Cowboy Up!

If you can't have fresh powder sunshine will do. Cowboy Mountain beckoned us from the parking lot upon arrival at Stevens Pass on Saturday morning. I had caught the 6:25 a.m. Kingston ferry with my family as per usual for a ski day. We were all looking forward to warm weather and sunny skies on the slopes. I knew Elisa was going through similar motions on her way to Mission Ridge. Mission Ridge offers some first rate child care for mom's and dad's with little ones, making for a fun and relaxing day for the whole family. Me, I'm just trying to stay ahead of mine, as this year they are hot on my heels everytime I turn around. I'm loving it!

We managed around 15,000 vertical feet with a leisurely lunch outside the center lodge. The lines were short and the snow was fast. While we munched our sandwiches the good people of the NW Avalanche Center were busy selling "Cowboy Up!" t-shirts as a fundraiser for the Avalanche Rescue Dog program. The dogs were out and about and could be seen with their trainers all over the mountain. Some new pups are on the team this year too. The T-shirts sported a picture of all the dogs on a chair lift together.....hard to resist! Leah Weissman of The Whatcom Independent penned an interesting article regarding that subject entitled "Dogs of Winter" if you are interested in knowing more about that program.

The 360 degree view from the ferry on the way home really capped off our trip. Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Mountains, the Seattle skyline, and Whidbey Island beckoning toward the San Juans were all clearly visible. Cameras were clicking all over the place, including mine. We made several laps of the ferry, upstairs and down, just trying to take it all in before disembarking the vessel in Kingston. All in all, it was another great day in the Pacific Northwest.

-Michelle