Southwest Colorado's First Snowfall
The first snowfall of winter always takes you by surprise no matter how long you have lived in the mountains. I think it is probably a case of denial. You don’t want summer to end so you just refuse to admit that winter is coming.
It is always beautiful and you really enjoy the first fire in the fireplace. You only wish you didn’t need it. The Aspens are still gold at the lower altitudes and the white snow only accentuates the light shades of green and the golden shimmering leaves. The snow capped mountains behind the deep blue fall color of Lake San Cristobal is the most beautiful time of year for the lake.
It is also the time of year to be most careful when driving. The warm roads melt the snow and the sudden drop in temperature can cause “Black Ice” on the roads. This is a situation where clear ice form on the road and many people do not realize the dangerous conditions.
All of a sudden you realize many of the things you intended to do before the first snow are still undone. The fire wood is not all in, the hoses are not drained and are still in the yard. The timers for the watering system have not been removed. The vehicles you intended to cover have not been covered. The one remaining Hummingbird feeder that you left out for the sick and injured birds is still hanging. In our case much of the haying equipment at the ranch still needs to be cleaned from the late haying season. The ATVs need to be put away for the winter.
The first snowfall of the season is usually Mother Natures way of telling you, ”GET IT DONE”. If you are lucky the weather will warm for a week or two after the first snow and give you the opportunity to do all those things you should have already done.
We have lived in Lake City for 36 years and somehow it always happens. Thank goodness Mother Nature’s first snowfall has in most cases given me the opportunity to “GET IT DONE”.