Okunakayama Kogen Ski Resort

Derick had Monday off and I didnt have to go in until 2 so we went skiing for the morning! We went to Okunakayama Kogen Ski Resort! It is a smaller resort so half a day was a perfect time and the tickets were only 15 00 Yen or $15!! I also got a new filter for my camera... its a "circular polarizer" it makes sky bluer and enhances the colors outdoors... it also reduces reflections on surfaces like water or metal! As you can see the sky was pretty blue to start with... this is actually the first time I have seen blue sky while skiing! its normally snowing! You can also see the lift line... nonexistent... with one person on the slope! it was great we had the whole mountain to ourselves!"Watch your step! Slip! Slip! Slip!
On the top of the mountain
I kept trying to go down to take a picture with him but he kept scooting further and further away... arg
hmmm... that is a funny shaped cliff
They had a slalom course set up and we all went down! super fun! here is Derick going down!
Derick decided he wanted to try snowboarding! Thank goodness he did, it provided some good laughs... he did better then anyone else I have seen on their first time though... I will put video on facebook!
A hard crash on Dericks part!
I think his brain got bounced around a few times!

Misawa Citizens Forestry Park

Well the Gee family decided to go snowshoeing at the Misawa Citizens Forestry Park. It really is right outside the base by north area... but you cant get out over there so you have to drive all the way to main base around the whole outside of the base and back to the north side to get there... lame... but it was pretty fun to snowshoe around! Here is a building on the way there... I really liked it. All the snow and its oldness and the power lines... i don't know I just really liked it.

Here we are at the park and Derick is picking up Kona and throwing her into snow drifts!
Once you kinda pat down an area its easy to walk but the first time through its like up to your knees
Kona LOVES snowballs

Aww... hes so cute! he hates having his picture taken!
OH NO! a GIANT snowball... KONA WAS FREAKING OUT!
and then she tried to eat it!
typical back of our car... we are always prepared to kick butt!

Misawa Beach in the Snow

Well I decided it would be really fun to see what the beach looked like all covered in snow! So I went... with my Kona! she is my adventure buddy! This is at sunset... I got off early one day so I just ran out to the beach! This is a little shinto shrine by the beach some sort of shack down by the beach!
the sky looked really cool! I love my new camera!
and here is the beach! I think it is so cool the white snow next to the black sand!

here is the adventure puppy!


and then back at the temple right before we left!

Let it snow!

In one night we got 13 inches of snow and more the next day! CRAZY TOWN!
This is in our backyard... I went out after and knocked all the snow off the trees so the branches wouldnt break!

We also got some insane icicles and when they fall it sounds and feels like a bomb going off.

Pile of snow by our neighbors car... that is as tall as the car...
Front of our house
Kona trying to find a spot to pee
and it kept snowing... Dericks car buried again... and then the plows come by and we have to dig our cars out again!
More crazy town icicles
Kona looking at her winter wonderland!

More Hakkoda-san

This trip to Hakkoda the ropeway was up and running but the winds were still pretty intense! But the POWDER WAS SO WORTH IT! I have never skied snow like this! We both have backpacks on becuase we have to bring extra warm cloths ... extra food... and snowshoes in case we get stuck in the backcountry!Here Derick accidentally skied down into a hole around a tree and then got stuck in the waist deep powder!All smiles after the first 7.5 km run! The trees were so covered in snow ... they are called snow monsters and are apperently only a few places in the world where you can ski with them. Later in the season the tops of the trees only come up a little past your head because Hakkoda gets so much snow!
This is the top of the Ropeway... the whole thing was encrusted in snowThe pink are the marked trails (and by marked I mean by a pole every 8 meters) the yellow are back country trails marked by a sign every like half km (I think) and the gray are completly unmarked trails and the red x's are danger zones... and the black line around the outside in a circle is a road the encircles the mountain and so no matter where you come out you can get back to the lift!

Sea Glass Magnets

Problem: I was looking at my fridge thinking that I hate all these random magnents I have

Solution: I went to the hundred yen store spent about $1.20 on a package of super strong magnents, went home hot glued sea glass to them and BOOYAH looks great!

Sledding

Derick on our neighbors inflatable sledAnd going over a jump we built
It was pretty fun I must say
This sled was a little to small for me
oops...