Skating in the Sunshine

by Marlene

When the inversions lift, it's time to take advantage of the sunshine. Sunday's single digit temperatures and blue skies presented the perfect opportunity to do some ice skating on Foy's Lake.

E puts on her skates

M and E have lots of room on the lake for skating.

One of our favorite ways to chase away the winter doldrums is ice skating. What's yours?

Snowghosts

by M

Have you ever seen snow ghosts and wondered how they were made? Probably not. I bet you think they are made of snow, but they aren't! They are made of hoar frost and rime. Hoar frost is better known as freezing fog. Rime is the formation of ice crystals. The moisture in the fog freezes to whatever it hits, in this case trees. Ice crystals form and, voila! You have a snow ghost. Snow ghosts are fairly rare, but we see them all the time high in the mountains. They are beautiful white sights. Here are some pictures of snow ghosts taken on Big Mountain the day we went to Avalanche Safety Class. Read about it here, Hoar, Ghosts, and Pits!

A mob of ghosts head toward the chair lift.

Giant snow ghosts

Road Runner?

Dancing

Towers

Wait for me!

Triceratops Skull Sold For $251,000!

A Triceratops skull found on an eastern Montana ranch sold for almost 251,000 bucks! An anonymous person bought the 7 1/2' long, and more than 5' wide skull for $250,950 in an online auction. The skull was found over a decade ago on a ranch in Wilbaux County. It was stored at the ranch until a Canadian fossil dealer bought it to prepare for auction. The rancher who found the fossil prefers to remain anonymous.

Montana is full of dinosaur bones and is also the home of one of the finest paleontology exhibits in North America. The Museum of the Rockies is located in Bozeman, and its curator is the famous paleontologist, Jack Horner. We visited the museum in May of 2006 on our way home from Yellowstone National Park. This picture of Triceratops skulls was taken in the Hall of Horns and Teeth which contains the world's most complete Triceratops growth series.

Triceratop skulls from the Museum of the Rockies

Inversions

by E

Since we live in a valley surrounded by mountains, we frequently have inversions in the winter. When an inversion is going on, we have a thick blanket of fog, freezing fog, or smog covering the valley. When we go up into the mountains, the air is fresh and clean and the sun is out. Inversions are made when the air farther from earth is warmer than the air close up. The mountains keep out the wind, which keeps fog and pollution cupped in the valley. The sun can't break through the smog, and the air quality goes way down. The warm air is like a cap that is keeping the cooler air near the earth. This is a picture of an inversion taken from Big Mountain. The light part in the middle is the cloud deck covering the valley where we live.

Inversion over the Flathead Valley

Miracle on the Hudson

by Marlene

We couldn't help but compare the similarity between the US Airways jetliner that landed in the frigid waters of the Hudson River on Thursday to Grandpa Davey's article titled Vaya Con Dios. In both situations, these were planes with no where to go but down. Miraculously, both pilots landed these planes under extraordinary circumstances and in each case all people on board survived.

New York Governor, David Paterson said, "We had a miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we have had a miracle on the Hudson."

Lost Beneath the Flakes

by M

M  snowshoeing near the river

E and I were snowshoeing through the deep snow near the Flathead River as the sun glistened brightly through the trees. Sparkling white snow set against the clear blue sky made for a beautiful day. We reached a clearing and stopped to look at the dark colored river and snowy mountains. To annoy my parents, I decided to run in the snow pretending to be a baby. Little did I know what regret this horseplay would cause.

When I fell into the snow, I lifted my legs and realized one of my snowshoes was missing. I scanned the white landscape, but the snowshoe was nowhere to be seen. In vain, I scraped the snow, searching for the shoe. Dad called E to take a video, and Mom went off to take pictures. I was left behind to search for the lost snowshoe. I dug everywhere imaginable, but to no avail. Seeing my dilemma, Dad shouted, "E, go find it for her."

E came to help me, and the two of us feebly dug for the snowshoe. After Mom and Dad came, I began to panic as it was getting late.

"I think it’s somewhere down the trail!" said Dad. "You wouldn’t know if you had it or not!"

Woeful, I was positive that the snowshoe had been attached to my foot until the silliness began. I just couldn’t find it, and began to dig fiercely with everyone else. After digging for about 15 minutes, Dad decided to go back and get his hiking pole so we could probe through the snow. Everyone became more concerned of not finding the snowshoe. Mom seemed the most worried. She took out her cell phone, but put it back in her pocket while she paced. Her hands were frozen, although they were in her gloves. It was getting later and the sunlight began to slip away. The wind chill was seeping through my coat. After all of this time, we had not found the snowshoe. Mom dialed the cell phone to call Dad.

E's illustration of snowshoe dig

As the phone was ringing, I came across something that looked like a lens cap. After more digging, I realized that it was my snowshoe! "I found it!" I exclaimed.

"We found it," Mom told Dad. "Should we wait for you to come back, or go down the trail and meet you?"

As I watched, I saw a shaken look come over Mom’s face. Stuttering, Mom said, "I-I-I g-guess we can."

