A place to be on a Snowy Day

 

Leaving Traces

tracks in the snow
words in a story
language of what I have been
reflection of me
my story    

 

On my last day on the high plane of Western Wyoming, six weeks after the first day, I revisited the only serious mishap of the adventure.  You may recall my getting the jeep stuck in snow while attempting to retrace a hike of last August.  I got within five miles thinking the road would be cleared of snow at least enough for a four-wheel-drive jeep.  I was wrong.  

 

The good thing about it was that after a couple of hours of shoveling, a car came up behind me.  I heard it coming, and then saw it get stuck half a mile back down the road. I  walked back, and they walked up.  We met between our disable transportations.  We agreed that without cell phone service and the unlikely event of anyone coming before dark, we had better work together.  We pushed, shoveled, and broke off small branches to put under our tires.  In about two hours both vehicles were free and moving very slowly back down the road.  Only as we approached the better road did a tow truck come, based on a cell phone call where I could not hear anyone on the other end.  It was our cooperation that saved us; neither could have got pout alone. 

 You can still visit my blog post of that adventure at:   https://sharon-wind-river.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2021-01-17T16:28:00-08:00&max-results=7 

Six weeks later, with much more snow on that road, I trudged up it again, leaving the jeep below, to see the place where I was stuck.  Only snowmobiles had been there, and at the place of getting stuck, there was no evidence of anyone having been stuck.  Even the location of the road was almost indistinguishable under drifted snow. 

 

Some places, a cornice had been driven up and over a hilltop by the wind.  Anyone coming up the other side of it would not know that the edge is really an overhang of soft snow, and falling into a heap of snow, or worse into an avalanche is very likely.  

 

The snow that builds up to make cornices is driven by wind from other places where rabbits can still dig through it to find food.  This one did not run away even stop its munching, apparently knowing that I was no threat.  

 

Other places, the snow is undisturbed by wind, lying smooth as a new canvas, where a tree paints a self-portrait.   

 

This high plane of western Wyoming, where it joins the slope of the Wind River Mountains, shapes its blanket of snow into sculptures of many kinds, where the resistance of trees to the wind is like tools of an artist, perhaps inspiring human artists by winds of time, weather and cold. 

 

From Pinedale, Wyoming, I drove west, stopping for the nights at places shown on a map that Michael Angerman has prepared.  See them at: Google Map for Winter 2021 

You can also see the map for the summer trip of 2020 at:  Michael's Map  

Rising above Western Idaho’s high plain of lava, 
this bulge of magma rose about half-a-billion years ago, 
like a bear emerging from hibernation, huge, but only 
threatening to the unprepared. 

  

My intention was to drive from Bend, Oregon, to Corvallis today, but a severe winter storm has caused me to wait it out.  This is how it looked in Bend this morning.  The twisty road over the Cascades is much worse.  

 

I wish to thank all of you who have read and followed this blog, and especially those who left comments.  I hope that a time not too far away will allow the in-person gatherings we once enjoyed.  In the mean time, adventure as you can, however you can.

 Love,
Sharon