December 22, 2017: Second Ski is a Solo Ski

This is a view of Ponte's Park, which the Park District is converting to its natural prairie grass state (they used to mow the grass here). I took this photo because I like how the grasses look in the winter light. 

We got more snow--just a touch, but it came straight down without blowing around, so I was eager to get out to ski again today. In the afternoon, the clouds cleared and the sun came out, so I got my ski clothes on, laying Enrico's out on the bed, in case he was looking for them later.

I decided NOT to take Noko today. I wanted to be able to ski without stopping to really get a sense for what kind of shape I'm in this season. Also, I wanted to break a good, straight trail, which is hard when strapped to a wandering dog.

Something new this year--usually I am the only person out skiing when we first get snow and before the trails are set by Fargo Parks, but I saw five people skiing on my outing! I think skiing is becoming more popular here in Fargo-Moorhead. That is great to see.

I set a trail away from the main trail, with lots of curves and going up the dike when possible to add some length and elevation to an otherwise short, flat ski. I also discovered that I am not in very good shape this year. I think the last few weeks of the semester, which were so busy and stressful as well as illness-ridden, did me in. I gave up my weight-lifting routine and all cardio except walking the dog. Now my legs ached and my throat burned from having to breathe in much more cold air than I should because of being in bad shape. However, it was just beautiful outside and there is nothing to do but improve.

In doing some searching on Fargo Parks, I discovered this section of the trail actually has a name, Burdick Park. I noticed that more  of the remaining homeowners (others were bought out after the flood in the spring of 2004) now have "Private Property" signs marking the edge of their property on the low land by the river, so my ski trail has to meander around those property lines. The people who still have homes on this stretch of river are the ones who fought the city and refused to be bought out for flood control, so they probably feel strongly about protecting their property, but from what?
 

After skiing in a little loop around Burdick Park, I headed north again and continued all the way to the dog park before heading home. It was a longer ski than yesterday, but not even what I would call a minimal length ski, and my heart rate was pretty high the whole time. It is going to be quite the challenge to get in shape! But I'm not just here for the workout--I'm also out to enjoy the beautiful light, and the sun was on the downwards arc, which made for some really beautiful scenes. Here is the sun peaking between two trees:

I also like to see the patterns of the snow, and here is a new one to me:

After skiing, I showered and then started making cookies with my son, Alex, who is home from college at Wesleyan. We picked up gallons of milk from the store and brought the cookies over to the  Fargo South pool for the swimmers to have after their workout.