Cross country skiing
Today, a friend invited us to go cross country skiing. I had not cross country skied since the early 90s. It was in Vercors at the time.
Today, was simply extraordinary and I am so grateful for this experience. At one point, the only sound we could hear was wood pickers working hard for their pittance.
We stopped for lunch and our friend remarked that we had not seen another human beiing for at least 30 minutes. The view was simply mind blowing and the pictures only give you a glimpse of what we experienced.
Cross country skiing can really be trouble though. My biggest problem is that I have trouble controlling my speed downhill and that I have a tendency to use my downhill skiing skills which are not applicable in those circumstances. Some of the falls were spectacular and it is not fun when you hear your skull resonate on impact. But on other occasions, I stayed face flat in the snow for a good minute, laughing so hard that I believe I must have woke up a couple of bears. This is the best stress therapy known to men.
I can't wait to go back.
Bragg Creek
This afternoon, we drove to Bragg Creek, a small town south west of Calgary. It is a very pleasant community hidden among tall evergreen trees. I took some pictures and I must say that I wish that I could have pressed the shutter button through my glove. The temperature was -23C (-10F) and even without wind, you can feel your fingers getting cold (and red) after only a few minutes.
How to deal with snow: Lesson 1
Yes, it has been a while since my last post. Nothing much is going on here. I am guessing that routine has pretty much settled.
Last week I was in the Disney World for adults, namely Las Vegas. This was my first time there and I have mixed feelings about that town. Buildings are huge and everything is expensive if you are not a gambler. Some of the hotels are really architecturally beautiful and I have found there the best French restaurant I have ever had a chance to dine at in the whole USA. It is called Bouchon.
Anyway, we started to have some snow. In Calgary, you have to shovel your sidewalk within 24 hours of the snow fall so that pedestrians have a fighting chance to stay upright with all their bones intact while they are walking pass your house.
Snow fell yesterday and tonight I went out to clean things up. The only problem is that the snow was trampled over all day long by a lot of foot traffic and believe me, I had to remove ice rather than snow.
So, my first lesson is : Don't wait 24 hours before removing snow on your sidewalk or the job will be more difficult.