Lots Going On in the Sky

Day 7 Snowboarding 2011 Season
I wondered and doubted if I should go snowboarding today. I had reason of the upcoming storm and windy day forecast etc… It’s been so long, too long, at least it seemed so. So, I found myself afraid somehow of something, the unknown, anxiety running a mock. I was obstructing myself.

I got up at 4am and it took me an hour to dress, eat noodles, pack rice, put on contact lenses, fill canteens with hot tea and roll off. I set off at 5am, the sunrise near Dixon outside Davis was amazing, with colors full of pink breaking out of dawn at 6am, casting against itself against the cool grey blues of the cold winter night clouds, creating a blend of dusty purple, lavender color, feathered across the sky. So amazing! This alone was worthy of getting up for. This alone was worth the drive. I was looking at sunrise and not paying attention to the road. It’s going to be a good day I told myself.

The first part of the drive is always hard somehow, the first 3rd section of the drive I call it. The drive to the bridge toll is the first, then the 2nd part is what I call the zombie flat lands of Sacramento, the last part is the narrow turns of icy chain control Echo Summit.

I pulled in at the parking lot at 9:30am, ate sushi to fuel for the day. I packed a blueberry muffin for lunch, I baked it at 4:30am this morning. I finally made it up the tram at 10:30am. The ground was icy and crunchy, not slushy. It’s good for snowboard. Right away, my body showed me the skills I have been working on was not lost, I was in better control than before. I can do the large “S”.


However I felt an overall fatigue and weakness in the body. I can’t get onto the feel from the ground position. I had to do the belly up toe instead. The hip muscles need to be retrained and somehow my gut grew wider. The left side is injured and still in pain. The right is weak and has been for past 5 years. My legs were soft and wobbly, weak. I had to stop every few yards to just let my legs rest. I told myself, this is a warm up of getting back into swing of things. I headed down Patsy run. I did not get onto the Powder Bowl lift until 11am. One of my favorite places to look at the lake is from Mombo slope. It was warm in the parking lot but cool up in the mountain.


I felt a wonderful healing of grounding and release. How do I do this? I missed Heavenly. I missed this feeling, this quiet peace, serenity of the mountains. My mind was quiet. I felt so good, I stopped to listen to the wind and the trees. How could I have missed out on coming here with all the internal talk downs? I wondered what I would do when the snow melts. I just want to continue this quiet mind all the time. How do I do that?

I felt sadness. I felt connected to sadness. I realized that there is a part of me who cries silently without tears. Enough Already! Time lost in crying and sadness would leave no room for other things!

My body felt like it had a spa treatment. I felt so good. I was tired and I ended at 1:30pm and headed down the tram.

I ate in the car, canned beets along with the rest of the nori. It was a 30 minute break and I rolled off for home at 3pm. Everything took longer than I thought today but still made good time somehow.

In the mountain the first 10 miles up towards Echo summit I went sleepy behind the wheel. It was super dangerous. I snapped out of it somehow many miles later. I am glad to be alive. Traffic was slow in Sacramento area all the way into Fairfax going 25mph. I really wanted to get home to watch the Grammys.

The sky was so amazing with beautiful sunset colors at 5pm. I saw interesting cloud formations. I saw a dog like figure and noticed it was more like a “Chi Ling”. I also saw dragons and phoenix. There were colored lights to the left and right of the sun in the clouds. It was a special kind of red orange blue green and purple coming through behind the clouds in front of the sun both to the right and left of the sun.

I was excited and pulled out the camera to snap photos of this while I was driving in traffic. I was so not paying attention to the road or traffic, good thing we were all going 25mph. I was swinging to the left and right of the lane, totally dangerous.

Well, lots of excitement in the Heaven overlooking Yolo County this afternoon evening. If I had not taken the drive to snowboard today, I would have missed this amazing scene of events. Traffic loosened up in Vacaville and at this time I was between the sun and the clouds.

I can see all the clouds lined up beautifully facing the west where the sunset is, like a ceremony. No I did not photograph this. I decided I can’t drive in traffic and photograph and watch the road the same time.