Dec 29: Going up the Mountain

We had planned to leave Charlotte for the mountains on the 27th and spend a wintry last week of December and New Year's Day there, playing in the snowy woods and keeping warm inside by the fire. We couldn't wait to get there and see our favorite place in its winter splendor.

But the NC mountains were slammed with snow this season, and the road was impassable for parts of December. Two more blizzards blew in on Sunday, the day before we wanted to leave, and these are two email reports from the 27th:

Sent: Mon, December 27, 2010 10:11:27 AM
Subject: Re: BYM road report -- Snow Plow

Good morning

I haven't gone out yet but the wind has been relentless all night and continues this morning. The snow appears to have stopped for now but that could change :)

I went out last night on the atv and the drifts were incredible. I imagine ironstone must have 3' plus of snow in the turn before the top. Our driveway has drifts of 2'-3' mainly behind the snow boulders from the previous plowing.

Jay I believe Kim told you we moved our car to the barnsite yesterday so we can hopefully get out tomorrow.

I'll update everyone later after I get out but it's 7 degrees and -11 Windchill. It might be a while.

Tom

Sent from my iPhone

-------------

On Dec 27, 2010, at 8:57 AM, Jay Leutze wrote:

All,

I talked to Darrell this morning and he agreed that there was no point trying to get out and push today with all the wind and additional snow they're calling for. (I think the standard prediction is for 6-7 more inches today in our little corner of paradise.)

He is going to try to hit it hard tomorrow (Tuesday), which looks like a clear day. He has the dozer on the mountain, parked at the gate, and said this: "If I can get to the dozer then I can get to working on the roads." That was just shy of a guarantee that he'll be successful, but I've seen him do some amazing things with that dozer. If everyone headed to the mountain, including your children, whose addresses I may not have, could tell me their preferred schedule that would help. Anybody have an urgent need I need to know about? If your plans have changed it would help me to know that, too.
>
> A couple of things to keep in mind:
>
> 1. When dealing with this volume of snow, the work is slow. There is no guarantee that Darrell can get to your driveway on a schedule, or at all. We'll try. The first objective is to get the main (vertical) road open, then the side roads, and lastly, the driveways of those who are coming up or who are already up. Barnhardts, I told him you are on the mountain now, and needed to get off tomorrow, so I expect he's coming your way first.
>
> 2. Once the main roads are pushed, the opening will be narrow with high snow walls on each side. You will need stout chains and you will need to make sure they are on properly. (I know it sounds like I keep lecturing on this, but we keep having folks going off the road or blocking the road because they didn't put on chains, or put on inadequate chains, or their chains came off the tires .....)
>
> Thanks everybody and be careful --
>
> Jay




Vertical road is right. That's what it feels like in any weather when you're driving up our gravel mountain road, thrown backward in your seat with a prime view of the sky and treetops, while the CD skips from the heavy jolts, and gravity pulls loose items back toward the trunk. It's not a road to be messed with, especially when you throw several feet of snow into the mix. We wanted to make sure we could make it safely past the hairpin turn and the steep dropoffs along the way, so we stayed in Charlotte two extra days until the weather had quieted and the bulldozer had done its job. Then with brand new chains packed, we loaded up my mom's car - which my parents kindly let us borrow - and headed for Yellow Mountain. Our goal was to make it to the foot of the mountain before dark and drive up in the warmest part of the day, before the melting snow started to refreeze.

And we made it. I took these first few photos from the foot of the mountain, while Adam was outside freezing and putting on the chains. Luckily he had practiced in Charlotte, so we were ready to go in 15 minutes. The light was amazing, and the stark beauty of the Appalachians in winter was a sight I hadn't seen in years. It was so much work to get there, but so worth it. Now we had the hardest part ahead of us, but soon we'd be sitting in our warm family room by the fire.



The road was mostly covered in snow, with a few bare patches here and there where the wind must have cleared the gravel. We slipped around a little, but the chains held us, and luckily, Adam is a seasoned winter driver.






There were a few places where I shut my eyes, but then we were there, coming over the top of the mountain, just minutes from our home away from home. From now on, we might pass some steep drop-offs, but the road would be much more level.


