This has been a week of driving in Idaho. Sandpoint to Cascade. Cascade to Boise. Boise to Mcammon. Mcammon to Ketchum. For the first 2 legs the weather has been fantastic with incredibly blue skies. There is something so beautiful about the light and the terrain of the high desert. here and here.

In Mcammon, I went snowshoeing with Mart in the Fish and Game preserve above their house. It was beautiful. Two more nice pictures from the snowshoe.

On Saturday(Jan 28th) morning, I was sitting in Mocha Madness in Pocatello looking for lodging in Jackson, WY or Driggs, ID. After a few hours I was just about to call the Anvil Motel in Jackson when I looked at my weather page. I checked out the forecast using the NWS 10 day forecast system and noticed that Sun Valley was forecast for >15 inches of snow between Sat and Tues. That forecast called for a little change in plans. It was an stressful drive to Sun Valley with 60+ mph white-out inducing crosswinds(I watched the pickup in front of me pushed sideways by the wind) and coming out of the desert near Bellevue, ID the white snow covered foothills against the dark blue clouds at sunset. I wish I stopped and took a bunch of pictures on the road from Jerome up through the desert into Ketchum.

I think I am starting to get the hang of this traveling thing (ie have no schedule. go where the snow is good or where the friends are good.)

I was planning to be in Jackson today, but after looking at the conditions in Sun Valley and the upcoming forecast, I changed my mind. They had 7 inches of snow yesterday and have 8-10 inches forecast by end of day tomorrow.

I woke up early, the owner of the lodge offered to drive me up to the mountain. My back was a little sore. I stretched. I ate and my back hurt a little more. I got dressed and it hurt more. After a few more minutes, I decided to take the day off.

Bad news is I miss a day of fresh snow. Good news, it is sunny and clear and it is sunday which means crowds.

So I’ll spend the day catching up on some reading, doing postcards and exploring Ketchum.

Anybody want a souvenir?

Well I finally got some ski images posted. As I have said in some previous posts, it was a great week of skiing. Schweitzer got 20+ inches of snow last week, and I got 3 days of fresh tracks.

Tuesday

I snowboarded on Tuesday. It was a great day. There was 10 inches of new snow. Doug and I went stayed on the front side all day. The highlights were the KMAC and Jack’s Dream on the South Face and Headwall off the quad.

Wednesday

We got a late start today. It started out clear, but by 11am it started snowing. By the end of the day we got about 4 inches of snow. We met Doug’s friend, Tom for the first few runs. We then went to the back side and found great powder left in the trees off chair six.

Friday

This was the big day. Another 10 inches of snow today. Doug and I started the morning on chair 4 to stay away from the crowds and fog/wind up top. We got many, many powder runs in. We skiied from 9am till 4, all over the mountain. On powder days, I tend to get beard build up. By lunch I had a huge ice encrusted beard which elicited lots of comments from folks in the lodge. Here is a picture from later in the day w/ not as much build up.

Saturday and Sunday

Garrett came out for the weekend. We had 2 nice days of skiing. I boarded on Sat and then tele-ied on Sat afternoon and Sunday. The snow was soft and we again went all of over the mountain, even out to the tow rope that opened in the area past Siberia. On Sunday, we were also joined by 2 of Doug’s friends from Sandpoint, Rich and Dave on Sunday.

You can see all the rest of the pics here

Yesterday, I had a great drive down from Sandpoint to Cascade, ID. The whole way was down RT 95. It was a beautiful drive and I stopped many times along the way to admire the views and take a number of photos.

The section from Grangeville to New Meadows was one of the most memorable. The light and the terrain along the Salmon river and then the beauty of the high country meadows above Hell’s Canyon were stunning.

Damn it has been a good first week. It snowed here (Sandpoint, ID) on Tues, Wed and Fri. It has been a great week.

My plans for the next 2 weeks were pretty much up in the air till yesterday. I will be spending the rest of this week in Idaho. Tomorrow, heading down to Mccall, Idaho(it will be a long day, ~350 miles on mostly 2 lane roads). Skiing at either Tamarack or Brundage mountain and then into Boise on Wed evening to see isitandlookout.

From there it is southeast to around Pocatello to visit 2 friends. I will probably do some skiing, or maybe just some snowshoeing and hot spring soaking.

Next week is sort of up in the air right now. Sun Valley or Southwestern Montana or Jackson Hole? The long range forecast shows fresh snow in Montana and Sun Valley on Sat->Monday. So I may start there. I have to hit Jackson atleast once as this is the last year for the tram.

Doug and Jim are the best hosts one could ask for. From wake up calls, to great breakfasts, to fresh huckleberry pies. I have been here 7 days and they have not kicked me out yet. I have to figure out a way to repay them.

PS: Skiing pictures are coming soon, I promise. Oh and did I say that Garrett came out via train from Seattle and spent the weekend?

This entry is 4 days late, but I have been lazy. It has been hard to get myself to sit down and write anything.

I left Seattle on Monday. I went to Sandpoint, ID (where I am writing this from). The trip was rather uneventful except for the 3 hour wait to get over Snoqualmie Pass, the freezing fog from the Gorge to Moses Lake and the tractor trailer that nearly ran me off the road on the snow covered ID95 near Sandpoint.

Jim and Doug, as usual, have been great hosts.

The skiing has been fantastic. There was fresh snow on Tuesday. Tree skiing and hidden staches on Wed. 10 inches of fresh snow today.

My legs are tired. Pictures to come.

For the next few months I will be doing something I have been planning for 10 years.

Way back when I finished grad school, I made a pact with myself. I would work for 10 years, save as much money as possible, overfund my retirement and then stop. After the 10 years were up, I would change my work habits and my life so that I could only work for maybe 9 months a year. My goal enjoy life while my body is still strong enough to (such idealism)

Over the years, I liked to talk about this pact, but I never really seriously thought I would do it.

Well it is 10 years since that pact was made. I quit my job in Dec. I have left Seattle and will not return for 2 months. My plan? Ski 30+ days, become a vagrant in the western US, and to stop and smell every rose along the way.

Come and join me.