Sledding! Finally!

Snow means sledding! Finally! Ava was over the moon excited to pull the sleds from the shed and was the first to throw herself down the hill. What a moment; these smiles say it all!

The dogs were not very good at keeping the trail groomed. They flew down the hill after the sleds....

Willow keeps surprising us with her abilities. She insisted on going by herself and crashed repeatedly haha. She was in good spirits and kept me laughing with her laugh.  After she was wearing out she started to complain about pulling the sled up the hill. She would rest on the top and watch the big kids  go down for a while. Then, get enough energy to follow suit...

The hill became extra exciting when the kids decided they needed to build a large mound of snow to do jumps off of! Makes for great action pictures! My favorites!

We thoroughly enjoyed the snow while it lasted. Winter was here for about 5 days;  Ha!
A few days later we were at 60 degree temps! We rolled into February and it feels like April! This is a winter to remember; with the absence of snow.

Winter Wandering

I was delighted when that storm system left a great accumulation of snow on the valley floor.  I drove Willow to preschool and was looking forward to doing some winter meandering with the dogs. The more north I drove, the deeper the snow depth became. At least 10 inches in some areas. Neat.
It was about 42 degrees and sunny. The extended forecast was once again going to be warm. Climbing up into the 50s. Gotta play in the snow while it's here! It's always fun to make the first tracks in the snow!

I returned to the same area I was last week.  I drove east of the large salt flat to climb the mini mountains.  Standing in the Utah desert, looking at the Nevada mountains (Wheeler Peak and Mt. Moriah). The large salt flat was covered with snow and blended in with the rest of the landscape.

Pano view from the top of the mountain:

Nature's art made from the elements; the snow swept in beautiful patterns.....

View peering north:

This is what a week difference makes. Same spot. Then and now:

The dogs have a love for the snow. Having it this deep makes their legs work harder pushing through the snow. I didn't take long for them to wear out haha.

By mid-morning, I was toasty in my snow pants. I may have over dressed. But, I got some nice sunshine on my face.  That makes me happy  ;)