Snowboarding on Mt. Bachelor

Ever since I got to Mount Shasta, I have wanted to learn to snowboard.... so I went to Bend, Oregon this weekend to learn to snowboard on Mt. Bachelor. Everyone said that it was a great mountain to ski on. It hasn't snowed here in Mount Shasta so the snow park here never opened, but it would have been nice to be able to go up to the mountain every weekend and practice snowboarding but it just didn't happen. So my boss let me work 4 9 hour days so I could get off at noon on Friday to drive to Bend. Me and abby packed up and hit the road for yet another road trip! I didn't run into any bad weather or bad roads so that was great! I rented a one bedroom cottage to stay in and it was just perfect! Here is a pic of the cottage.

Then Saturday morning I got up and got ready for my adventure. I dressed really warm and got to wear my new gear I just recently bought. I got to the ski lodge and I had no clue what I was doing and it seemed like everyone there had been there a million times! Oh well I got signed up for my lesson, got my gear and headed out to the lesson. Here I am about to start the lesson and a pic of the little hill we practiced/fell on. :-)

So the biggest goal of the lesson was to learn how to stop. We learned how to stop on heel edge and then on toe edge. I have never spent so much time on the ground lol. I started to get the hang of going down backwards and stopping on my toes. Because one it didn't use my quads as much and two if you fall you fall forward up the hill versus down the hill. We practiced and practiced for 2 hours and then were on our own. There was a guy that was there alone and he was going to try and go up the lift and practice after lunch so we hung out and attempted the lift and green hill after lunch. Getting on and off the lift is a task in itself with a snowboard but we did pretty good I would say. Here is a picture of me going up the lift and the hill I came down.

The first time down I actually got the hang of going down forward, stopping on my heels. The steeper the hill I would go backwards and then when it leveled out some I would turn and go down forward. I still sat down a lot when I felt like I was going too fast. My quads were really feeling it when I would ride for a little bit without falling. So i made it down and headed back up for round 2. My legs at this point were getting really tired so I could tell I couldn't keep my balance as well so I was falling a lot more. So I was going pretty good down backwards and relaxed and I think I relaxed too much and the back of my board caught in the snow and up in the air I went backwards, feet and board in the air and I landed hard on my back and got a little whiplash. At that point I had had enough lol but I had to complete the hill. So I turned around, went down forward, slowly, and took the board off! I had a great time but it was definitley a work out getting up off the floor that much is hard work!! Today I am sore all over but atleast I don't have any broken bones! I survived my first experience with snowboarding and it was absolutely beautiful up there.

Weeks 3 and 4 in Mt. Shasta

Week 3 and 4

I didn't post last week because nothing exciting happened to share. I could have said everything was going good still but that is boring!
Well there was some snow 2 weeks ago for a day or 2 but nothing stuck to the ground. The mountain is getting snow now which is good! Since I have to park on the street at my house, when it snows or if there is a chance the roads will need to be sweeped in the morning, I can't park on the street during those times. So the few days it snowed here I parked at work and walked home and then walked back to work in the morning. The roads were never snowy but since there was a chance of snow I didn't want to get towed for parking on the street. I can say that was the first time I had walked to work! Having a lot of firsts here in Mt. Shasta! :)
Another first would be at the grocery store at the check out, for my total of lets say 17.50, the cashier said one seven five zero. Definitely caught me off guard and had to think about what she just said. Hahaha never heard a total said like that.
Another first is I went and ate at Black Bear Diner for dinner and wanted to order ice cream. They had a specialty ice cream listed first and it was a Black Bear Diner original with chocolate ice cream, caramel and walnuts. I ordered it and the waitress said we don't have that, which at that point I thought they were out of it and then she said, we haven't had that since I have worked here. How do you have a specialty ice cream on your menu listed first and have never had it! hahah thought it was funny!
So Saturday I drove down to Napa Valley to do a bike tour through the vineyards. When I got there I took abby to the park which was an off leash dog park and trails and it was really nice to let her off leash with other people and dogs and not worry about anything. Abby absolutley loved it! Here are a few pics of her enjoying herself.

Sunday I drove to Yountville which was 10 miles from my hotel and shopped around in the little shops and then met for my bike tour through the vineyards and 2 stops at wineries for tasting.

 We were early so the tour guide asked if we wanted to go  early and bike about 5miles further so we all agreed. After the first hill we started having people stop for breaks and my legs were burning within 5 min of starting our tour. I thought I was going to be in trouble. We biked past a winery here in the pic below that was purposefully built on a hill so they can look down over everything. The tour guide said that there wine is very rare to find to buy and its about 1000 dollars a bottle if you can find it.

We then continued to bike and then came to a Winery called Clos Du Val, which was our first stop for wine tasting. We got to go in the private room for our tasting and it smelt like sweet wine! It was a great experience and the group of people I was with were fun to hang out with.

We then went to the next stop which was called Monticello. Again we did the wine tasting and then drove our bikes back to the starting point. Overall we biked 18 miles and my butt and knees and legs felt every inch of it! One girl cracked me up and would not use her breaks so she would just ride off into the grass and stop and then the last break we took she just tipped over the curb to stop. I was like you know there are breaks....lol! Overall I had a great time!!! I would recommend that tour for the more in shape people due to the intense workout I got in my legs riding 18 miles and I hadn't been on a bike since I was little.

