Warm in the Mountains!

Guess it is time to do another posting. As per my "Weather Channel" style, first is the weather report from Flagstaff. We have had very mild days since last I reported, sunny and in the high 50s and low 60s. That is warm for here. However, March is going out like a lion with strong winds most days. I was out hiking yesterday and there were gusts up to 20 mph.


The Nordic Center officially closed on Monday, and with some regret, my cross-country skis went to the storage unit along with their racks. The AZ Snowbowl (downhill) will close next week. Those closings signal the end of a very good winter for Flagstaff, much like normal ones of the 80s and early 90s.


Students at Northern AZ University (and the Flagstaff schools) were gone on Spring Break last week and it was pretty quiet here. They are back now while others passing through town are on their "breaks." It is interesting how these breaks get staggered throughout the nation, and even in AZ. When I was young it was simply "Easter Break," and almost everyone was out at the same time. Now, we begin to get a larger influx of "out-of-towners" during this time of year. Of course, it could be the change in weather as well.


Even I will be hitting the road in a couple of weeks. San Diego County and family beckon me this time of year before I head up to the Tetons for 5 months.

Spring!

Hey Folks,

Today is the vernal equinox, meaning equal day and night. From now on the days will get longer. Spring is here! Winter kind of sputtered out here in Flagstaff with some snow flurries that did not amount to much on Sunday and Monday. I had hoped for a bit more so there might be one more day for cross-country skiing this winter. There is still an outside chance of some Spring snows but it is not looking good for that.

It will not be too long, a little less than 6 weeks, before I will be heading north to my other mountain retreat, the Tetons in Wyoming. My spring/summer/early fall ranger job takes me away from my own form of winter hibernation and back to work in one of the most beautiful places in the United States.




This ranger season I will be looking at some new challenges. The first of which is my new duty location, Jenny Lake Visitor Center. Although I loved my nine years at Colter Bay VC (and will still reside there), Jenny Lake is where, before I became a ranger, my youngest daughter and I always camped on our visits to Grand Teton National Park. We loved it there.

Picture above is Colter Bay Residense in May!

The second challenge is my new position as "Lead Ranger." Having been what I call a "grunt" ranger all these years, just doing programs and talking to park visitors, I have not had supervisory responsibilities. Now that has changed. A new duty station and job brings with it what native peoples of North America have always symbolized Spring as representing, a form of rebirth.



As does every Spring, this equinox opens up new possibilities for all living things. I hope this is true for all of you.

The Grand, Canyon that is!

Spring has taken hold in Flagstaff, well, almost. After about 3 weeks without new snow, and fairly warm temps, we are supposed to get some over the next couple of days. It is not expected to bring much accumulation but with the equinox fast approaching it isn't any wonder that winter would make some noise going out.

I made a trip up to the Grand Canyon yesterday. I use to go more often but in the last few years have not done so. That is somewhat sad since it is only 75 miles away. It was a pleasant sunny, but chilly day there (comfortable for me, 45 degrees, but the other park visitors were all bundled up). I hiked along the rim for about 6 miles round trip. That is the longest stroll I've taken all winter and feel it a little in my muscles this morning.

The canyon was magnificent as usual. I always marvel at the changing colors as the day proceeds on and the sun is in different positions casting a change of light and shade on the landscape. That is why I like artist Ed Mell's renderings of the canyon. His are not realistic, photographic style landscapes, but more a sense of the place. I am always tempted to buy just one more of the Grand Canyon Chamber Music Festival posters for which he is the artist each year.

The past week or so I have been feeling a bit "down." It was probably a residual affect of the long flu that has plagued me over the past three weeks. But, "the canyon" seemed to dissolve those feelings. There is something about the place that is both settling and "awesome" at the same time.

***One last curmudgeonly note: I hate the bastardization of language in some common usuage. Here I will note the current misuse of the term "awesome." These days everything seems to be "awesome." If everything is "awesome" then it must be average. The word's meaning has to do with phenomena that is extrordinary in some way, not ordinary. But alas, ordinary has become extraordinary, hence, "awesome!" And so it goes . . .

Almost Spring!

This flu/cold is getting pretty tiresome. Some have told me that it can hang around for a month, or more. The weather here (again the weather!) has stayed pretty preSpring like even though there was a slight dusting of snow last night. That helps a little with the illness. At least I know I'm not missing good conditions for XC skiing.

Since one of my very close friends complained that I had not been blogging lately, I decided to put forth a few of my random thoughts. Put it down to the meandering of a curmudgeonly, and grumpy (lately) old guy.

Firstly, this extension of daylight savings kind of pi*#s me off. Last year when it went longer I thought that was it. I didn't realize it was going to start earlier this year. You might say, what do you care you live in Arizona where they do not go along with everyone else? Here's what it is; we are not an agrarian nation any longer. We do not need an extension of longer days to get the crops in. The days get longer anyway. One of my daughters lives in New York; it makes it a 3 hour difference for phone calls (Tania, the eldest daughter is in San Diego, so it makes our time the same and easier to get in touch). Daylight savings does not save any energy because it makes it darker in the morning instead of the evening. And, "trick or treating" in October is not a good excuse for the extension either. Let "Nature" takes its course. That's why there are two equinox, and two solstices!

Secondly, I am sick to death of all of this election stuff. I wish we could get it over with. No wonder very little gets done in the congress and government as this election process gets started sooner each time and elected officials spend most of their time getting ready for the next "go round." Besides, I want these current crooks out of there! Is it any wonder that we are going into recession/inflation with the amount we have spent on this war (not to mention the number of dead)? When Bush and his cohorts came in we had a surplus. Now we are billions and billions in debt. You can bet Cheney's stocks in Halliburton have not suffered, nor has that of the Bush clan's oil interests. They are the worst carpetbaggers since the Grant adminstration.

I suppose that is enough of a tirade for one nice sunny, but chilly day here in the mountains of Arizona. It will not be long, less than two months now, that I will be heading North to the Tetons for my late Spring/Summer/early Fall Ranger job. I look forward to that every year and this is no exception.

Peace everyone!