Pictures

These are from Monday when it snowed in Leadville, and the snow stayed on the ground.

These are from the day it snowed, but the ground was so warm that it pretty much just melted immediately.

The first snow on the mountains surrounding Leadville.

There's not much around campus this week that I haven't already covered.

Yesterday we were going to have homework in Snowmaking, but there was disagreement as to whether we should be multiplying by 12 or dividing by 12, so we instead get bonus points for doing the assignment. Hopefully on Tuesday we will have the answer to whether we should have been dividing or multiplying, because I think we were all rather lost.

First Snowmakers of the Semester

Normally I am not awake at 2:30AM, but tonight, I am in Snowmaking Lab, hence why I am writing this blog at this hour of the morning.

It was a learning experience for all- both myself, my fellow snowmakers, and the teacher. Since it is the first snowmaking lab of the semester, and Jason Gusaas, the new Ski Area Operations professor, is in charge of the lab, we spent the first hour and a half figuring the system out. Among our discoveries were:
1. The SnowMax system depletes itself awful fast at 100% capacity. 20% capacity is much more economical.
2. The hoses require an adapter to fit the gun/hydrant. We were not able to get the tower gun hooked up, so we are only running the fan gun.
3. Weather reports lie. It was supposed to get down to 21 degrees and snow 1 inch. But the lowest temperature we recorded was 29 degrees and it never snowed. We also got to use our amazing "wet bulb computation" skills. It's a very complicated process. You take the "dry bulb" temperature which is the temperature that a thermometer reads, and you line it up with the % relative humidity on a chart and then you do a little guessing since the temperatures are in evens and the % humidity goes by 10's.

We also played around with the little gun for awhile, that we intend to use behind the dorms to add snow to the little rail yard, but we didn't set it up back there because we determined that it has to be colder than it currently is in order for it really produce any snow.

However, the wind did cooperate with us, as it stayed out of the north or north-northeast all night, which blows the snow up Dutch Henri (the gun was located at the bottom of the hill). Also, no disasters happened, which is good. The most we ever had to do was turn the gun a little bit.

I also discovered that TV shows about a clown and a spaghetti ball are INCREDIBLY amusing at 5:30 in the morning.

While I would not enjoy making snow every night, it's not such a bad job for a night or two.

First Real Snow of the Season

This morning when I woke up and looked out my window I discovered that the ground was white. Considering that it's only mid-September, I was slightly surprised, but really did not mind. I was even more surprised when it continued to snow on and off throughout the day, and it is still snowing now. There is not really any accumulation yet, as it warmed up to the 40's today. I will post pictures in the next day or two.

I originally had the intentions of venturing to the Vail area today to return something, but about 10 minutes outside of Leadville, I decided that it was not worth it because it was a full-blown snowstorm at the time. So, instead, I spent several hours at the Leadville Public Library today. It was quite an enjoyable day and it made me wonder why I never spent more time there last year.

Another place that I've found to be an enjoyable place to spend the afternoon is the CMC Library. Yea, it involves a "trek" across campus if you live in the dorms, but it really is much nicer than studying in your dorm room. For one thing, the chances of hearing someone running down the hall yelling, are pretty slim here in the library. There are also fewer distractions in the library. As unappealing as cleaning, doing laundry, and washing dishes might seem, there are times when they seem like a great way to procrastinate. However, the view of the mountains out the window of the library, is just a tad bit distracting, as I discovered Friday afternoon. But the couches and arm chairs are nice and they even have these neat swivel tables attached to the arm chairs that work great for your laptop. The bookstore is conveniently located next door for when you need a study-break snack and there is a learning assistance center across the entry-way.

For anyone who is wondering, the library hours are:
Sunday: Noon-8pm
Monday-Thursday: 8AM-9PM
Friday: 8AM-5PM
Saturday: Noon-5PM

Discovery of the week: When a professor advises you "You should probably farmiliarize yourself with Blackboard and LexisNexis before taking the first quiz or it is probable that you will fail", you should probably take their advice. While taking my Risk Management quiz, I determined that I really was not quite sure how to use LexisNexis, and I remembered this advice only after I had started the quiz. Luckily, I figured it out after about 15 minutes. However, some of my classmates who are less awake at 8AM, might have more difficulty because the main reason I figured it out was because the professor showed us in class.

As far as other news around campus goes, the free activity nights start tomorrow (Tuesday).
Mondays & Wednesdays are free nights at the gym above the swimming pool. They have a weight lifting area, a treadmill, a "running track" (essentially the edge of the gym with taped off lanes), basketball hoops, and vollyball nets. Last year we also played soccer and dodgeball there.
Tuesdays are free Flag Football out at the new field.
Thursday and Friday nights are free swimming nights.
Saturday night there is flag football for the first hour and a half and Ultimate Frisbee for the second hour and a half.
Sunday night there is free soccer at the field.
All that is required to participate in these activities is your student ID card.

All of the 2nd year SAO classes are 1/2 over. However, several of us are taking Accounting, EMT, or some other class that extends for the entire semester. Resumes have been sent, interviews have been arranged, and internships for this winter are beginning to take shape and fall into place.