On the way home I got to see Mt. Shasta covered in snow from the highway, it was absolutely beautiful!!

Week 2

Week 2 was great as well. Work is going good and my schedule is filling up, keeping me busy.
I met the lady that owns the house I am staying in and she seems very sweet. There is a bus parked next to my house that is part of this house but I never go over there. The windows are blacked out and there is a gate by it. It looks like they are feeding a cat because there is cat food that stays on the table. Well after the owner left one night, I saw that there were candles lit by the shed by the bus.....very interesting!

Well every Friday, my boss goes and gets a tri tip sandwich from the market by work. I had told him that I have never heard of tri tip so he took me to the market and bought me one so I could try it. It was delicious and I know I will be going back for more!

Abby got out of the fence one night and it was so dark I couldn't see anything to try and find her. Well I walked down the street and back calling for her and then when I came back, she was sitting on the front porch. Atleast she knows where her home is, but I got so scared! So I told my coworkers the story and that I couldn't find a flashlight in the house to find her so he bought me one! And he also brought me these things to put over my shoes to walk in snow/ice without falling! I am set now! Bring on the snow Mt. Shasta, bring it on!

The main boss at work is retiring and my boss now is taking over his job and that is why they needed me for 13 weeks, while they try to find someone to cover his place. So I was invited to Ron's retirement party Saturday night at the Mt. Shasta Resort. It was a very nice place and the dinner was fantastic! I had ribeye, baked potato, zucchini and squash and a salad with ranch. Felt like I was back home! The ribeye was cooked perfect!! And I had dessert :) I guess you could say I was hungry!

Sunday Abby and I went to walk the Lake Siskiyou trail. The lake is low due to the drought here but it was still so peaceful and the sights were beautiful. Abby had a great time! She would sniff and then sprint past me just so excited to be out and about for our walk!

And here is another picture of Mt. Shasta with snow on it!

Week One

I have survived week one! The place that I am living and working is better than I could have asked for! The people at work are so sweet and very helpful! Being in a small town, everyone knows everyone.  Funny story, I didn't have a microwave in my house and I really don't know how to heat up leftovers without a microwave. I tried a couple of times heating leftovers up on the stove, but I was like there is no way I can live 3 months without a microwave. So I went to work and told them that I didn't have one and my boss got on the phone and made some calls and within 5 minutes I had a microwave! I have never been so excited about a microwave :-) Here is a picture of my work with the beautiful mountains in the background.

Abby is doing well and loves to stay right next to me when I am home. Here are a few pictures of her!

Here is a picture of the view of Mt. Shasta from my front yard! It is absolutely stunning!

Here is a picture of a view from when I take abby on walks after work. It is a little chilly in the mornings and evenings, but during the day, the sun is out and it is beautiful!

Saturday night I went and saw Saving Mr. Banks and it was a cute movie. This morning I got up and went to eat breakfast at the Black Bear Diner and it was amazing! Here is a pic of how much food I got!

Well today I will be planning some things I would like to do while I am here for the upcoming weekends and relaxing.

Day 3 and 4

Day 3:
Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but once I got in to Mt. Shasta, I was exhausted and ready for bed. So the drive into Mt. Shasta was nice. Once I got into California, I was in the mountains the rest of the drive. My mom had called and asked if I was in the mountains yet and I jokingly said I thought I was in the mountains since I got into New Mexico, but oh was I wrong... once I got off the phone with her I then was in the mountains and there was no mistaking the difference! Long windy roads up and down the mountains with no cell phone service. Once again I could only think what would happen if I needed to call someone?!?! But I made it to my new home for 3 months. It is a cute little house that me and Abby love! Here are some pics from the drive and of the house.

Day 4:
I got up this morning to go explore and try to find  a donut shop for breakfast. I started to drive and figured out pretty quickly that I am in the mountains and there are no donut shops lol. I spent all morning trying to find something familiar. Such as a grocery store, nail shop, etc. Well there are no "normal" things in Mt. Shasta. I decided to drive an hour to Redding, CA to go shopping for some clothes for work. Once I got there I felt like I was back in my kind of "normal". There was Bed Bath and Beyond, Dicks Sporting Goods, Kohls, Macys and a mall! I did some errands and got some groceries that could probably last me a few weeks, knowing I have to drive an hour to get groceries, that aren't organic! Well my first day at work is tomorrow and I am excited! I am 2 min from work, which is great! I am going to try and blog every Sunday unless something cool comes up and then it will be sooner. Until next time!

Day Two

Day two's stop is Las Vegas. Nothing exciting happened today so I thought I would share some things that went through my head while driving through New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. After that are some pictures of the scenery.

My head on a long drive...
1. These animals that get hit crossing the road at night.... where are they during the day? I look and can never see them
2. These people that live in the middle of nowhere...where do they go grocery shopping?
3. If something were to go wrong with my car and I am on the side of the road with no signs of life any way I look...who in the world would I call?
4. To the people who buy million dollar homes that sit at the base of a mountain with huge rocks over your house... how much insurance do you have on that house?!?!?
5. I even thought how cool it is that little ole me could be in control of a car. Lol that's when I was really bored.  Don't judge haha

But I made it to the hotel safely and even had the honor to ride the elevator with a boy...or girl....ehhhh idk what they were!!! Oh well it's all an adventure! Off to Mt. Shasta in the morning. I know my aunt Sonja will enjoy these pics...the scenery was beautiful!