Another 4 letter word....

Well, here we sit........

We're in a quandary, we're all ready to work, want to work, need to work but there is a new nasty word in our vocabulary, 'snow'.
It's been a while since we updated the blog, mostly because there just hasn't been a lot going on. We all, Pam and Tom, Harry and MaryJo, and Mo and I are just waiting in Mammoth Lakes for the snow to quit, the sun to warm up and melt the snow and the roads to get plowed. We have only been able to work a few days and have done about all we can do until the roads get plowed.  Pam has had to cancel reservations for Memorial Day weekend thru June 9th. That's a lot of dollar loss for all. This is the most snow the mountain has had in many years and it's predicted to snow again this weekend!
So, that's the major concern we all have, get the roads plowed and opened, and get the lodge open.
Here we are in our MH discussing the situation....

Pam in the chair. Harry's back and MaryJo's knees and of course, Mo.








But in the meantime, we have had some good times while we wait. The few days we have been able to work has been kinda fun, hard work but so different that the experience makes it cool. We have to ride snowmobiles from where the road is closed to the lodge, a distance of about 2 miles. These things are awesome, they are powerful and fast. It handles like a cross between a motorcycle and a skidoo. Derek owns two, both the same, they easily carry two people but we load three of us on each one to make the trip up and down the mountain to the cabins. Along with us all bundled up each couple carries up a back pack with extra clothes and food, so we're loaded down but it's still a blast, a great way to get to work!
Here's a couple of pics;

 I drive one and Tom drives the other, as fun as it is, we have to be careful since the third person barely has any seat to sit on!

These snowmobiles are actually parked in the parking lot outside of the main Crystal Crag Lodge.....only the parking lot is about 12 feet under the snow!
Remember a post or two ago we were in Bishop, CA staying at the Fairgrounds. It was a great place to stay, we had a great time and while we were there the big event for the town was being advertised and promoted in a big way. It is the annual "Mule Days".  We could tell it was a big event but we also knew, or thought at that time, that we would be working Memorial Day weekend so we would miss it. No big deal, but as it turned out we were off so we drove down to Bishop last Saturday for "Mule Days". It was a combination of a huge parade, arts show, food courts, rodeos and livestock shows. We spent all day there and had a great time, we watched people, looked at lots of art and hand crafts, learned all about mules and the area and just had a good time. here's a few pics of Mule Days;

 There were a few horses but mostly mules, I didn't know but mules are more intelligent and sure footed than horses.

 What's a parade without high school drill teams?

 Mules......

We came back from Bishop, where it was 70 degrees, about 5pm and got ready for Saturday mass at 6pm. By the time mass was over at 7pm it was snowing so hard that the cars and roofs were already covered. It snowed all night and all day Sunday, a total of about 7 inches. That's in town, the lodge is 1,000' higher up the Mountain!
Yesterday we took a ride, the sun was shining and we needed to get o-u-t!
We headed north on hwy 395 thinking we would check out June lake. We had heard it was nice and a year round lake with camping and a neat town, also a couple of other lakes were nearby, so off we go.
All over again i have to say... this place is incedibly beautiful! Pictures can't even begin to show it but we took a few anyway.

 This deer was right across a creek that ran right beside the road. We both saw it, were speechless then stopped and as quietly as possible backed up and took these pictures. And that creek was crystal clear water.      Lots of fishing here, can you spot the bobber in the bush of the lower picture?

 I thought we took more pictures of the June Lake loop but Mo was driving and she is the picture taker, I just gawk!
Hwy 395 is a main hwy going from south CA to Reno, NV. It passes on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains so the routes heading west to the coast go over passes that are often closed because of snow. Just north of the June Lake road there is a Hwy heading west, Hwy 120. This has Tioga Pass and also entrance into the Yosemite Wilderness area. We knew the pass wasn't open but the drive up to it was supposed to be scenic so we took that route.
Here's a few pics of the drive going up to the pass. The road climbed along a canyon wall and the side of a mountain. the views were spectacular!

 The upper picture is looking out the drivers side, This is a pull off area, then it's straight down.
The lower picture is the passenger side, straight up.

 This is a creek coming out of a lake up near the pass

 < < This is the lake it's coming out of, frozen, of course. (Lake Ellery)

The picture above is the waterfall coming from the Lake.
 Taken from an overlook site back up the canyon, it's deceiving though, that's about 1,000' down.

I guess you can see how pictures just don't show the huge scope of the area. That mountain side you see is about 2-3 miles away, maybe more.
So today is Wednesday, I went for a good run up a small mountain here in town this morning and now it's snowing like crazy again! We're hunkered down with some good books. We just got the word that we will work Thursday or Friday, depending on which day is better. The roads WILL be plowed Monday thru Weds of next week and we will be open for business on Thursday. That means that starting Monday we will be busting butt to get all the cabins rentable, YEHAWWW!
(The weather now says snow on Saturday and Sunday)  :<(  we'll have to wait and see!)