It was only last weekend that I was visiting The Chef in his garden, where I was checking out his produce that he grew all Summer.  Here is a shot of The Chef holding a beautiful water melon.There were copious amounts of ripe tomatoes on the vine and his garlic was up on strings drying in the Sun.  I was looking around at the amazing plants that really love all the coffee grounds he puts in the soil all Winter, as well as the compost that he has going all the time.  It is all organic with no pesticides at all.  There are two bee hives keeping the plants tended as well.  This is one of the many Sunflowers that were standing tall in the Sun that day.  I love the way the seeds are arranged in the Golden Section Spiral.  Those days were warm and still in the 90’s.   Then, just when I was thinking that it was going to keep going like that, we got this Winter Blast that left enough snow up on the higher elevations to draw the faithful up to Alta to get the first turns of the season.  Here is a shot of the front moving in to the Salt Lake Valley around 4PM., after a sunny blue sky day.  This Wall of Voodoo spawned a tornado that did some real damage a bit further North.  I stood on the the deck of the machine and watched the flag blow with the wind out of the South just waiting for it to switch out of the North with the frontal passage.  I did not have to wait long, when all chaos broke loose and the precipitation was a deluge!!  The temps. dropped 35 Degrees  in seconds and in the next 72 hours there was over 3 inches of water dropped in the Valley.   Today, Sunday, I took a trip up to the Bird to go to the peak and get a view of the freshness.  Here is a shot of the Twins here in sharp contrast to the shots I put up in my last post. This terrain needs a lot of snow to cover the features, so it looks like there was just a dusting, but there had been quite a bit before it settled and began to melt off with the warm ground temps. This shot looking into Mineral Basin shows a better view of how much fell with this blast.  This coming week is predicted to be back up in the 80’s, so all this will be gone, but it is fun to see that Winter is not far off.  Oktoberfest is still rockin’ at least for the next week or so. Be sure to get up there and join the festivities before the lull going into the Winter Season.  It won’t be long now, but I am grabbing every day of warmth that comes my way, because there won’t be many more.  Stay Frosty!!

The nights have been cool since Labor Day, which seems to have accelerated the colors changing on the hill.  While it is still a fair way from peak, the vibrant colors are really starting pop on the hill.  Lower Silver Fox is looking like Persian Rug with all the colors mixing and melding.  Here is a shot looking down at Tanner’s Flat from the peak when I was enjoying a perfect day for Oktoberfest.  While I was on the peak I was surveying the terrain, looking for the high reefs and grassy areas that will be good to have logged in the back of my mind for the early season.  Hereis shot looking down Canyon from the peak.  All the scree gets covered and it is amazing that we get to rip these lines when it all gets PHAT.   Down on the Plaza, there was a festive crowd enjoying the ambience  and libations.  I picked up a couple of outer wear items at the Kuhl tent, where they were offering great discounts.  This is the time to buy.  I also ran into Chris and Patsy, who I have know for over 20 years and I had a great time catching up.  Chis and I come from the same York Beach Maine stomping grounds when we were growing up, and we  discussedall the folks we knew in common.  We did not know each other back in those days, but he knows all the same folks as well as my brother.  Small world.  Oktoberfest is going on for a good while yet, so be sure to get up there and enjoy the festivities and check out the deals in the shops.  It won’t be long now.  Speed Safely!!

After a very warm week, the temps plummeted and a real feel of Fall was in the air, with the colors changing up on the hill.  While there was an overcast morning, the sky cleared off a bit and made for a great day for the Oktoberfest activities.   Connie and I took a Tram to the peak where the festivities were going on as well.  We met a very nice couple who were checking out the Mountain Bike Single Track for the first time and were excited about the day.  With the cool temps and clear air, I am sure they had a great descent and perhaps might get another lap.   I rarely put a picture of myself, but these folks took this shot of Connie and myself, so I thought I would add this to the post to commemorate our fun time at the Bird today.  With the changing Fall colors it won’t be long until we are back on the hill sliding in the fresh Essence that is sure to come.  While it always seems like a long time to wait for the snow to fall a look at the Twins, with it’s sedimentary layers  illustrating the very long span of time that it represents, it will be just a blink on an eye till the first Tram of the season moves up the hill. Soon the Twins will be covered with snow and the hill will take on a whole other complexion.  Still, it is fun to look at the terrain and know what it is that we slide over and really never touch the ground.  The Oktoberfest crowd was really building as we left at 2:00PM., and the line of cars was wall to wall all the way up the Canyon and beyond.  Where they were going to put them all I don’t know, but it is a great event and a great time to get up into the mountains and feel the energy.  The festivities will be going off again tomorrow, so get up there for the fun and start early for the best parking.  IBBY!!