Take a deep breath and stay calm, everyone. It looks like the market is adjusting itself by going down to a level where it would've been with steady growth from 1970. 
It prevents users from sending unwanted emails during a predefined time range, say like from Friday at 10 pm to Saturday at 4 am, by requiring them to solve simple math problems before the email is sent. If the user fails this test, the tool saves the user from humiliation. Otherwise, it was meant to be.| “Here's to a long life and a merry one; A quick death and an easy one; A pretty girl and an honest one; A cold beer -- and another one!” |
Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Yield: 2 loaves 5 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour 3/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter 2 1/2 cups mixed light and dark raisins, soaked in water for 15 to 20 minutes and drained 3 tablespoons caraway seeds 2 1/2 cups buttermilk 1 large egg, slightly beaten Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter 2 (9 by 5-inch) bread pans. Stir together the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut in the butter and mix very thoroughly with your hands until it gets grainy. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds. Add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture. Stir until well moistened. Shape dough into 2 loaves and place in the pans. Bake for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool in the pans for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. |
Instead of following everyone else up the Sublette chair, we headed to the Lower Faces and skiied Rawlins Bowl. For some reason, this slope was untouched; it was a beautiful sight. | To |  |
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Today, Joe and I went snowmobiling to Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. I’ve wanted to make this trip ever since reading an article in "Powder" magazine about ten years ago. There’s been a lot of debate around whether or not this activity should be allowed in the park, so I wanted to make this trip before it was outlawed by Congress.
Our tour was with Hart 6 Ranch, who delivers one of the better snowmobile tours in the area and is ranked up there with Togwotee Snowmobile Tours and American National Park Adventures (ANPA). After being picked up at my apartment in the morning, we were driven to their ranch that’s 45-minutes north of Jackson and served a hot breakfast. Their ranch is in the middle of nowhere, consists of a large log cabin that has several large taxidermy "trophies", and is frequented by snowmobilers and cross country skiers in the winter time. Like the town of Jackson, its population is five times greater in the summer time than the winter time.
Soon after eating breakfast and getting setup with snowmobiling gear, we made the 45-minute drive north from the ranch to the Yellowstone National Park. Once inside the park, Joe and I hopped on our own Arctic Cat T660 Touring snowmobiles. The highlight of the 42.2-mile inbound trip was the roadblock of Bison, who can be up to 11.5 feet in length, up to 6.5 feet in height and up to one ton in weight. Even though they kept us in place for 15-minutes, it was amusing to watch another group of snowmobilers navigate around them. When it was our turn, I just hoped that I wouldn’t be charged by one of these huge animals and gorged by one of their horns. Thankfully, it’s not in their nature to do either action.
The eruption consisted of a mixture of boiling water and steam and lasted for just a few minutes. On Wikipedia, it states that "eruptions can shoot 3,700 to 8,400 gallons (14–32 kL) of boiling water to a height of 106–184 feet (30–55 m) lasting from 1.5 to 5 minutes. The average height of an eruption is 145 feet (44 m). Eruptions often occur about 90 minutes apart, but this interval can range from 45 to 125 minutes on occasion… Old Faithful is not the tallest or largest geyser in the park; that title belongs to the less predictable Steamboat Geyser." It was surprising to read that Old Faithful isn’t the tallest or largest geyser in the park. I might have to check out Steamboat Geyser this spring.
The highlight of the 42.2-mile outbound trip was the shenanigans that Joe and I got involved in on the trail. I hoped that the tour would cut us loose in an open field so that we could race around on the snowmobiles, test their handling around corners, and catch some air on small bumps and jumps. This opportunity was never given to us, so we created it. We were able to get the snowmobiles up to 48 mph and enjoyed zig zagging like a Formula 1 race car at the start of a race. |  |
Almost immediately, Laura and I found ourselves in trouble. We hadn’t even left the kennel five minutes ago and were headed down a small hill and around a bend. At the bottom of this hill, I unsuccessfully steered our pack of six dogs around the bend and found ourselves off the trail and on a hillside. The dogsled tipped over and Laura slid out of its basket and slightly down the hill. She has a nice black-and-blue to show it. I'm happy that she's going home with this souvenir.
The next few miles went more smoothly than this initial incident. Our team closely followed the guide's sled, as we followed a narrow trail that ran parallel to a running stream and through snow covered rolling hills. Laura remained in the basket until she wanted a piece of the action and took the reigns with me. For the second half of this inbound trip, each of us stood on the back of the sled and on a rudder. It was fun working together as a team by properly weighting the rudders to change the direction of the dogs and the drop pad to shave speed of the sled.
Shortly after this wild episode, we were soaking in the hot springs and enjoying the breathtaking views. We were also laughing over this morning’s incidences. After spending an hour in the hot springs, we were served a gourmet four-course lunch, which consisted of: a cheese and vegetable platter; minestrone soup with warm French bread; barbequed trout seasoned in herbs and a side of creamed mushrooms; chocolate fondue with pretzels and assorted fruits. This lunch that was served with hot apple cider made the day that much sweeter for us.
