Still a ways from spring

February 19th, snow is back.

Reality check for the excited gardener... The good news is this means more water for the region, and the hoop house passed the snow test!

Test rides

We tried out a route from Flagstaff to Sedona this weekend. For me this was a mistake as I've been under the weather, but it was still a beautiful day and we've been antsy to see if the roads have cleared yet.
The Cosmic Ray guide sends you on a winding route via Forest Service roads out of Flagstaff and down to Old Munds Highway, which connects to Schnebly Hill Rd into Sedona. Right now the Sedona end of Schnebly hill is closed to traffic, so this makes a preferable low traffic route through beautiful sights.

We took Lake Mary to Frontier which is is gated at the end and turns into Forest Service roads. Back in January I posted a picture of us stopped at this gate with a foot of snow behind it; with all this sun and warmth it is now mostly clear aside from patches of ice and mud.

 The start of the Forest Service roads, which all looked pretty much like this. At first you ride gingerly or walk across these snow/slush/ice patches, but eventually you give up and just go for it. I rode unclipped most of the time and was thankful for dual platform/clip pedals.

 Another ice patch surrounded by beautiful brown hillsides and forest.

 Forest Service lands are for many types of recreation. We ran into disc golfers, ATV riders, motorcyclists, and a dude with a big stick looking for a lost cellphone who's kid had been chased by a coyote the day before; I rode with some paranoia thinking about my friend getting attacked by a rabid fox last year.

 Sand, mud, snow... I got pretty frustrated by this ride. The dirt is so loamy that my touring tires were having a hard time. I wiped out several times, once getting thrown off as my wheel sunk into a sand pit and pivoted sharply stopping my bike immediately (but not my own momentum); it's a strange feeling to hate the loose riding conditions and then be thankful as you land in dirt so soft if feels like down pillows. Being sick on top of this was the straw that broke the camels back and Derek did a good job of handling my mini break downs on the trail...

Finally a road that's rideable! Upon finally hitting Old Mund's Highway we were treated to a beautifully graded hardpacked gravel road. Calling it a day, we headed back and hopped briefly onto the 89A to catch up with the urban trail system back to town. This seems like the best route, bypassing the sandy maze of Forest Service roads for a more enjoyable time even though it's not as remote. Maybe next weekend we'll try it again with this new knowledge. Near the end of our ride we passed a lady on on a horse who commented on what a beautiful day it was. She was right, it was absolutely amazing and frustrations aside I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Hints of Spring

Almost a month after my last post the weather has changed a lot. We had another record low just a week or two ago, and now it's 60 degrees out. I'm still trying to get used to these extremes and I'm having a hard time trying to remind myself that these warm sunny days don't mean that winter is over. In fact, we've got several more months to go before it's truly spring here. This fact hasn't stopped me from finishing the hoop house or starting seeds. I'm ready to garden!

  

For the cold weather, three types of kale are slowly maturing on a heat mat inside. In a few weeks they'll be big enough to harden off and plant in the hoop house with plenty of mulch. Later in the spring I'll start more outside for summer eating, and then in the fall more in the hoop house again for winter eating.

Having weathered several very windy storms, I'm feeling pretty good about my handywork. The snow test will be the ultimate factor though.

A raised bed inside the hoop house. It's nice and warm inside and the chickens are very happy to hang out here on cold days. Soon I'll have to fence off one of the beds so the seedlings can grow unscathed.

Speaking of chickens... As much as I make fun of pet owners, I feel myself becoming one. Derek kindly puts up with my chicken stories when he gets home from work, since I spend a lot of time at home studying. They like oatmeal and popcorn a lot, and have come to expect a treat any time you open the patio door. They lay a lot of eggs though and we're getting spoiled by fresh eggs every day. Gone are the days of buying the least bad industrial eggs at the store; I never want to go back.

On another note, school. I'm not sure about this whole grad school thing. My motivation for it goes up and down like tides. I get excited about the possibilities of doing a really cool thesis project and taking some good classes. The thing is, none of my classes thus far have been particularly life changing. Maybe it was foolish to think that they would be. So sometimes it comes down to this: how much do I want or need this piece of paper at the end? Does a masters degree from NAU make someone in food systems that much more marketable? And I wonder if there is a better program or school out there for me, or if it's just academia and college learning that chafes me in general. One more year? All the while the food on campus is horrible and local foods here seem like a joke coming from so far away and outside of our bioregion. I want to change this, but then I get frustrated and loose my motivation. Flagstaff is an exciting new place, but it doesn't feel like home. How do you stay motivated to do change where you're at when you know your time is short?