For the B&B (Bill and Baxter) birthday party we packed up our cross country skis for the final ski trip of the season.
Homestake Lodge is a relatively newly-developed, off-the-grid, cross-country ski area just a few minutes east of Butte. The ski conditions were fair to poor, due to a long stretch of 50 degree plus days, but the trails look like they have great potential when the snow's good; they're narrow and winding. And best of all, we were able to take our dogs on the trails! Lodging (cabin or yurt) is dog-friendly as well. And up at the main lodge, there is hot soup and fresh baked bread available for lunch.
The owners, Chris and Mandy, are a couple from Maine who designed and built the trails and the lodge from the ground up. Chris was kind enough to give us a tour of his energy set up and solar hot water collectors; he had some good suggestions for when we put in our own. Tip: make the water collection tank as big as you can and place it near the panels for optimum heat conservation.
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| Bax, 12 today!, and Stew having a good day on the trails. |
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| Bill water skiing across a melted portion of trail. |
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| Both just happy to be part of the team. |
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| Overlooking some of the trail system. |