Mom explained that Dad had not gone the same path we had come, and that we should just follow the tracks. I took off my gloves and struggled with my snowshoe. My bare hands burned with freezing snow as I tried to snap it on. I asked Mom to help me and she took off her own gloves and snapped it closed. I thanked her, and headed on down the trail. It was not hard to follow the correct path. We silently trudged along.

Soon enough, I saw Dad standing in the middle of the trail. Exhausted, the four of us walked back to the van. Crying, snow, and worry really works up an appetite! After we got home I ate 2 pieces of jelly bread, cookies, cat food, and my dinner of baked pike.

Cowboys and Indians Ride in Inaugural Parade

by Marlene

Montana is Marlboro Country...ranches, cattle, horses, cowboys and Indians. We like to keep it casual and laid back. Even our Governor Schweitzer sports jeans, cowboy boots, and a string tie.

Now in the true spirit of Montana, Governor Schweitzer and the state's congressional delegation plan to ride horseback in the inaugural parade for president elect Obama. Twenty Crow Indians will also be riding horseback in the parade with another 20 riding on a float.

"As someone who was raised on the back of a horse, it will be an honor to saddle up to represent our great state of Montana in the inaugural parade," said Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Montana.

Inauguration Day is January 20th.

Yellowstone National Park - Fears over Earthquake "Swarm"

by Marlene

Like millions of other tourists who visit Yellowstone National Park each year, the threat of earthquakes doesn't discourage me from enjoying Yellowstone's amazing thermal features. Foreboding discussions on late night radio describe a Yellowstone volcanic eruption as apocalyptic. Living here in Northwest Montana just about 400 miles from the park makes this all the more intriguing. To simply suggest that we would experience the effects of a major volcanic explosion would be an understatement. It would be TEOTWAWKI.

Yellowstone National Park sits on one of the largest super volcanoes in the world and lately has been experiencing a "swarm" of earthquake activity. More than 500 earthquakes have been recorded around the area of Yellowstone Lake within the last 10 days. Considered small by experts, these earthquakes register around 3.9 in magnitude.

Each year, Yellowstone records around 1,000 to 3,000 earthquakes. What makes this recent swarm of quakes newsworthy is the number of quakes within such a short period of time and that they may cause changes to the caldera. Experts say there is no cause for concern as volcanic alert level is normal and that there are no indications of magma activity.

Have a prediction? Will Yellowstone erupt any time soon?

Que Sera, Sera

The Big Snow Walk

by M

After an overnight snowstorm, we decided to experience the deep snow in our neighborhood by walking to the store. After walking five blocks, I realized how difficult it was to walk in the snow. The fluffy white stuff seemed like weights on my legs. I began to feel tired and the store was still blocks away. As we walked through town, we heard the constant sound of sirens. Huskies howled eerily. Near the store, a scruffy older man asked us for money to buy beer.

Cautiously, Mom replied, "No, not for beer."

He seemed agitated and said, "I need beer."

After that, we continued to the store. After picking up batteries, toothpaste, and milk, we headed back home.

The snow was deep but spirits were high. Mom took photos of Main Street as we trudged along. We were close to home but it seemed like miles in the deep snow. I was hot, sweaty, and exhausted. At last, we were in the backyard. I fumbled with my keys and went inside. I was so tired; I collapsed into a chair. In that moment, I knew that the best part of every trek is the end.

M in Backyard

E and M

Resting at School

At the Grocery

A blanket of snow surrounds Pizza Hut

Tell us about your snowstorm!

Suicides in National Parks Rise

by Marlene

The Associated Press reported today that suicides in National Parks are on the rise. According to the article, in 2008, 33 people committed suicide in the parks, while in 2007 there were 26 suicides or probable suicides. It is speculated that these despondent individuals may have wanted to return to a place of natural beauty to end their lives. It wasn't until I read the article this morning that I knew the full story of 53 year old Bruce Colburn from Reading, PA. He took his life in early October in Glacier National Park near Kintla Lake. He had just become unemployed, flew to Glacier, and paid a hotel clerk to drive him to the park. He spent the night at the Kintla Lake Campground and then hiked up a trail where he shot himself in the chest with a handgun. His motivations are unclear, but there is evidence that he searched for information concerning suicide in the park.

For the few people that visit the parks with the intention of killing themselves, I am sure there are countless others who find tranquility, solace, and renewed vigor.

Tourists admire the view.

Eat Your Black-Eyed Peas and Cabbage!

Happy New Year!

Black-eyed Peas and Cabbage

Living in the far northwestern part of Montana doesn't keep us from our deep South tradition of eating cabbage and black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. The black eyed peas are for good luck and the cabbage symbolizes money. You'll want to eat plenty of cabbage this year because the money may not be worth a roll of toilet paper!


Here's a great recipe for Southern Style Smothered Cabbage. My husband taught it to me as a newlywed. It was the way his mom always cooked it. My mom always boiled it German-style. Sorry Mom, the smothered version is much better.



Smothered Cabbage:
1 green head of cabbage
1 small bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 onion
Hot sausage links


Slice sausage and brown. Saute vegetables in sausage drippings. Add chopped cabbage. Cover and cook on low heat until cabbage is soft. Do not add liquid, as the cabbage has a high water content.


Bon Apetit!