Training Log Archive: biggins

Why is it that the hardest part of all my adventures is trying to get home? I drove back up 395 through Mammoth, which was great until just after Bishop, then it started snowing a lot. I made it over that pass ok and got back down low around Mono lake, but then going up that pass it started rocking out the whiteout blizzard dude-wheres-the-road sortof thing. So I stopped and put on the chains (voluntarily, without prompting from the chp, which I think is a first), and managed to fishtail my way and over that one. The next one was fairly uneventful, and I took the chains back off once it got back down going into Reno. But then 80 up to home was closed due to too many stupid people with drivers licenses, so to kill some time I went to watch Harry Potter (which was obviously good), but it wasn't long enough because once it got out the snow was worse and the highway was closed even further from home, so I slept in the parking lot for a bit. Eventually they opened 80 back up again, but only to locals (and my drivers license still has the LA address), so I went up, put the chains back on, and managed to sweet talk my way through (I got mad charm yo). The highway up was fine (and empty) so that part was good, and then I got to paddle-wheel my way up northwoods to the house, where all the parking spaces were full of cars or more snow, so I got to trench myself into one of the unplowed ski area lots down aways. Managed to beat Zan and Dev and Roommate up by a couple minutes, even though they started from SF about the same time I left from Reno. But hey, at least we got another two feet of snow. Cause it was getting a little thin.

Hiked up Wildrose Peak, which was nice and viewy, and only got insanely cold and windy up on the very top of the summit. Otherwise a downright pleasant hike.

In Death Valley with Dan and Kate. Went out to the end of a 25 mile dirt road to see the racetrack, which is the big dry lake bed where all the huge rocks move around on their own. Turns out the huge rocks are actually the size of your foot, and half of them had been stolen. But we found a couple that were moving, which made it all worthwhile.

Then stopped to play on some big sand dunes in the bottom of the valley, which I wore the garmin for just to see if I could break attackpoint with some unsigned elevation action. But all is well, yay ken.

Then we deep fried some turkey parts, and made lots of other delicious turkey day dishes prepared entirely over our collection of xgk/dragonfly/jetboil awesomenesses.

C • pics? 5

it finally stopped snowing and cleared up, but then it dropped to -10F. its gonna take them a couple days to beat down all the snow anyway, so I'm going down to death valley to fry some turkeys with dan. should be back just in time for the next storm.

and I'm done. thanks for playing.

C • Not yet. 2

Dear sky,
It was funny for the first couple days, but you can stop now. I'd like to go outside and play.
Thanks.

I heard this rumor that Tahoe City was rocking out the blue sky this afternoon, so I dug out the car, slid down the mountain, and went to investigate. Blue sky might be a stretch (there was a little), but it was snowing in a pleasant sort of way, not like the angry blizzard sort of way we have at home. And they groomed, and it was mostly solid enough for me to skate, and there was a crapton of nice new snow so I got to use the good skis. Lovely. Saw Tapio and Dan Greene, who stopped by on their way through from South Lake. They looked like they haven't been rollerskiing as much as they clearly should have.

heh. nuff said.

C • Wow. 7