Sno, Sno, and Mo Sno !

We arrived in Mammoth Lakes last Thursday about 2pm, got settled in and let the owner know we were here. The weather was looking good and when Derek, the owner, came down off the mountain about 5 he came by and we finally got to meet him. Great guy, enjoys a good beer, being outside, Mtn biking and working hard. We agreed that I would meet  him at 8am Friday morning and he would have a crash course with the snowmobile and then meet the crew that would be digging out the cabins at 9am. We would take them up to the cabins and he would show me around. Sounded good to me! (Course, I hadn't been on a snowmobile before, being from the south) We went for a test spin up to the cabins and back, about 2 miles, and came back down to get the diggers.We loaded up with two guys each, 3 on each snowmobile, and took off. The ride was different with 3 but all went well and after dropping them off I went back and got the last guy. Derek took a couple of hours showing me the property layout as best as possible, there was about 10 ft of snow with drifts 15+ ft, and then he took off for home. His son was in a CA mtn bike championship Saturday and he wanted to be there. (Great guy/Dad!) We worked hard until 2pm and met back on Saturday to work from 9am-2pm again. I was amazed at how hard these men worked, some of the holes down to the water shut offs and front doors were 8-12' deep. You have to cut steps into the wall to get out! I took the camera both days but unfortunately/fortunately I was too busy to take pics. Saturday when I arrived back home the other two couples had gotten here and settled in. The weather in Mammoth Lakes is a lot different than up on the mountain, up there it is about 10 degrees colder and the snow dumps there before it  gets past the mountain to the town. Sunday I was to meet the men again but it snowed Saturday night pretty hard so we cancelled work Sunday and we would all go up Monday morning, Derek was due back in town then. After Derek got the diggers working we all met for brunch to break bread and mingle. This was the first time Derek had met the third couple, Harry and MaryJo. H and MJ are from the north so snow is familiar to them so it looks like the team will jell just fine. Mo and I stopped and got gas for the snowmobiles and the rest went on up. Derek met us after he took them up and shuttled Mo and I up. This was the first time Mo had been to the cabins and the first time on a snowmobile. She was excited to start this leg of our adventure. Pam showed Mo and MarJo what they do and Tom showed Harry and I our jobs. We all have a big challenge ahead of us if we are to get open by Memorial Day. The diggers were redigging out the doors and water shutoffs, fortunetly it was a powder snow so it moved quickly and easily. We started about noon and at about 4pm it was snowing again. we called it quits about 5pm, it was snowing like crazy and windy. Where we're staying in Mammoth Lakes there is a hot tub and swimming pool. As soon as we got back home we changed into our suits, got our beverage of choice and met at the hottub. We all were cold and sore from the first day trudging in the snow.
It continued to snow all night and then all day on Tuesday. We went up Tuesday morning to the top of the road but the new snow was so deep and it was still snowing, that we called work off. There was so much new snow That all the snowmobile tracks were covered , the snowmobiles were covered 1/2 way up and I stepped in a drift that came to my waist. We would have had to plow a new path to the cabins through about 16" of fresh snow, and again, it was still snowing! Back home we went, it snowed all day yesterday, Tuesday, and all night. we woke to fresh snow covering the motorhome, Jeep and everything. Today, Wednesday 10am, it's now 40 degrees and melting so we hope to head up the mtn at 1pm and try to get to the cabins. Here's a few pics that Mo has taken;

This deer just came walking up to the motorhome about 15 minutes after we got parked and set up. It was as if she were welcoming us to Mammoth Lakes. We figured it was better then a bear!

This was Monday evening when we got back.

Tuesday morning

This is the "road" up to the cabins. The plowed road stops here, this is where we start the snowmobile trip up. The road is actually about 7 feet under the snow. Oops, WAS about 6-7', probably 10 ' now?

 This is what we woke up to this morning but now, at 10am, it's about 40 degrees so it will melt quickly here.

Looking up the parking lot this morning, I hurried back inside, it was coolldd!










We'll try and take some pictures up at the cabins today so check back tomorrow. We miss you all, hug each other from us.