Lilly & Wagner Jr. (a.k.a.: Our Double Troubles)

...when did it happen that they turned from these sweet & calm polar and brown bears...


to mrs.DarthWader & Luke SkyWalker???
or are they just trying to catch up with their uncle Ratz & aunt Tsunamy?

Girls' Hut Trip (March 24-25, 2009)

(a.k.a: 101 on how to go on a hut trip and come back riding a snowmobile with a passenger, trailer and... Margarita, the dog!)

Cindy, Iva and Sarah started from Vail on Tuesday early morning, since it was snowing and we had to get up to Camp Hale area. Caro didn't join us, but she said she will next time for sure... if we don't get lost.

Cindy & Sarah sorting the food out, while getting ready.

Cindy and Sarah starting the hike.

Iva, our camera-girl.

Cindy in contemplation.

Sarah, posing for the camera.

Cindy & Iva on the trail... under the snow and...

in the sun!

Sarah begging for a rest!

Finally, after 4 hrs and 20 mins, we're at the hut!
(Yep, we got a bit out of the way.)

Happy Cindy!

Iva & Cindy posing by the hut and...

getting inside for...

a good snack(!), while drinking wine and thinking of...

our Argentinian friend Carolina from Mendoza area.
[This is organic wine from her home area.] :)

Washing up the dishes after the yummy dinner.

Getting ready to shovel the snow the next morning.

Cindy warming up before getting back on the road.

Our new favorite Sled-neck Friends: Margarita!

And her older sister - Kahlua!
(You should see them on the snow-mobiles!)

Cindy coming out of the woods after our... "short"-cut from the Jackal Hut.

We pretty much ended up on the other side of the mountain. Ouch!
Luckily (!), Margarita, Kahlua and their owners Carol & Ted parked their snow-mobiles on that side of the mountain. So they gave us a ride back to their truck. We helped them load sleds and gear and than they gave us a ride to our car. They told us that other hikers lost their way when there was as much snow as these two days. We felt a little better. Cindy & Iva were a bit worried of going back home and didn't want to tell their husbands about our mishap. I, well, I couldn't wait (!) to get home and tell everything about our cool adventure to Chris! I knew he'd laugh about it and be very proud of all of us. And he was. I really appreciate him being as he is and... getting lost with him too. So, I wasn't a bit nervous about our situation at all. It was sooo cool! I couldn't wait to start building a den and make a fire and... getting out of there by ourselves! Because we could do it! I didn't have a bit of a doubt about that! :o>

There is just one unanswered question:
was this just an excuse to get to ride with the two cool dogs???!!!???
Iva rode with Carol, who was pulling Ted on his skis.
Sarah drove one of the sleds herself :o)
and the trailer with all the gear
and Cindy as a passenger
and Margarita as her pilot-dog.
She was pretty much sitting on my left lap, while digging her front paws and nails in my right one and resting her head on my right arm, if she wasn't checking the trail in front of us...
just to make sure we were still on the right way. So, Cindy had to keep her under control and out of my eye-sight. Hey! I'm small! It's not so easy to sit on a sled while looking across a furry doggy! :o}

March 24th, Red and White (Sarah couldn't join us)

Fun day up at Red and White. Sarah was out with a couple of her friends for a hutt trip, so it was going to be just "the guys". But then Chard and Peaches invited a friend and their girlfriends. We had 8 total people. So we used Tommy's sled and the ski doo. The plan wasn't for all that much riding but mainly starting a fire out in the woods and just having a little picnic and some beers. Great time. Sarah would be mad that she missed it. Good sledding and LOTS of new snow.

Friend of Peaches stuck in a tree

We found a dead tree and chopped down the branches for a good fire

Chris got stuck once up in the woods


Our camp fire area

Carol is here

Carol is here

Hutt trip March 9-10

Sarah and I joined a group of 10 for a hutt-trip. We snowmobiled up after working 1/2 the day. Great sunshine. Easy ride up but a bit bumpy. We had to bring a case of beer for the party so we carried a fair amount of gear. No pictures of the hut. We don't know why. Perhaps we forgot. Next day we woke up to about a foot of snow. We motored down to the truck before lunch to drop our gear and we rode around for quite a bit. The new engine on the M7 worked great, but something is rubbing on the suspension/tunnel. We'll figure it out later I guess.

Before picture, that afternoon, parking the sleds and loading up the packs for the last 1/2 mile hike to the hutt. They don't allow sleds too close to the back-country ski hutts.

The next morning when we returned.

Sarah's sled covered with snow

Carrying the beer up to the hutt, the day before

Sarah doing some jumps


Some Carving, I guess she loves it

Taking a Break

Sarah trying to get her sled back on the ground



Another jump

Returning to the truck with some fresh snow


Another movie of Sarah

X ray machine ?

The Nephew is building some X-Ray machine. Featured in the huge Waconia Patriot. The biggest paper 5 miles South of St. Boni.

X-Ray Machine

Check it out

Skiing March 3rd and 4th

Warm weather in Vail but the skiing is still good. We'll need some snow in the coming weeks to freshen things up and it looks like we might get some. Keep your fingers crossed. For right now we have lots of corn skiing.

Chris, Sarah and Simone at the top of Chair 2

Out on the golf course doing some skate skiing.

Time for a water break