The weather forecast said we’d get 12 – 18″ every day for 3 days. I’m not sure who got our snow, but we didn’t.
We got maybe 7″ over the 3 days.
We drove up Lake Mary Road having heard that Flagstaff got 18″+ just on the first day. It seems we found our snow. The snow as we neared Flagstaff grew heavier each mile with large drifts and snow piled high.
We were happy to find it… and the herd of elk wandering through.
When we went out to take photos after a recent snowstorm, I couldn’t help but think of our forests weighed down by wet heavy snow, as ‘Grinch trees’. You know, the Dr. Seuss animated classic with white cascading trees.
As we pulled off the road, fearful of getting stuck in deep snow drifts, we reveled in the blue sky the morning after our heavy snowfall. By afternoon, as the sun came out, the snow was gone, much to the relief of the burdened trees.
For more photos from our recent storm and it’s inhabitants that enjoy it, check out my post here… https://kritterspix.com/2023/01/03/let-there-be-snow/
Kids love snow. There is something just fun and adventurous about sliding down slopes, making snowmen, and snowball fights.
I know our pup, Trek, enjoyed her first snow.
So animals aren’t any different. Particularly the baby animals. They are just as nuts for it.
We’ve seen baby deer, elk, and now big horn sheep go crazy for the snow. We were fortunate enough to be able to watch this amazing herd playing in the snow.
We felt very privileged to witness their fun. You can literally see the joy on their faces.
If you enjoyed these photos, you can see more of this ‘shoot’ here.. https://kritterspix.com/2022/12/15/practice-makes-better/
We didn’t get much, maybe 6″, but we got snow! We’ll take all we can get. Bring it on.
With it often comes our animals. In this case, we got deer, elk, and a flock of mountain blue birds.
I certainly hope this isn’t the last we see of the animals… or the snow.
We were projected to get 1/2″ of snow, so weren’t we surprised when we got over 8″ of snow?
It came down in large soft flakes, covering the trees and the landscape. It was absolutely beautiful.
We were fortunate enough to get animals during… and after the snowfall.
Which we tried to take great advantage of.
It was amazing how quickly the snow came in… and how fast it was gone. Spring is coming and our snow season may be on the way out.
I’d be happy for a few more snow storms before Spring enters the foray. There is something surprisingly peaceful and beautiful about the fresh fallen snow. If we are to endure the cold… give me snow!
We had been promised snow on multiple occasions. They said we’d get 1 – 3 inches during the day, and 4 – 6″ that evening. Not to be that day, or the next, or the one after that.
I never thought I’d say it, but I’ve come to like the snow. It blows in all sorts of things, like this beautiful cooper’s hawk.
Or this little falcon….
As we feel the storm coming, the clouds and winds roll in, but the promise doesn’t come… our friends in South Carolina are soaking up the sun in shorts & tee-shirts on the beach. (This just after coming back from freezing on the West Coast, enduring incessant rains and cold temperatures on the California beach.)
We finally got our snow, about 6″. It was here and then gone. But with it, we got our animals.
We took the opportunity to go out and find them, and were rewarded with some nice shots of elk in the snow.
And big horn sheep
In the course of a week since we got back from CA, we saw deer, elk, ram, and even a coyote.
Gotta love where we live!
See more snow / animal pix here …
I never realized the trouble our animals had trudging through thick snow. With the threat of predators, swift winds, and deep snow, animals hunker down during large snow falls.
I can only imagine them running in heavy snow, with unknown ground coverage, rocks, and trees beneath their feet.
It made me happy for what we have, and not have to fend for ourselves or our food. It can be a harsh world out there, so take the time to practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.
See my other posts, here… https://kritterspix.com/2021/01/29/a-world-of-friends/ and here… https://kritterspix.com/2021/01/27/we-got-snow/.
Ok. That may be pushing it a bit. But we got 2″ in an hour along the Mogollon Rim. It was a virtual blizzard for a short time.
Which was a big surprise to us considering we just got back from 3 nights camping at Alstrom Point waiting for a single cloud! (See post here.. https://kritterspix.com/2020/12/12/alstrom-point/)
It was quite the winter wonderland, and made for a great way to kick off the holiday season. We loved it!
Yep! First snow of the season, measurable snow anyway. It was only 2 -3″, but it coated the trees and left it’s impression.
There is something about new snow as it clings to the trees with all it’s white beauty.
It’s a beautiful sight to behold One which has been an acquired taste for me, as I always hated snow – too cold!
But I have come to appreciate it for it’s beauty. Living in the mountains we aren’t faced with the same dirty snow as big cities have as it piles up along the roads, mixed with cinder and asphalt. Our’s is pristine and wild.
Our snow is here… and gone. It doesn’t last long. So we enjoy it for whatever time we have it.
And if we’re lucky, we brave the winter elements and get out and take pix… as we did for this brief snow storm.
We were the only one’s on the road, and we felt like we were in our own world as we drove through the abandon forest roads in this magical winter wonderland, with all it’s peacefulness and untarnished spirit. It was a thing of beauty.
We set a record for snow this week! Single day snow of 35″. That brings our estimated total this year (since Jan 1) to 90″! We are LOVING it. Particularly, after our recent fire, we can sure use the precipitation. Wooohoo.
It snowed an inch an hour for from 8am Thurs to 8am Fri.. and then some. It was a sight to see… and very happy we were here to see it.
Snowy faces all around!
Check out more pix here….. https://kritterspix.com/2019/02/23/snow-elk/
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