This past weekend it snowed up in the mountains. I'm not sure what you would call what fell in town- perhaps soaking wet snow. It made the ground white, but there were also big streams running through parking lots. I took pictures, but I forgot to grab the memory card out of my camera when I headed up to campus to spend the afternoon in the library.

Now normally, I don't spend a whole lot of time in the school library. I think I came in here once last year, in order to work on a school project. But this afternoon, when I discovered that the internet at my apartment didn't work, the school library seemed like a good place to spend the afternoon. From here I can see the dark outline of the mountains, fluffy white clouds and blue skies. But I can also see rain and dark clouds, and I can hear thunder. If only it weren't 57 degrees right now, snow could be falling. I'm sure the snow will come soon enough though.

Monday in Student Government, Brett filled us in on the dates for free swim, gym, and field nights. Between those three, there is something going on every night for the rest of the semester starting this coming Monday.

Tuesday we took a test in Snowmaking Operations. Then, in Principles of Accounting, we worked with general journals and ledgers. Much to my dismay, I figured out after doing an entire problem that I'd mixed up the credits and debits. That or the business had some serious issues that they should sort out considering that they had negative expenses. However, after being informed that you "add the normal balance" I think the future should be smoother sailing for awhile. Afterwards, I went to the bowling alley to partake in $2 bowling.

On Wednesday, I spent the day in the computer lab of the New Discovery building, working on writing a resume and cover letters to send to various ski areas in hopes of getting a job as a snowboard instructor this winter.

Thursday, I had Snowmaking lecture in the morning. We went over our tests, and to our class's great excitement, not a single person failed. Then we went over snowmaking safety, took an instructor evaluation thing, and were shown where the stuff was for Snowmaking lab. In the evening I went to the pool because it was $2 from 7-9pm.

Today we went over the Colorado Skier Safety Act in Risk Management. We also have a quiz to complete before the next class period.

As for what's going on this weekend. I haven't heard about a whole lot. I know some people are going to Boulder to watch the Matchstick premiere. There are also people going to Brecktoberfest in Breckenridge. There is also a Two Planks Production premiere in Breckenridge. Last weekend there was a Refresh premiere.

If you haven't bought a pass yet and you're looking to, now would be a good time. Colorado Gems Cards are available for pre-order for $10 (use it once and you'll have it paid for). The Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus- College Pass is on sale for $339 if you have a current student ID and proof of being a full-time student (I'll give you a hint... This pass gives you full access to Copper and Winter Park/Mary Jane, plus 6 days at Steamboat and unlimited Friday afternoons... and it's less than the Copper-only pass). Click here for information about the Summit Pass, Colorado Pass, and Epic pass which work at Keystone, Breckenridge, A*Basin, and depending on the pass may or may not cover Vail and BeaverCreek.

Well, the library is about to close now, so until next week, have fun and stay safe.

Colorful Colorado

This past weekend, while some of my friends climbed a 14er (they've climbed one every weekend this school year) and then hiked to Conundrum Hot Springs, I opted for an activity that involved slightly less exertion.

On Friday, while trying to come up with something exciting for my weekend, I happened across a website explaining that you can drive up Mt. Evans. Driving up to 14,130 feet and then walking up a path to 14,264 feet sounded about my ability level, plus now I can say I did a 14er.

A couple facts about the road to Mt. Evans:

• Depending on what source you use for the elevation of Idaho Springs, you climb 6-7,000 feet in 30 miles.
• The Mt. Evans Scenic Byway is the highest paved road in North America.
• The Mount Evans Scenic Byway was built after the road up Pike's Peak (completed in 1888). Pike's Peak was drawing the tourists away from Denver, so the road up to Mount Evans was built to draw them back. The road up Mount Evans was completed in 1927.
• The last 5 miles of the road are typically open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• From Mount Evans you can see Longs Peak, Mt. Warren, Thorodin Mountain, Rogers Peak, Chief Mountain, Squaw Mountain, Denver metro, Meridian Hill, the Continental Divide, the Collegiate Range, Mosquito Range, Mt. Bierstadt, Mt. Holy Cross, the Kenosha Mountains, Kataka Mountain, South Park, Pike's Peak, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

So, Saturday morning I set off at 8AM to drive to Idaho Springs and then down to Mount Evans. To say the least, the road up to Mt. Evans is not for the faint at heart. I got the following two photos from the Mount Evans Scenic Byway Overview page. Ten of the fifteen miles of the drive, looked like the 2nd picture, only the drop-off looks much worse from the driver's seat.

However, I could not have asked for a better day. The sun was shining on the way over and the trees along the way looked absolutely gorgeous. It was a little overcast at the summit, but I did not mind that much because it was snowing! Technically they were only flurries, but it was snow none the less.

For more information, I recommend visiting MountEvans.com because, in my experience, it was the site that provided the most information. It also has a lot of very nice pictures.

Sunday, I went to Frisco for church, and discovered that the service had been cancelled, so I took pictures along Dillon Dam Road instead.

Monday afternoon I took a drive around Turquoise Lake. The last 3 pictures are of Hagermann Pass.

Well, that's it for my scenic weekend. Enjoy!