After the Sledding

So what do you do in a blizzard??

You sled!!

After we woke up with a few more inches of new snow on the ground, I found it really difficult to sit in class waiting for noon to come so we could get out and hit the powder. The conditions were not perfect due to the ice and snow pelting you in the face, but it's just too exciting to see all that snow falling and not want to go run around and roll in it.

I recruited a couple of faculty members and a few students and we hit some of the hills we have on campus. Incredible! Sadly, I didn't have the camera for one of the great runs we did on our Upper Field that was covered with a about a foot or two of snow at some points.

The shots on this page are of me finishing up this afternoon with Erin peeking out the porch door to catch my run. Now that we have this new layer of powder on the ground, I can't wait to hit the hills again this weekend.

Sledding has to be the perfect winter entertainment...cheap, fun and a great workout as you plow up the hill in the snow.

The Blizzard of '07

We woke up this morning with about 2-3 inches of snow on the ground and it's been steadily snowing all day due to a noreaster we're experiencing. It's blowing pretty hard and laying a nice blanket of snow on the campus. As I write this at nearly 3PM, we have about 6-8 inches on the ground and it's not supposed to stop until midnight. It's making for some beautiful sledding weather if you can deal with being pelted by ice and snow in your face, but it's a downer for those wanting to go out for Valentine's Day.

As a result, Erin and I had to cancel our V-Day plans to eat lunch at a really cool chocolate factory/restaurant, Burdick's, and we're grilling steaks instead. Yes, you'd be right if you are thinking about how it's possible to grill in a blizzard , but I'm stubborn and I likes me beef.

Happy Valentine's Day

15 Degree Sledding: The hill!

Here are two shots of the hill on the side of our house where I went sledding yesterday. I'm not sure if they give a good idea of the steepness, but I'm sure for the locals it is quite the bunny slope. The red building on the bottom right is the one you really want to try and avoid. Also, the huge rocks on the left and right are a big buzzkill.

If you get enough speed, you slide across the road at the bottom and you can hit another patch of snow that leads out into the real road. I'm not at that level of daring yet.

15 Degree Sledding: Tools of the Trade

This is the sleek ride I take down the hill next to our house and on the smaller hill that is in the center of the campus. You can see some of the snow that collects on the inside of this plastic hot rod as it careens down the rock and tree-filled hill. What you can't see are the huge scratches on the bottom from when it slides off the hill at the bottom and slides across the gravel road between the hill and the maintenance shed. It's good that I wear a thick jacket, gloves and jeans or I'd really be hurting on the way down. One of the other obstacles on the hill is the building at the bottom which you have to try and avoid by flailing your arms and legs to gain some kind of steering. Good stuff!