My parents had called Jason, who lived at the bottom of the mountain, to turn on the water and open the house for us. When we arrived, he was shoveling hard - there was so much snow on the stairs and blocking the door that he hadn't been able to get in yet.


Here is my mom's owl peeking out of a drift.


Finally we were in, with heat blasting, lamps glowing, and fire roaring. After a quick dinner of kale chips and leftover lasagna, Adam and Isaac settled in on the sofa to snuggle and watch the dancing flames while I put Jonah to bed. Bliss.

Day After Christmas - Snow in Charlotte!

We'd landed in Charlotte three days before Christmas, and every radio announcer on the way home from the airport was talking about the coming snow. Christmas snow, for the first time in 50-some years. We hadn't even seen snow in Denver yet this season - where the first snowfall is usually in October - and it was hard to believe we might have to come to Charlotte to see some!

Nothing happened on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, but around dinnertime on the 25th, we looked out the window and saw huge white flakes sailing through the darkness. Just in time. It didn't add up to much, but it made for a beautiful scene that night - the towering oaks that line the street draped in white, the lawns and even the streets coated and glittering, all of it reflecting the Christmas lights.

The next day, many of us went out to play. Adam and Isaac built this snowman. You can see that the snowman didn't leave much snow behind, and he ended up kind of dirty, but the fact that there was enough snow to build a snowman at all was a rare treat.

Below, Jonah watched Isaac running outside and asked to go out too.


When I took him out, he was surprised to discover, as Isaac once was, that snow is COLD.


Cork came out to play too.










Jonah was still overtired and didn't last too long.


But Isaac loved it!

Christmas Day

Christmas was magic this year with two little boys, late-day snow and a puppy!

Jonah was only mildly interested in his presents...With 13 people in the house, he was too busy watching all the activity to stop and play with his toys. Isaac, on the other hand, examined every gift and played with it before moving on. By the end of the day, there was still a stack of presents the boys hadn't opened yet. We like it that way for now, while we can get away with it...





I think Isaac's most treasured present was his very own wallet. When he pulled it out of his stocking, it already had a few cards and a few dollars in it. He carried it everywhere and talked about it constantly.


Jonah was in constant motion, but he loved the roomful of laughter and family. I think his favorite Christmas morning present was the little red car that makes noise when you roll it. But he liked Isaac's toys too; here he is with his brother's new ambulance.


Our other big Christmas meal is breakfast, which is really brunch, and these days comes at lunchtime. By the time we sit down to eat, we're starving, but as you can see, we're in no hurry...




Adam and I gave Isaac a baby doll and a stroller, which were two of his three main requests. The third was the play kitchen that Santa had dropped off in Denver.


Taylor gave Jonah this set of balls and hammer, which both boys loved.


But the real hit of the morning was this set of foam squares from Aunt Kitty - such a simple toy, with unlimited possibilities. Isaac apparently had a lot of excitement to work off, because he spent about a half hour running, sliding, and jumping on this pathway Adam had made - all the while screaming and squealing as loud as a three-year-old boy on Christmas morning can. Jonah followed him around and let out little squeals and grinned at everyone.








I love the contrast: the room and Jonah are in focus, but in most of these photos, Isaac is simply a blur.








This went on for a really long time. I would post the video too, but that might be overkill...
Finally, they built a house with the squares (the edges are lined with Velcro) and got inside.


To make this Christmas complete, there was even a forecast for snow and a 9-week-old puppy.


My parents lost their beloved Harley earlier this year and weren't sure about another dog for a while, but Cork seemed destined to be in this family. Half Lab and half Golden, he was a snuggly, smart, social little creature who added to the general chaos and was the most adorable little puppy I could imagine. He even shares some unusual Harley traits, such as running to the freezer to beg when he hears someone getting ice.

My dad and Taylor had just picked him up the day before we arrived, and my parents told no one - so it was a Christmas surprise for each of us.


Taylor gave Isaac his very own guitar. She even included a case, tuner and a set of picks.






Finally, the excitement was too much for Jonah. We hadn't even sat down to eat yet when he snuggled up on Adam and slept.


Jonah is such a clown, and he loves hats. Here are some pictures from later in the day with his Dada's new cap.