I was scanning the site and discovered that Halloween brought the annual ritual closing of Independence Pass--a sure sign that winter is bearing down on us fast. Uh, that is, it's bearing down on you folks out in Colorado really fast. It's more of a meander here in medium-upstate New York.
Don't get me started on what region of New York constitutes "upstate," either. I've only been here a few years and multi-generation families of New Yorkers often can't even agree on precisely what geographic boundaries enclose "upstate." Most important to know for you who are not from here is that it's a highly relative term. If you're in Manhattan, Poughkeepsie is upstate to you. If you're in Rochester, Poughkeepsie is downstate to you. Never mind, Grand Junction folks, it's a New York thing. Be glad you don't have to sort it out.
Anyway, when the pass closes, you know that the serious snow has already arrived. Just a matter of time until it really starts dumping on Glenwood and Rifle and taking potshots at Junction.
Here in New York, we have our harbingers of winter, too. For starters, every teeny little town in the Adirondacks--and some big, old, and famous ones--start ginning up for the winter carnival season. The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival dates back to the 1800s with an Ice Palace that is a wonder to behold, an engineering & construction marvel. Winter carnival is practically a religion up there--you know, upstate of us here in the Capital Region. (Never mind, we have a Tulip Festival in Albany in the Spring where we burn a giant tulip, so there!)
When I lived in Silt for a couple of years, I was privileged to see a large herd of elk migrate across our property--always started on the last day of November or the first day of December and lasted for about a week. The weird conversations between mothers and calves reminded me of whale song. I miss that. But the elk moved out when the gas drilling rigs moved in. So maybe it's better that we left when the elk did.
The migration that signals winter out here in the East includes lots of skiers heading for Vermont and the mountains of the Adirondacks. I think they come from that big city downstate of here and pass through our region on the way to the lumpier land. Oh, and Grand Junction folks--here's something about that "little" wilderness area up here--the Adirondack Park--that you may not know--while it's not a National Park, it is bigger than Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, & the Great Smokies National Parks put together. You can see the potential in that for lots & lots of winter carnivals!
Y'all be careful out there on those passes that are still open, now! We'll trade you the Holland Tunnel for the Eisenhower Tunnel--how's that for a "new deal?!" Wanna guess which one's more dangerous in the winter?
Here's the Jude Hayes quote for the day:
As I came to the end of the mail sorting, my attention wandered around the office. The various travel posters of Alaska, Down East Maine, and the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains that I’d rescued when the travel store down the street closed reminded me that I still hoped to take one more motorcycle trip before the cold weather set in.
The coffer for “entertainment expenses” being a little low at the moment, I’d hoped for one solidly paying client to provide for my fall sojourn. Winters in far western Colorado produce little measurable snow due to our semi-arid climate, but venturing across the mountain passes is generally chancy after September. One must traverse a pass to go any distance at all from our Grand Valley, the fruit-growing region which contains the city of Grand Junction.--Remover of Obstacles
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