The Pile

The mature landscaping at 420 Grand requires a lot of trimming and pruning.  For the past couple of years, I've had nowhere to put the debris.  So, over time, I created The Pile in the driveway beside the walnut tree.  My plan was to eventually rent a chipper and chip it all.  Unfortunately, if you've ever created a pile, you know that chipping it is the easy part; getting it out of the pile is the hard part.  In this case, it was no longer a collection of individual sticks, but was a unified blob:  The Pile.

Early Bloomers

The daffodils and hyacinths are always the first to show themselves.  The bloom is underway at 420 Grand.

Crossing the Equinox

Since November 2018, I've made 59 crossings—including this one.  It was the the first day of spring, and I found this scene to be pretty irritating.  I had checked the weather before I left:  There was a chance of rain in Utah and plenty of sun in California.  I guess Nevada didn't have to obey either of them.  The bottom picture is from the summit above the City of Austin.  I'm not sure why the cops were out, but I was definitely stuck behind a pokie driver.  Fortunately, they pulled over and the skies cleared well before Fallon.

The Big Hole

Today we rode the Big Hole Trail at Three Peaks.  It is one of our favorites.  We left the artists—Keith and VSO—at the trailhead.  Unfortunately, it was so windy—gusts to 45—that they were eventually forced to put away the easels and hide in the van to avoid the hurricane.  Out on the trail, EDO and Bryce were fast.  They rode hard at the front of the group.  I often lost sight of them.  Fortunately, Karen had mercy on me and didn't leave me alone wondering whether I should call Air Med.

Gang Run-Ride

Today the Lannoms joined us for the run-ride.  It was a gang.  We had four riders and two runners:  Keith ran with EDO, while Karen and Bryce rode with VSO and me.  And the runners won.

Towards the end, there is a steep narrow section through a small canyon and up a rocky hill.  The riders carried and pushed the bikes, but the runners broke away.  Or, to paraphrase Keith's shirt, they ran wild.

Bald and Beautiful

I like to go out to Bald Mountain at least once during the winter.  In 2019, I went with Tony and we slopped through the mud.  Last year, I rode the bike and the trails were dusty.  This time, I met Tony again and we had perfect conditions:  Bright sun, low 50Fs, and a smooth, firm trail.  After the hike, we bumped into Stan at the trailhead.  The Bald Mountain Trails are Stan's brain-child.  We thanked him for a beautiful afternoon.

Round the Flat

I've been out in the high desert on the Nevada side of the border.  It is a nice time of year for exploring that country:  Not too cold; not too hot.  I especially like walking on the playas.  They are currently dry, and flat as a sidewalk.  Unfortunately, sometimes there is trash on them.  On this one, I found a marble.