What We Saw

Spring break around here is pretty pathetic. This year we got… sit down for this … Thursday and Friday off.

Sad AND Pathetic.

I’m sure it’s because we have a week and 1/2 off in the fall. It’s called Spud Harvest. I call it Potato Vacation. I’m not sure why the schools close. They say it’s so teenagers can go work in the spuds and help harvest, but I don’t know if enough kids participate to warrant closing the entire district down.

Since we have that huge block of time off in the fall, it means we don’t get anything in the spring. As a mom who doesn’t have a kid working spuds and never had a kid working in the spuds, I’d really prefer having a longer spring break. By spring, we’re tired… and having a few extra days sounds HEAVENLY!!

For our two day break, Inigo and I packed up Max’s new pick-up and drove the 6 hours to New Florin. (My National Park opens to road travel this weekend! We are so excited! That means our 6 hour drive can be cut down to 4!!! Yippee!!)

In a few short months, New Florin is going to be home. I have to accept that and embrace it. I’ve only been there a few times… November (job interview); January and last weekend. I have to say that I’ve seen it at it’s worst. No color. No foliage. No growth. (Plenty of deer and antelope playing though! ♫)

Blah!

So this weekend Max drove me around to teach me that there is beauty all around. And honestly, I think New Florin could be pretty. Pretty in a different way than what I’m used to… but pretty in a desert/sage brush/rocky/desolate sort of way.

I took this on the drive to New Florin. It was cold, snowy, and miserable.

In this town of 5300 people there isn’t a LOT to do. The community pool was closed for maintenance… I can’t think if there is anything else available. Is there a bowling alley in town? Hmm…. I don’t think so.
But there was a park. So we bundled up, more than once, and hung out there while Max was at work.

We had some excitement one day.
This was 3 houses down from Max’s rental.
Inigo was excited to see a member of a S.W.A.T. team.
We still don’t know what was going on.
I told Max he’d better start locking his doors! But I’m pretty sure he hasn’t.

We are excited that there are a couple reservoirs close by, but I don’t ever plan on being crazy enough to take my boat out at 35•!!!

Holy Crud! there are a LOT of deer around there! There was a large herd on the side of the road, and since we were the only car there, I decided I’d stop and talk to them. I felt like I needed to remind them that playing by the highway was dangerous and could lead to a death of one or more of their herd.

They listened! And moved back behind the fence!

Either that, or they thought I had bad breath and ran away!

I thought this was interesting. Max wants us to buy/rent/move out here. It’s a teeny tiny “town” that has a population of about 50 people (10,000 antelope). It’s about 1/2 hour away from New Florin.
We were driving through… well, look at the picture. Flat. Brown. Sage Brush was the only vegetation.

It was UGLY!

Then BOOM!!!

We came upon these huge granite mountains.
It seriously took my breath away. (This was a former entrance road into My National Park.)
But I talked him out of moving to such remote desolation.
Such a place would only serve to enhance my insane tendencies.

I’m excited to live closer to this. It’s named after a predatory animal’s cuspid.
I think I can have fun taking pictures of it. When I’m not in a moving car. When it’s not 35• outside.

I think when I look at it, I can pretend that I’m somewhere in the Alps and I’m looking at the anemic cousin of the Matterhorn.

More deer.
We saw some elk too, but they were far away.
They’re smarter than their cousins. They don’t want to be run over.
We looked for bears.
We looked for moose.
Apparently deer rule this area!

I took this picture of Inigo on the way back to Florin. We were the only car traveling in our direction for about 120 miles (2 hours). It was so nice not having to pass anyone or be passed. I could go whatever speed I wanted.

AND…. I could stop IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD without fear
and take a picture of Inigo next to a particularly tall snow drift.
I know… tall, right?
Well, this wasn’t the tallest one!! We drove past drifts that were taller!!
I’m pretty sure spring is going to hit the mountains in July.

I had to take a picture of my parent’s cabin (the top cabin). We can’t drive up there.
The roads aren’t plowed.
But we want to keep track of the snow levels to know when they’ll be able to move back up there for the summer months.
Maybe I should say “month.”

And that is what we saw! I’m anxious to see more of this when it’s green and growing!