Lake Tahoe is finally in spring mode. Mid-60s during the days and mid-30s at night. What a relief to not have to shovel snow or drive through storms anymore. I am a little saddened by the change in seasons, but I think those feelings are born out of having gotten used to the brutal winter. I may be experiencing some type of Stockholm Syndrome thing. I think I’ll find a way to manage. Besides, there’s still tons of snow in the backcountry.
I plan to get in some backcountry cross-country ski sessions, but I have a lot of work to complete in the next couple weeks. At this point I’ve reached 83 total cross-country ski days and feel great about that, no matter what happens in the future. I still have a few requirements in order to become PSIA certified as a level 1 cross-country ski instructor, but I should be able to wrap them up at the beginning of next season. Some parting winter shots from March and April.
Tahoe Donner XC Ski area, where I work in the winter, officially closed on Easter Sunday 2017. Here was the final shot for the day, complete with bunny ears and a puppy!
On the first of April I participated in the First Annual Sierra Poetry Festival as a vendor. I’m going to be working full-time this summer, so I don’t know that I’m going to have many opportunities to be in other writing events, so I wanted to make sure I did at least one. It was a great time and got to meet some amazing writers, printers, and artists.
After some months of research and a heckuva long day driving down and back to Madera from Tahoe (7:30am-3:30am the next morning), I have a new ride. It’s a major upgrade and game-changer for me compared to my little two-wheel drive Saturn coupe that I had for the past 12 years. I’ve been driving two-wheel drive vehicles in snow all of my life, but after this last winter’s Snowmaggedon I knew I couldn’t keep that up another season. So, I bought this vehicle completely based on wanting to be safe on the road when I commute to work 
A 2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with an inline 6cyl/4.0L engine, 6-speed manual transmission, 4H/4L with locking rear and front differentials, new suspension, manual disconnect sway bar, 4 inch lift kit, 33 inch tires, 79,000 miles, and essentially in pristine condition considering its age and what it was designed for. Long story short, this is my dream vehicle and I am hoping this will give me access to more trails as well as safer driving next winter.
