April = options

Posted by Alaskology

Posted: April 8, 2008 - 3:46 pm

Gina is all smiles while using her new skate skis Sunday on the cross-country trails near Service High School in Anchorage.

After spending an hour shoveling the 15 inches of snow out of my driveway Sunday morning, Gina and I got to enjoy it later in the day. We headed to the cross-country trails at Hillside Park -- our usual stomping grounds.

Gina was pretty eager to try out her new skate skis. We've had classic skis for years. (They made the move with us from Michigan to Alaska back in 2000.) Earlier this winter, Gina was able to borrow some skate skis from a friend, and she fell in love. When March rolled around, REI had a big sale and Gina snagged the last pair of skis in her size.

And then they sat for a couple weeks. Trail conditions were deteriorating quickly, and she didn't want to hurt her brand-new skis. Saturday's unexpected dump of snow put a smile on her face -- which you can easily see in one of the attached photos -- and gave her the chance to get a little snow under the skis.

Gina skis on the new snow at Hillside Park in Anchorage with the Chugach Mountains in the background.

I wasn't nearly as giddy as Gina, but I did enjoy Sunday's ski. And today I was back on the bike for the commute to work.

Right now we're living on the fringe somewhere between spring and winter. Apparently some days we will be enjoying springtime activities, and some days we'll spend a little more time in winter.

A pessimist would say spring that will never get here. An optimist would say that we just get to enjoy a taste of two seasons. I'll try to keep my optimist hat on for a bit longer.

-- Steve

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