Spring Time!

[craig333]

Yeah, a few years back it got closed because of overuse. I never kept up on how that went.

 

[MarkBC]

FOR WEATHER FANS ONLY: Spring Temps in Bend, Oregon -- Quantitatively.

The cold/dreary spring we've had in Bend is seen in the lower-than-normal daily high temps: See the "2011" line from mid-February to early-June.

These are daily high temperatures at my house, averaged-over/plotted for one-week intervals.

However, the daily lows this year have been more-or-less normal (until mid-May, anyway).


Lower-than-normal highs with generally normal lows are probably due to more cloud-cover than normal -- which is how I remember it: DREARY....but at least it's not as bad as the freakin' heart-of-dampness that is western Oregon.

Strangely...despite the dreariness, we have had less precipitation this spring than in spring of the two previous years, according to my measurements. (The "official" long-term-average annual precip for Bend is about 12 inches.)

(My precipitation measurements when there's a lot of snow, at least in the dead of winter, are probably falsely-low, due to blowing-away or sublimation of the snow before it can melt and drip into the measuring sensor.)

UPDATE: I realized that I should have plotted the precip data based on "water year" -- generally Oct 1 - Sep 30. Plotted that way, the current water year at my house mostly has been a little wetter than recent-previous, so maybe it does match the dreariness I perceived.

 

[ski3pin]

Almost unbelievable here this morning but the sun is out! Yes, chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon, but I actually stood in the sunshine. The dogwoods are a month behind blooming.

and the biggest surprise is for the first time in three years there are peaches on the trees. The leaves look awful from frost nip and snow but we'll watch the progress of the growing fruit.

Spring? Just maybe and only a couple of weeks to summer!

 

[MarkBC]

Glad the season is finally turning for you, ski3pin; good luck with your peaches!
Spring is here in Central Oregon, too! The future looks nice here, finally:

 

[ski3pin]

Second day of sun, astounding! Early this morning the truck was backed out, camper opened up, and is enjoying a complete airing out. Sleeping pads are out on the deck. Drove up the hill last night and saw stars in the sky, unbelievable! Is spring really here?

 

[Lighthawk]

Yeah, Ski. It is amazing. After so much rain and snow finally winter has released it's grip. We pulled plastic greenhouse covers (garden mod 2.0) off the tomatoes and peppers. My garden got it's second full day of sun since we planted May 12th (Mother's Day). The basil starts we put in have virtually rotted and been slugged by all the wet / cold weather. I've got a smaller crop of nectarines and apples in the orchard, but the plums got hammered and won't produce this year. Let spring come and summer can't be far behind.

My camper is popped and airing out for our Friday escapade to Yosemite. Looking forward to the reward for all this snow & rain coming down in awesome waterfalls.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Our spring visitor.Hope to get out to Lassen or Yellowstone soon but not sure about conditions. I have checked and they aren't so good the next week or so. Oh well just make the best of the sun for now. I think spring may be here now though,just in time for summer in 3 weeks.

Frank

 

[ski3pin]

great photo Frank! Has it ever taken a crack at that hard shelled gull?

 

[ski3pin]

By god, we think spring is really here. We will even cook and eat outside here at home and sleep with all the windows open.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

great photo Frank! Has it even taken a crack at that hard shelled gull?



The fox has made an appearance again this year.Last time she raised her litter under my deck and she would bring the kits out to show them off.Nature is so cool.
Frank

 

[highz]

The fox has made an appearance again this year.Last time she raised her litter under my deck and she would bring the kits out to show them off.Nature is so cool.
Frank


That is cool! All I get under my deck are skunks.

 

[ski3pin]

The fox has made an appearance again this year.Last time she raised her litter under my deck and she would bring the kits out to show them off.Nature is so cool.
Frank


Very cool Frank, we have a coyote occasionally that raises a litter on the other side of our fence.

 

[Barko1]

That is cool! All I get under my deck are skunks.



We need a thread on bad skunk experiences. Mine involved thinking there was a raccoon messin with my stuff.....

 

[MarkBC]

We need a thread on bad skunk experiences. Mine involved thinking there was a raccoon messin with my stuff.....

Start one, Barko!
I'd contribute a story about the skunk who hopped up on my bed and another one about the skunk that I caught in a live-trap.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Don't mean to boar everyone,but.This is the family from 08. They had such a grand time out in the sun.Yes spring really is here.

Frank

 

[MarkBC]

Don't mean to boar everyone,but.This is the family from 08. They had such a grand time out in the sun.Yes spring really is here.
Frank
Frank, this is so damn cool! Thanks for sharing!
On my deck I've had skunk families (which are really very cute) and racoon families, but neither are as unusual/cool as this!

 

[ski3pin]

That really cool Frank! I'm not bored. Thanks for sharing, great stuff.

 

[Barko1]

Start one, Barko!
I'd contribute a story about the skunk who hopped up on my bed and another one about the skunk that I caught in a live-trap.


OK, new skunk thread in the lounge Calling HighZ!

 

[SunMan]

Amazing pics Frank...too damn cute!

 

[ski3pin]

Spring is officially done. Saturday was the last ski trip. A friend, we’ll call him Mr. Randonee (we travel on light tele gear), suggested climbing and skiing Mount Tallac on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. We were game, we should end the season with some adventure. This trip was typical for spring ascents. First you do battle with manzanita and brush to access the higher snowfields.

Finally we can climb with the skis on

Hitting a view point on the ridge we ascended, we got a view of the day’s prize.

One thing about east facing slopes around here, they are steep. The ridge soon steepened to the point it was too much to climb with skis and skins. The skis went on the packs and this became a pleasant mountaineering exercise with climbing and kicking steps to the ridge crest.

The crest along the west side of Tahoe is a spectacular place. It was time to drop the packs and enjoy the rewards for our efforts thus far. That is a prescribed burn over on the Nevada side.

The north bowl of Tallac and our route up was just to the south

Taking a look down our route up.

And a look north along the crest

Back on skis, the Lady and Mr. Randonee took off for the summit so I could get some photos.

The views into Desolation Wilderness showed that it will be a while before the high country opens up for the summer

Soon they were nearing the summit

And the Lady took her place on the top

You can imagine what the views are like. Stateline and the casino area

And boats coming and going out of Emerald Bay

And then it was time to do the turns we had earned. Mr. Randonee leads the Lady down from the summit

After coming off the top, celebrations were in order

We still had a couple of thousand feet of ski descent below us and the Lady said this was just the right way to start her summer break from school. We lived to tell about it with big smiles after the thigh burning turns and the march through the manzanita down into the timber and finally to the vehicle near Tahoe’s shore.

We’re ready for summer.