Training Log Archive: Swampfox

Not really winter and not really spring today, but lots of sun made it not matter. Biked, skied, and ran.

I had planned to run on snow trails, but duck out near the end and finish up by running down the Happy Jack Rd and picking up some cans. Which is what I did.

While I was running along the road, a car passed me, and then it sounded like maybe it slowed down and turned around and started coming back my way. Then I could hear it stop. Then I heard a loud, short "alert" type sound behind me. When I turned around, I saw that two sheriff's vehicles had pulled off the road and a deputy had exited one of the vehicles and obviously wanted to talk to me. So I walked his way.

He asked me what I was doing and if I was picking up trash. I said I was, and wondered to myself if there was some new rule against picking up trash. Then he wanted to know if I had been shooting. I said no. Then he asked if I had heard any shooting. I said I had been out skiing and running for the past 2 hours or so, and hadn't heard any shots at all. He said they had had a report of someone shooting and that the seasonal restriction against shooting in the National Forest had just begun. Then he got back into his vehicle and both vehicles turned around and took off in the other direction.

I was impressed. It's many years of having a seasonal shooting restriction, and I'd never personally seen any attempt at enforcement, even though you could go up to the National Forest most any nice day and stand a really good chance of hearing some shooting somewhere. It looked to me like these folks had shown up quite promptly after getting a report of shooting, and were really intent on finding whoever it was who had been firing. And with two vehicles! Maybe it's some kind of crackdown this year.

Almost entirely overcast for the day with temps rising to almost freezing in town. Winter up top with excellent ski conditions and crust firm enough to ski off trail just about anywhere you liked. I took a swing through the big open areas comprising the Browns Landing area. Saw Dan and Mason up top late in the day--they were getting things ready for a last minute ski race tomorrow.

Winter was scheduled to return this afternoon, which it did. I biked a little as the first snowflakes were arriving, and then there was a one hour respite, which was enough time for me to get up to Happy Jack before the real onslaught began. Snow was very slow to start with but gradually got faster. It surely helped that some grapple started mixing in with the snapple.

More mild than not, despite more clouds than sun. Spring. Did some running on very soft trails after skiing. Ski trails were also soft. Spring up top, too.

Got back home in time to join a very loud crowd for Cowgirl basketball; quite exciting, close game which the Cowgirls won over Pepperdine with a very gritty performance.

Reached at least 62F, which is pretty darn warm for around here. Biked for two hours south of town looking for trains, and found several. Came home and drank several ounces of fluid, being so dehydrated.

Much snow has melted over the past 24 hours, giving newly arriving birds some hope. Perhaps false hope, with more snow expected soon.

The weather forecast for today looked very promising, so promising that I called my weather dude over at UW to double check. Yes, it was going to be a real spring day, the first of the new season.

That meant a long ride was in order, with the objective being to scout for crow nests. It's easy to find crows around here--they are about the most common bird around--but finding crow nests is altogether another thing. They are elusive. Fortunately, I knew where I could find a reliable guide, and I was confident of success.

But first it was time to bagelize, and knowing this day was coming, I was well prepared with a wide assortment of bagles, cheeses, and honeys. You really can't have too many bagels, and if the bagel factories of America had any hint of what was going on in the Laramie Valley, surely they would all be adding an extra shift.

My guide and I first wound our way through town via the UW Campus, where multitudes of cowboys and cowgirls were all studiously examining their phones. Then through the rest of town and emerging through the western edge out into the open prairie, still covered in deep blizzard snows, with only a few patches of wind swept bare ground showing.

After an hour of cycling from there, we at last came to an underpass much favored by mud swallows--though it was too early for them to have returned to their colony.

Not too early for crow, however, as they never leave. And on one of the piers a crow couple had erected a mighty nest of twigs and sticks, and the tail feathers of one half of the couple were visible, sticking out over the edge of the nest.

The sun was warm, and the breeze off the fields of snow was cold. At least we had the wind at our back as we returned to town from yet another successful crow nest hunt. Feeling the sun, it was tempting to think winter might be about done, but looking at the snow was a reminder that in all likelihood there would be more winter before summer. It's not even June yet!

110th ski of the season. Spring conditions.