I took this picture of a snowy divide in my front yard last winter. Snow mutes colors and I decided to accentuate that by showing this image in black and white.
Though it may be a while before I get much snow at my house, snow is beginning to accumulate at higher elevations. In Bend, there’s a snowy divide based on elevation. I live at an elevation of 3,400 ft.
My home is in an ecoregion with low precipitation. Precipitation last year totaled 5 inches. Sagebrush and western junipers are the dominant plants where I live. When I drive about 15 minutes to the west, the elevation increases. Pine trees become the dominant plants. As you travel farther to the west, you approach the Cascade mountain range. Snowfall amounts increase dramatically.
Here’s the view from one of the live weather webcams at Mount Bachelor Ski Resort, 40 minutes from my house. The base elevation is 5,700 ft and the top elevation is 9,065 ft. The average snowfall per year is 410 inches. Yeah, that’s a lot!
As I watched the webcams of snow accumulating on Mount Bachelor, I was reminded of a famous quote: “Winter is coming.”
That IS a lot of snow! It’s pretty but I’d rather not see any here in London this winter, we don’t handle it well 🙁
Yes, it is, Sarah! I understand why you wouldn’t want a lot where you live. It’s pretty, but driving can be a challenge. ❄️
It won’t be long before we start getting hints of the white stuff (fingers crossed)..which also means we’ll be getting ready to head south ha.
When I first posted this, there were only a few inches of snow at Mount Bachelor. Now, there is more than two feet. Winter is on it’s way!