Mild winter ... #makeitsnow

Let it snow!

Put together one ski slope, a bonfire, a group of enthusiastic skiers, and some peppy music. Add flash dance steps and, voila! You've got a snow dance on a mountain slope.

The winter of 2011-12 is proving to be skimpy on the white stuff, not only up and down the Eastern Seaboard but also out west, in the mid-west, and Great Lakes areas where a lack of extreme cold temperatures has caused thin ice on lakes and ponds.


Ski Colorado, Utah, and others have joined in the fun, posting snow dances to try and appease the snow gods, Mother Nature, and anyone else who can help save the winter sports season.

In Vail, Colorado, where this year's snowfall is some of the least they have seen in 30 years, the Southern Ute Indians continued a tradition begun 50 years ago, offering up prayers for snow and "moisture for Mother Earth."

Breckenridge, tucked high in Rockies, was excited today over 4" of snow at a time when they usually have several feet of snow on the ground.

Alaska, meanwhile, has an overabundance of snow this year with record amounts being recorded throughout with avalanche danger for highways and eight-foot drifts.

It's winter so I say bring on the snow! Open the skies and let the flakes float down and fill the winter woods and mountain ridges so the snowboarders, skiers, ice skaters, and snowtubers can enjoy their brief season of fun. It's January ... think snow!

Virginia man dies on Colorado rafting trip

Colorado is beautiful in all seasons. But Colorado's mountains and rivers can be dangerous, too.

A 67-year-old Virginia man died Tuesday when his raft overturned on the Arkansas River near Buena Vista, Colorado, located 100 miles southwest of Denver. Though Oscar Stevenson was on a commercial rafting trip, and even though the guide and others pulled him from the river, he still drowned. He was from Eastville, Virginia.

The accident was reported in the Breckenridge newspaper.

Rocky Mountain thunderstorms....

Thunderstorm clouds gather over Breckenridge.

Dark clouds and rain in Breckenridge with snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Since we've been in Breckenridge the afternoon thunderstorms are almost like clockwork. Throughout the day the brilliant blue sky begins to have puffy white thunderheads building, and in the late afternoon dark clouds come over the mountains.

Usually between 4 and 5:00, a big clap of thunder reverberates off the mountains and the rain begins ... sail boats on Lake Dillon immediately return to shore and folks on the street seek shelter.

The rain consists of big cold drops and the temperature drops 20-30 degrees which leads to a cool evening and overnight temps in the 40s.

Even now I'm sitting with the window open and the rain pouring down while thunder bounces off the mountains. The smell of wet dirt and evergreen and lilacs blooming outside my window permeate the air.

It's another Rocky Mountain thunderstorm....

Update: We strolled throughout Breckenridge Village this evening until after dark ... and the wind was blowing and it was so chilly we were layered for the coolness. All the restaurants had their outdoor fireplaces going and we stopped at a popular crepe place where we sat around the fire to eat. Low humidity, cool evenings ... I like this weather.

Tomorrow morning I'm hitting the Village early to get more photos of the shops, windows, flowers, houses, and the Blue River that runs through the middle of town.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell

Hello Breckenridge, CO ... elevation 9600'

We've moved to Breckenridge, the Clear Creek area of Colorado, and have spent our time visiting the surrounding areas of Georgetown, Silver Plume, Dillon, Copper Mountain, Black Hawk, Central City, and all points in between. We've been up in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, visited a working cattle ranch, checked out the headquarters of the Colorado River, and seen the Gore Canyon (from above and within) where the Colorado rushes through with Class V whitewater rapids.

Much of this area was discovered and explored by Jim Bridger, the famous Mountain Man who was born in 1804 in Virginia.

From 11,000 feet ... high above Breckenridge.

Mountain stream from melting snowpack beneath the chair lift.

We took the chair lift to the top of the mountain where we hiked a nature trail in the almost-Alpine atmosphere. Breath-taking views (as well as thin high altitude air)!

Photos by SWAC Girl