Cross Country Skiing Buddies

Cross country skiing (called Nordic skiing) on Whitefish Golf Courses; trails go along two courses; Nordic skiing is like hiking on skis, really aerobic exercise; only toe part of your feet are clicked into skis, heel part of feet free to move up and down as you are "striding" along trails; my German companions are Renee and Renate (Bob Lund's wife); I am tutoring Renee's son in math and algebra two nights a week; I like Alpine (downhill) skiing better than Nordic, but Nordic gives you more of an aerobic workout; skiing technique is quite different between the two styles

Yum, Yum

If it is any kind of potential food, Riley will smell it out and track it down; he found part of deer leg in woods on one of our trips; here he is enjoying his find; you would think that I never fed him!

Riley in Winter Wonderland

Riley will go exploring wherever we go; whenever I go snow shoeing most anywhere, Riley can be off leash and have a ball; if I go four miles, he will probably go about six miles; he has become mascot of RV park, everybody loves him

Snow Angel

Riley is saying "Help, my human buddy has fallen and can't get up"; I was making snow angel while snow shoeing at Stillwater Cross Country Ski Trails, just outside Whitefish; soon after this, I had Riley groomed, to shorten his fur; he was getting ice balls in his fur on these outings; after that, he was fine, has never seemed to be bothered by snow, ice or cold at all -- in fact, seems to love it all

Winter Begins in Whitefish

Snow falling on my truck and RV at my RV site; one of first things I had to do upon arriving in MT, was to get prepared to winterize my home before winter hit; my friend and good neighbor, Bob Lund, got me through it; main thing was wrapping water supply hose with heat tape and insulation, to prevent freezing; after a few frozen hoses, figured it out and was fine; getting 250 gallon propane tank delivered to me was next; my two furnaces run off propane to heat interior, so that was certainly important; I keep my interior temp at about 60 degrees and believe it or not, that is quite comfortable; use small electric heater and big blanket at night

Skiers Sign

Common sign at top of ski lifts; "unloading" involves getting ready to exit ski lift chair when you get to top of ski slope; ski tips up, ready to push away from chair at right moment, keeping your balance, getting your ski poles out of way, making sure no loose clothing gets caught in chair; perfect place for beginners, like me, to fall down and sometimes force lift operator to stop ski lift; I learned quickly, but before I did, I had one ride up where I fell out of chair right at beginning and then again at top! No damage, just little embarrasing

Snow Shoeing on Big Mountain

Tried to put little dog booties on Riley, they lasted about ten seconds, waste of time; this is my friend James (MT truck driver); snow shoeing is easier than I thought, although can be quite strenuous; we are hiking up on Big Mountain above Whitefish, where ski resort is located; we are snow shoeing on a cross country ski trail up there; snow shoers are asked to try to stay to outsides of ski trails, so as not to mess up the ski "grooves" used a lot by cross country skiers