Snowshoe 2

Saturday night we walked up to the village for dinner and drinks.  The snow machines were in full effect!  So was Christmas!
 
Sunrise the next morning.  More snow, but luckily roads and pathways were fine.

Last walk up to the village for coffee before heading home.

Frozen!!!

And continued snow making.
  
Less foggy this morning, so we could see across the mountains on the opposite side of the road.

Looking back at the village.

Fun snowy trip to the new house.  Looking forward to returning and spending more time here in february.  Might even take some ski lessons!

Snowshoe 1

Just a day after arriving home from warm/sunny NZ, Mom and I headed up to the new house in Snowshoe, West Virginia.  And snow!!

It was an interesting snow in that it froze onto all the branches, making the world seem like an ice palace.  And it was COLD!

The view of my house (middle one) from the back path, which leads up to the village.

Snow frozen trees.  Combination of natural snow and snow machines.
  
More winter wonderland.
 
Entrance to the neighborhood.
 
The lift closest to my house.  Powder Monkey I think!

Manhattan beach

After landing at LAX and getting to the hyatt place and a shower, I headed to Manhattan beach.  I got there 3:30pm, about an hour before sunset!  Very different from the 9:30pm sunset earlier this same Thursday.

According to my Uber driver I found the best beer spot.  Got tacos and good beer!

And then headed out for a fantastic sunset at the pier and along the beach!
  
I was in a sleeveless dress when the sun was up, but it got chilly quickly.
  
Panaroma while a cyclist went by, so you see just a piece of his back wheel in the shot below!
  
I walked up to the road and got some provisions at a bottle shop, before heading back to the hotel.

And now a compilation of my longest Thursday ever!

Last day

My last day in queenstown was a marathon Thursday. (As I would be staying in LA that night, I would get a full 45 hours of thursday). I started out with a run  along frankton. 

   

Another sunny day. After my run and a shower, I headed over to the beach to read my book and enjoy a beer. As I waited for nick to come by to get me after work, I fell asleep on the concrete wall along the beach. The sun was fantastic!   

Flying up to Auckland later that night, with a great view of mount Taranaki peaking thru the clouds. And then a sliver of the moon below. I would later land in LA in time to see a second sunrise! 

 

Fernhill loop 2

I came out of the trees onto a magnificent saddle with wonderful 360 degree views.  So I took a lot of pictures!

  
And Lake Wakatipu in the distance.
    
After continuing out in the open for a bit, the trail headed back into the woods.  The smell of pine was amazing.  It was like being inside a candle.

Stopped for chocolate and beer!

The trail comes out in a neighborhood, and the continues in the woods a little more along the road towards queenstown.
 

And coming back out near town.  Great walk!