Big Sky 2020

Our Christmas ski trip was to Montana - Big Sky - this year. This is our third trip there, every other year since 2016, and we stayee in the same cottage we stayed in for our first trip there in 2016! 

MJ and the boys drove to Bozeman on Tuesday, making it all the way (10 hours) in time for dinner Tuesday night (at Backcountry Burgers in downtown Bozeman). John had flown there on Monday to continue working for a couple of days. 

On Wednesday morning we drove up to Big Sky and the boys skied off. We checked into the house that afternoon and got seven days of skiing in - the snow coverage wasn't as good when we first got there, but it snowed on Saturday which filled things in a bunch. Still, the tram to Lone Peak wasn't open, the boys stayed busy mostly on Powder Seeker and Challenger. John did most of the runs off Ramcharger (lines for a eight-person lift move much faster!) and Elk Park Ridge off Thunder Wolf. Mary Jo skied two days, mostly off Southern Comfort and Swiftcurrent. Joseph and Mary Jo also snowshoed one day. 

Everyone skiing was wearing masks and we cooked at home almost every meal, just one dinner out on Christmas night and a takeout another night. Our nights were spent playing shuffleboard (twice) and poker (twice - Mary Jo the big winner both times). 

We wound up leaving a little early so we could drive home ahead of a big storm coming across Washington, and all made it home safely to close out 2020!

Christmas 2020

Christmas fell on December 20 this year in the Rodgers household, as we opened presents on the Sunday before we headed to Big Sky. 

Big presents this year included ski gear for all (new skis for Joseph, boots for Jack, and gloves/backpack for Henry), books and assorted other things for John (air pump for bike, compact car vac), and a new large puzzle holder and bike helmet for MJ. 

The cats also got a new tunnel that attaches to their old one plus a automatic laser pointer.

Board games this year were so-so. Unstable Unicorns and Wits and Wagers.

Bluebird Day at Crystal

The 2020 ski season is one like none previous, with lots of Covid restrictions including required reservations at many resorts, masks worn by all, social distancing on lifts, and no indoor eating/seating. Regardless, Jack has made it skiing six times already by the end of November (three times in Colorado at A-Basin, three times in his first eight days home), with Joseph going twice, and Henry and Dad going once. 

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, just John and Jack went up to Crystal for the day, and it was a gorgeous clear day, with a great view of Rainier from the top and mountains all around.

2020 Christmas Tree

We went to Carnation for the 10th time (of our 11 Christamases in Seattle). The tree farm has certainly thinned out quite a bit through the years, and we had a hard time picking a tree out. But we did, Henry cut it down, and Joseph and John carried it to the car. We decorated it two night later - Henry put the star on top, though any of the boys are tall enough for that now!

Thanksgiving 2020!

With everyone home, we celebrated a traditional Rodgers family Thanksgiving. While the Turkey Trot was canceled this year, we did play Rodgers Bowl XIII (Joseph and Henry dominate to a 28-14 victory). We planned dinner based on the turkey being done at 4:45pm - and the timer popped at exactly 4:45! Even Wilson looked forward to his meal all day!

Cats in Boxes

With lots of online shopping in the Rodgers household, the cats continue to find safe, secure places to hang out!

Redwood National Park

On the drive back from Palo Alto for Thanksgiving, John and Joseph stopped at Redwood National Park. They did the Tall Trees Grove hike, which required a permit in advance from the park, and included a 6-mile drive on a gravel road and a relatively short hike down to a riverbank where four of the tallest trees in the world are located. A very neat hike! From there we drove to Stout Grove and saw some more trees, once again driving on a narrow road to get to the trailhead. We wrapped up the day on the beach to watch the sunset. It was a nice respite from the drive home - after the park we drove for a few hours, had In-N-Out for dinner, and stayed in Oregon, before finishing the final six hours of the drive the following morning.

Stanford

John flew down to California in late November to help Joseph drive home for Thanksgiving. He stayed over one night in Palo Alto, and got a chance to walk around the Stanford campus and see Joseph's apartment.

Fall Mountain Biking

On a cloudy weekend, Henry and John went down to Black Diamond and did a few runs across from where we usually bike. I was a lot of narrow, windy trails through a forest, and included on trail, called "Log Bridge" which led to ... a fairly narrow log bridge. We didn't bike across that part!

Mount Catherine

 On a sunny, clear, crisp (a bit chilly in the mountains) day in November, John & Henry hiked up Mount Catherine, a peak in the Snoqualmie Pass area just past Hyak / the Summit East ski area. 

It was a short 1.5 mile hike to the top, though fairly steep. There was snow on the trail from the start, and it was a beautiful walk as well as view.