Snow followed by Rain

 Soooo... we got another dump of snow today! 

I mean... a LOT!! For us... of course...

It is 1 Bear deep (that is Bearish for 9 inches).

It makes everything so pretty.

But it can interfere with travel plans!

So very pretty.

You see... I was going to go and visit Gramma and got as far as the airport...

... all the way through security and then... got a text that both flights had been cancelled! Ugh.

Our beets are deeply buried...

And then Air Canada sent another text with an automated rebooking for... Sunday evening!! We were supposed to fly out Thursday and come back early Tuesday morning. Soooo... Sunday to Tuesday was not going to work.

Good thing my sekrebearies replaced the plastic on the roof of the greenhouse this fall!

The bamboo is all flopped!

Soooo... we cancelled the rebooked flights and got a full refund. We will have to go another time...

Minnie is not much of a snow cat... although she did perk up when the birds called the alarm!

Sooo... no Gramma trip... but we did get to go for a hike!

The woods are soooo pretty when it snows!

And you have to enjoy it while you can because we are due to get rain in the next day or so.

Even the lake is frozen after that cold snap... but this little bear is not going to test the thickness...

And do you know where my sled is??? Packed away in the Christmas boxes!! Who thought that was a good idea?

Ah well... it's still fun to play in the snow!

Inching along the Virtual Pacific Crest Trail

I am beary excited to be starting this Virtual Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)! (This post is from late January... I know... I know...)

It is a beary, beary long way... 4000 km or 2485 miles. But let's see how far I can hike today and then we'll do some calculations... 

And... just so you know... I am not doing the challenge on my own! Little Fox took me up on my invitation to form a West Coast Stuffies Team. So it's not just be inching along on this trail! Our combined distances go towards the Total. Teamwork at its best!

The trail I am hiking today has some trails over the muddy bits... which is good.

Because this little bear does NOT like to get wet or muddy...

Oh wow... this is quite the bridge... a bit narrower than the other one.

Because this stuffie is also not a great balancing act... but... I survived!

Such a gorgeous West Coast winter day for a hike!

Hmmm... a fence? And a map?

Are we in trouble on our hike already? Stymied by a fence?

Um. This map says that the area on the other side of the fence is an Active Firing Range...

Yes, we call it the DeaD zone (short for Department of Defence)... we aren't going to use their real name in case they search for it and find me and arrest me!

The "actual" firing range is that orangey bit down at the bottom. And the whole rest of the forested area is their "overshoot" area. I guess in case some rookie soldier doesn't aim properly...

Ah-hem... soooo... what are we doing? Well, we do not counsel anyone to do anything illegal... nooo... that would not be good. But the chain link fence ends just past here and... well...

Someone cut a heart opening into the fence!

Sooo... the All Trails app used to have all the trails for this DeaD Zone... but they had to wipe them a few years ago... liability issues you know. We still have a paper print-out from before with all of mountain bike trails on it and... as we stood here... several hikers and mountain bikers came out of the Zone...

Right then... we are off! FYI... the odds of an "overshoot" are vanishingly small... especially along the edges of the Zone... so...

Here we go!

Wow... the mountain bikers sure have some fancy bridges in here!

Slippery... but fancy!

During the winter, every little gully and rivulet is streaming with water.

This big old tree would make a great overnight camping spot!

In case I really decide to up my game and do what a real PCT hiker would do... camp out!

It's a big old cedar that has been burned on the inside. A perfect dry little spot inside...

It's a bit dirty in here though... maybe this little bear needs a tent?

And I'm almost at the end of this hike... 6.1 km!!

Let's see... 4000 km total length divided by 6.1 km = 667 days. Which is just over 24 months. And that is exactly how long The Conqueror Challenge gives you to complete a challenge!

Whew... good thing Little Fox is hiking along with me! It might be touch and go otherwise...

Snow followed by Bitter Cold

 We got a bit of snow last month. It was so unseasonably warm all through December but then January came through!

The forest always looks so pretty in the snow.

While we were out in the windows, I checked on my old cars... 

They look beary cool in the snow.

The snow covers up a multitude of defects and makes what remains look... strangely wonderful.

It's still not super cold though... so not sure how long the snow will stick around for.

The lake isn't frozen over and not sure if that will happen this year...

But it sure is pretty in the snow!

***A Few Days Later***

OK... I spoke too soon about no cold weather!!!

A polar vortex slid down into Canada, covering Alberta, Saskatchewan and part of BC. We are on the fringes of it so it's "only" -10C with -20C windchill. Brrrrrrr...

Our green onions look a bit sad. But they should be OK... claws crossed.

We still have a bunch of beets in the ground, but the cold should just make them sweeter!

We hope... There are some that are almost as big as my head (or bigger).

Will have to pull some and see!

The nasturtiums held on for sooo long but... this cold has definitely killed them off.

Still... we had nasturtiums blooming in January...

The greenhouse says it's only -5C (which is about 20F) it looks like... 

It might be a tad warmer in here or... it might just have warmed up this afternoon.

Hope you all are keeping warm wherever you are (or were!). Brrrr...

The cold does make pretty frost crystals on the windshield!