Snow wonder

I got up before sunrise to see at least four inches of wet snow on the ground. Amazingly enough it didn't get so cold to freeze the water in the doggie trough.

I got dressed, fed the wild birds their seeds and was in upper Ash Canyon with all five dogs by 8am. The trail ahead of me was covered in pristine snow...until the dogs got to it. It was still gently flurrying and visibility was less than a mile. Snow was from eight to twelve inches, getting deeper the higher I went. No one else was around.

The three younger dogs had a blast, especially Zeke, who developed "snow balls" on his hind fur. Minnie, Zeke and Sadie romped around while Sammy and Sara stayed nearby and blazed the trail for me. Sara would roll around in the snow, stick her snout into the white stuff, but Sammy just dredged quietly uphill. I walked slowly uphill, mindful of deep crevices hidden by the snow. I didn't know how far we would get before I had to turn around; my leather boots and socks were getting wet and the bottoms of my jeans were getting it as well.

Sammy whimpered when the snow got to his belly. Sara lay down many times to cool off. That's when I knew it was time to turn around.

I was only in the mountains for about two hours. I was the first one at the trail head, but when I left at 10am the first ATVers were on their way. The gates to upper Ash Canyon were open, so I'm glad I got up there so early and gave the dogs some play time.

Perhaps it was the dogs' presence but I only saw one lone bird (a snow bird?!) during my walk, chirping like a sparrow for its friends. Larger birds stayed in the valley, including a thick line of birds huddled on a power line.

The road into Ash Canyon was already melting on my return drive. The vehicle tire tracks I created were now clearing up and exposing the dirt underneath. The melt was evident in our neighborhood: by noon most of the snow in the front yard had melted and the back yard turned into a muddy mess, and the sky finally broke out in blue. The melting snow will then refreeze overnight, causing treacherous driving conditions for those out celebrating the new year.

From the Sierra Vista Herald:
SIERRA VISTA — Monday’s early morning snowfall reached near-record levels in Bisbee and Sierra Vista according to initial measurements by the Tucson office of the National Weather Service.

With rain freezing at around 3 a.m., an estimated nine inches of snow fell on parts of Bisbee, making it one of the largest single snowfalls since records began being kept in 1985, said Meteorologist Carl Cerniglia.

“It looks like it’s in the top three for Bisbee,” he said.

Sierra Vista’s 2.7 inches was enough to make Monday’s snowfall “in the top 5” of recorded days since 1982.

Douglas and Naco recorded three inches and eight inches of snow, respectively.
http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2012/12/31/344221

Later in the day I drove into town to get dog food. We had actually run low on bagged dry food for them, when we normally have quite a bit stored in the garage. Zeke went with me so I could fit him for a collar, a leather collar Minnie can't chew off.

On my way home I decided to see how the road conditions are for Carr Canyon Road. There were many snow players right off and on the road. I recognized one high school senior sliding in a tobagan right down the road I was driving! Families with young children were playing in the snow; a few snowmen stood off the road. Arizona snowmen never look too good for long.

The road was still open so I ventured up, but as soon as I crossed the bridge the road became icy. I had to turn around at the next widening at the folowing curve. On my way down I began to slide, and missed another truck just by centimeters, with a foot sparing me from falling over the cliff. I let Zeke out of the truck just in case I did slide over the cliff, but witnesses were able to help me back on terra firma with a rope.

I don't plan on driving up Carr Canyon Road any time soon!

I told Kevin about my experience. That only convinced him not to drive to Bisbee for New Year's Eve. Instead we had a nice meal right here in town at the Pizzaria Mimosa. Like old people, we went to bed by 9pm. By then it was getting even colder than the night before.