Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Cross Country Ski along Archangel Valley Road

 Today was a gorgeous sunny day. Tried skiing up at Independence Mine but that area wasn't groomed. It was also very windy and only 16 degrees. My dog was having none of it. I wasn't crazy about it either. So we went back to the car then down the road a bit and gave Archangel Road a try. It is usually the best groomed and the widest most inviting ski trail. It was still a little windy but now up to 20 degrees. Baby was doing OK until a lady with a fat tire bike and a big loose dog came along. My dog went crazy trying to argue with the dog, then had only one interest, that of going back to the car. After those two took off, I tried my best to get her to move in the right direction. But she would just stand there and give me that look that clearly says she is not interested. So I went through the drill of stuffing her into my backpack and heading up the trail with the extra weight pulling on my shoulders. I wasn't in any hurry but it seemed like I was really moving at a snail's pace. But with such a beautiful sunny day, I wasn't in a big hurry. I just pushed along enjoying the fabulous scenery. It really is a gorgeous place. A couple of other skiers passed us. Their dogs only caused some mild barking from my backpack instead of the usual struggle to stay upright, as Baby tries to assure her dominance no matter how large the other dog may be. I turned around just before the bridge where snowmachines are again permitted. At this point the grooming stops and the trail gets very rough. I felt movement on my back so let Baby out to walk again. She is always delighted to run back to the car, like a horse heading back to its barn. She ran all the way back, only stopping to pick a fight with two large dogs pulling another skier, totally ignoring my pleas for her to go on by. We moved quickly and that second 2 miles of our 4 mile trip, was much more fun and considerably faster. It is predominantly downhill in that direction as well. It was a near perfect day to be out there in nature.






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