Twisp of Fate

This week brought me a stint of jury duty over at Okanogan Superior Court.  I was to report at 8:30 am and left at 7:30 as it is about 45 miles from home and involves driving Hwy 20 over Loup Loup summit (about 4300 ft).  Of course, after a beautiful sunny weekend, it started snowing fairly heavily Tuesday early morning, so the drive had to be slow and careful.   I was selected for the jury, and it turned out to be a one-day affair, although we did not reach a verdict until after 7 pm.  So I didn’t get home until almost 9 pm.  Fortunately, the highway was clear of snow and no deer decided to jump out in front of my car!

Yesterday we went out for a ski in the morning.  It was a bit sticky but the trail had been freshly groomed, which helped.  We started across the road from our house (going in through the neighbor’s driveway) and skiied towards town, crossed Twin Lakes Rd, and did the Bitterbrush Loop, which has some fine views up valley:

Close-up of Mt Gardiner

As you can see, we still have plenty of snow!  It has been almost a year since we moved to Wolf Creek, and at this time last year there was mostly bare ground on the valley floor and around the house.  It has warmed up a lot this week so who knows how long it will last, but it sure is pretty.