Hot Rail

 Hot rail!  Canadian Northern rolls on by the Council Hill Station.

 Jimmy rolls on in.

 The rhythm nation 

No really, it's French.

Following in the tracks of a buck

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Friday afternoon mid February and cabin fever is hittin hard.  Finished up a cellular respiration lab with the kids and busted out to feed the cats at the farm.

Even though the afternoon temps barely reached 10 * I decided to take my yearly hike out the cedar point across the valley from Marts lodge.  With a solid snow cover I followed a set of buck tracks behind the upper garden.  With so many places to go it was interesting to follow and see just where the buck would travel, 

 This time of the year the does would travel, feed and bed down together.

 This guy would walk, eat, crap and bed down under the cedars and pines.

Looking for sheds is a numbers game.  How many deer and how many bucks in the area, how much time are you putting in walking and looking.  With the snow cover you start to get an idea of how many deer are in the area and you start to see the patterns of movement. 

Sometimes you find a shed or a dead deer and other times something else finds it.

ICE ICE BABY

 First we had the snow and the bitter cold.

Then came the ice and more days off school.

 I bundled up and strapped on the yak tracks and hiked to look for sheds.  I found beds.

The .25" icy glaze made for some super fast sledding runs down to the yurt. 

This is a close up of Jacob's extra wide, custom ride.

Polar Vortex

 Historic all time low temps here in Iowa.

 No school for day and days which is pushing the end of the second semester to the start of June.

Jace and I made the best of the day.

 we ventured out to Mart's to feed the cats.

 We heated up the shop.

for a little warm up before we ventured out into the tundra.

 keep it covered up

Back home Susie and I have been stokin the fire and playing some cribbage and eating some home cooking.

BRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Winter Ski Outing

 We're ready for whatever comes.

 Next storm I'll make sure to close the side vent on the bus.

The last two nights we've had two dozen deer hanging out feeding just over the fence. 

 6 to 12 inches all the way around the hay field.

 And plenty of sunshine.

 There's our destination just over our shoulders.

 Home sweet home.  Doesn't that look cozy?  

 Two ski outings in a day.

 More powder!

 Keeping things mellow.

 and toasty

 maybe too toasty.

Just another winter adventure.

Taste of Winter

 We don't mind the cold

 neither do we

 or this guy

This Dude is Starting the Year Out Right.

Fish on!  First fish by noon 1/1/19!

Two more to follow on the first

 And two more to follow on the 2nd.
 Four were 6 - 8 inches and the fifth fish of the year was 13 inch, all Browns.

They're not all whoppers but still fun.   :)