through knee-deep powder all morning!

It was hard to keep the grin off of my face, because the snow was unreal. Needless to say, I left the hill completely pooped out after a hard day of playing in the pow.

Sunday was much more mellow. My friend Gillian rounded out the group for a leisurely stomp through the woods up to the Ink Pots. We opted for the Moose Meadows route in order to avoid the usual Johnston Canyon crowds, which turned out to be a great choice.

Overall, the weekend was a fantastic mix of serious exercise and enjoyable outdoor time!

I'm afraid there won't be too many ski days left, however that just means that there will be more hiking, biking, and golfing days to come - yippee!! Can't wait!!

Cheers!



Hiking - Ink Pots
Time (car to car): 4 hours
Distance: 12km
Elevation gain: 230m

That's the spirit!

Wow! What an eventful 48 hours this past weekend was!

Canmore hosts a fantastic, 10-day long affair called "Uncorked", which is much too cool to try and describe here (google it!). On Friday, we attended the Whiskey and Spirits Tasting event, and long story short, for $40, a person can get right proper intoxicated! You can sample as many of the varieties of whiskey, scotch, vodka, rum, gin, as there is time for. Smart move on the organizers' part - the lights came on at 10pm and we were all encouraged to continue the evening elsewhere!

Following the night of spirits, we were still able to drag our carcasses out of bed at an impressively early hour and head to Sunshine. Where, unbeknownst to us, the "Thrill of the Hill" was taking place. Now, anything sponsored by Coors Light is just going to be a run-away, you've got to expect that. And it was!

 

Not a lot of skiing happened that day, but we met a ton of great people and thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the sun and fun!

Next up: Work, work, work.... I have a training course to go to in Houston this month, and my plant is taking a major outage next month. So the ol' nose will be to the grindstone until pretty much the end of May. But then.... Iceland! Yup, I booked it. Finally! I've been wanting to go there forever, so I figure there is no better time than the present, right??! I can't wait - it will be a much needed vacation, to an amazing chunk of the planet. So excited to explore more of this beautiful world!

Cheers!

What the.....???

March twenty ninth. Good gawd. Where. Is. The time. Going?? Yikes!

Well at least I'm making the most of it! Work is pretty 'meh' anymore... so the extra-curricular activities are where it's at!

Freshly-tuned skis! Yesssss!

The trusty flask.... helps take the edge off! LOL!





What a backdrop! This will NEVER get old.

Trappers Lodge... it is definitely easy to get 'trapped' here...

Another stellar day, worthy of a toast!

Cool cloud formations!

In case you didn't notice, skiing has been on the agenda as of late. The conditions are unreal, so of course I am determined to hit the slopes as much as possible! Any time that I get to spend in the gorgeous Rocky Mountains, is time that I cherish..... The fresh air, the views, the exercise, the people.... It all combines into a perfect mixture I call therapy. You should try it sometime!

Cheers!