Up early for a few ski runs this morning. I'll be damned if there wasn't a lunar eclipse mid-motion in the New Mexico sky overhead. I first noticed what I thought were clouds obscuring the moon as I stopped at the Giant for some coffee. On my way up the mountain I noticed the moon was shrinking into a crescent. Once on the slopes I could see it was pinching out to nothing as it dropped toward the Jemez, and then it was gone. I didn't have my camera but I would've butchered the shot anyhow without some telescopic lens setup. This guy at top-left caught a sweet shot of the same thing a couple years back over the hills of Iran, it looks identical so you'll just have to superimpose the snowy peaks of Redondo and Caballo in there. Ok, cool way to start the day.
When I pulled into the ski lot at 6:30am there were four cars and a truck already there. All four cars were Subarus, and mine made five. Subarus for the win sons. My climbing and turns this morning suffered badly from tired legs. Went running Thursday night for the first time in four weeks and it apparently aged me about 20yrs. The turns up top were pretty good. Saw a couple parties of skiers coming down Parachute. Didn't see too much ice or groomed ice-chunks but I could see it was trending that way without another storm. The forecast says something may come our way on Thursday. Time for a weekend of cookies and egg-nog, beginning...now.
Related:
I've updated the Winter Trails page to reflect current conditions and Nordic Trail areas for 2011-2012. -
Off Piste - Winter Trails (Dec. '11)
Damn you. I guess it pays to be semi neurotic sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHey, the first Suburu I saw, a little box of a thing, was at the annual car show in Chicago in the late 60s, when American cars were giant dragsters with 400 cubic inch engines and room for a family of fifteen. I see now that Suburus are pretty snazzy looking cars (even if their customer base is only five semi neurotic people.)
Oh, translation. Snazzy: a pre modern world meaning cool, stylish. From the Old High German schnaz, meaning 'nice looking heifer.'
Oh, before I got carried away with my own description of the the Great American Gas Guzzler, I meant to say that that Suburu, which I think was the first model year they imported here, was so small it didn't qualify as a car in my mind. (I wouldn't be surprised, though, if the car you drive gets better mileage than that one did.)
ReplyDeleteI think they had a van there, too, at the auto show. It was substantially smaller than a VW van.
Go here and scroll down a little:
http://www.rockauto.com/Newsletter/archives/61710.html
Hey, great insight on the Subaru. They make them pretty big these days (I believe they're owned by GM now?), and their niche is all-wheel drive. Audi makes all-wheel drive models too, but they're more for the luxury market.
ReplyDeleteI should add that I probably don't qualify as semi-neurotic. You wouldn't think so if you knew me in any case. I sit in an office all week thinking of all the things I'd rather be doing. When the chance presents itself - regardless of time of day or the weather outside - I make an effort to do, rather than to think about doing. Life is much better this way.