Month: December 2020

I monitor the weather here far more closely than anywhere I have ever lived. This time of year, one must. The inside wood bin is stocked with an extra pile near the stove. Over night rounds are added this time for the temperature is going to drop thirty degrees in the next twenty four hours. Wood piles are covered for they are predicting snow (up to eight inches and the last time they were off by a factor of five, so buckle up).

The machines are gassed up. Moon Bug is ready for a down hill run if required, but hopefully I just watch the storm blow through. Three big storms now, so much has been sorted out and now feels familiar, albeit primitive and more connected than prior routines. Access will be when access will be. For a man who thrives on control, acquiescence has a welcome place.

A herd of elk passed a bay window during breakfast. Bulls and cows, slowly moving, seemingly in no hurry to be anywhere. First large herd I’ve seen over here, happy to share the park with non-humans this time of year.

There are more folks here than you might think – had company two days in a row this week, and three visitors this week overall. Tracks from at least four machines riddle the park. Not a traffic jam, but not pure solitude either.

Busy long weekend at the ranch; let Moon Bug run some tracks down Schierl to test out the machine’s performance in 18 inches of untouched fresh powder. She performed perfectly, so another fresh produce/dairy run to Alamosa was done this weekend.

Met a neighbor (visible from home, through the trees) with a side by side, also tracked with the exact tracks Moon Bug has. Five years he has had them, both issue free and in regards to never having been stuck. No promises, but not bad news in the least.

It is quiet here, peaceful, a perfect place for me to be.

We all monitor the weather up here, not for any other reason than necessity. The week’s snow estimates had been tracked and studied, and was to amount to a mere “inch or two” overnight. I awoke to 18 inches of fresh powder, not including drifts. Pretty much missed the mark on that one. The sun was back by nine, and the batteries fully charged before one, so power is plentiful and the snow blower fared far better in the powdery fluff.

Moon Bug loves the snow, eats through it and seems to be impervious, at least in yard tests. I am sure it will not be so in the field. Tomorrow is my first adventure down the mountain with her, seeking a couple more hardware items before locking in for the winter.