As you can see in the photo above, he's also a big fan of his new Muttluks, or his little boots. Originally, I was against the idea of him wearing them. I figured that he'd be fine because I haven't seen any dogs wearing them in town. Then, I learned that terriers are susceptible to getting uncomfortable snow balls stuck in their paws after we went hiking with him. It's a good thing that my girlfriend knows better than me. |  |
To my surprise, we weren't the first people to arrive in the parking lot at 6 am and were greeted by howling winds. The winds must've been between 30-40 mph with gusts up to 50-60 mph. Both of us wondered if hiking and fighting these winds for 60-minutes was a good idea for a less than 10-minute run of fresh powder. So, we decided to head back to our warm homes... Nooo, I'm just kidding. We buckled into our boots and headed up the bootpack of Ascent Ridge on Mount Glory at 6:15 am. A "bootpack" refers to a backcountry trail that was created by people hiking in their ski boots.
I won't lie. It was a brutal hike because of the strong winds, hiking solely by headlamp light at first, and sometimes breaking trail in knee-deep, wind blown powder. Although all of these elements were fighting against us, it was great watching the sun rise and the town of Jackson come to life as house lights were turned on in the early morning. After 60-minutes of hiking and approximately 1,500 feet of elevation gain, we decided that the summit of Mount Glory would have to be reached another (and less thrilling) day and to ski "First Turn", which is appropriately named for its location just above the first turn after the pass parking lot.
With being competitors, we thought it'd be fun to race each other on the Nastar course for bragging rights. For those of you not in the know, Nastar is a national race program for recreational skiers and snowboarders. They have side-by-side race courses at most ski resorts in the country that are layed out in Giant Slalom style, where there are about 15 gates that are spaced out by 20-30 feet.
After paying the combined two bucks, we headed to our respective start gates and waited for the countdown. Sean had a better start than I did, so I was immediately in catch up mode. Then, I applied too much pressure to my downhill ski as I was making a left turn, which caused me to shave some speed. Thankfully, I saw Sean make a similar mistake and was able to blow past him as I tucked the final seven gates on my way to victory.
In the photo above, I mirrored this stance on this takeoff and nailed the landing. During my flight, time slowed down and I was able to spot the landing. It was a great feeling and my best cliff drop of the season so far. More to come!!!
As some of you know, my Mom is an unbelievable knitter. She's been knitting for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I even wore some of her homemade sweaters. And, she just made me this beautiful homemade Irish-style knitted blanket.
Back to Koda's care package... It included a chocolate colored sweater that has a V-shaped neck and bottom and a cable stitch on the back. With the temperature being a bit colder here than in San Francisco, this sweater will keep him from freezing his little butt off next weekend.
In the 1999-2000 season, Jackson Hole initiated an open-gates policy that was similar to the one found in some Alps ski resorts. The resort puts total responsibility in the hands of the skier. Once you ski through one of the seven gates located on the ski area boundaries and into approximately 2,500 acres of backcountry terrain, it's assumed that you have the right gear and knowledge to ski safely in the unmanaged terrain. It's also known that the avalanche danger is higher here than in the resort and rescues are expensive. So, it's best to take care of yourself and your friends.
After riding the Sublette chairlift, we skiied Hanging Rock to Rendezvous Trail and exited through the gate just below Bivouac and into Rock Springs Bowl, which is named after a city in Wyoming just like the other out-of-bounds areas. Ever since stepping foot into Jackson, I've heard alot about the out-of-bounds skiing at the resort. Rock Springs is definitely an area that is skiied with more frequency than the other out-of-bounds areas because of it's easy accessibility from the resort. Plus, its terrain is filled with narrow chutes, great tree skiing and steep slopes. It's a playground for anyone that can ski it!
And, ski it we did. After getting over the initial nervous jitters associated with skiing out-of-bounds for the first time, we cut through chopped up shin-deep powder in well-spaced trees and then made fresh tracks in knee-deep powder in an open area right before heading back into the trees. Then, we had a field day in an untouched chute that must've been 300-feet long. At its end, we continued our traverse across the mountain by cutting back into the trees to find yet another untouched area. This area was wide open, so we hauled through it and enjoyed the knee-deep powder.
AT setups are very useful when you can't depend on chairlifts to get up a mountain and need to hike up one. By attaching skins, which prevent a ski from slipping when hiking, you can effortlessly climb up slopes that are as steep as 70°. The efficiency of this combination is pretty amazing.
It was my first time using a beacon, so this lesson was extremely valuable for me. After my first search attempt, which took me all over an open field and eventually to the buried beacon, I got quicker and more precise with my beacon, which is a Mammut Pulse Barryvox. Even though it is a quick learning curve, it's important to practice, practice, practice because, as we all know, it's best to have a task be second nature during stressful times.
The next and final lesson was the analysis of a snowpit. Our guide and main instructor, Ron Matous, has a worth of knowledge on this subject because of his 23 years of real-world guiding and avalanche control experience. We cut a pit that was about 6 feet by 12 feet, so we could complete the following stress tests: inclinometer test, layer analysis test, shovel shear test and compression test. To learn more about these tests, you can view my photos and read avalanche.org.
