Frozen Flower Rescue Rangers

Q: What to do when the Durango forecast predicts 17°F for the early morning hours of April 18th?
A: Time to quickly save every early blooming Spring flower in the garden!

Luckily, we know someone trained in floral arrangement.

Ahh, Magnolias... our bush produced 8 flowers, four have opened and we had to cut them all. Last year we vowed to never have to bear witness to a frozen Magnolia flower ever again.

The meaning of a white Magnolia flower is purity and perfection.Who could disagree?

Other meanings for different colors are beauty, perseverance, nobility, dignity, sweetness and love.

Who could not agree??

Plus, Snow Drops with Polka Dots!

Fritallaria ‘Rubra’... it was worth cutting the only stem in the garden as it will not survive tonight's hard frost, but thankfully the bloom will last for a long time in a vase.

Legend has it that a young Jewish girl began to cry when she had no gift to offer Jesus upon his birth. As her tears fell to the earth, tiny flowers sprouted and were called Christmas Roses, also known as Hellebores. Much beloved among gardeners, the Hellebore heralds the coming of Spring, when most of the garden is dormant, by sending up flowers as early as January and continuing to bloom through late April.

Photos and Arrangement by Lisa Bourey

Ohh it's Phat Baby!!!

by Ned Overend

The Steamboat Springs snow bike race was a blast! I won the 50km event and got an extra prize for beating all the skiers. Last year the skiers had the overall fastest time, but this year the snow conditions favored the cyclists.

The course was a tough one - up on Rabbit Ears Pass at between 9,500 and 10,000 feet altitude, with 2500 feet of climbing and 15-20 mph winds. My Strava GPS showed top speeds of just over 40 mph on the downhills and with some turns at the bottom and low knobs on my 4.7 "Big Fat Larry" tires, the bike was drifting and it got a little sketchy.

http://app.strava.com/activities/46581825

The course was soft on Friday during my pre-ride, but by Saturday morning it was frozen solid, then got softer and rougher as the skiers and cyclists wore it down. For sure, having a fast rolling tread was an advantage. Some of the fastest guys out there were on conventional 29er's with 2.3 tires, but they had to hold back on the descents. The 3.8 BFL's that some racers had were probably the ideal tire for that course. Choosing the right tire width and air pressure is the most important factor in snow bike racing.This sport is blowing up! Especially in the midwest, where they have some events with 200-300 riders competing. Its going to be interesting to see how the equipment evolves over the next few seasons.