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Thursday, January 27, 2000 Page: 10
Old Man Winter finally showed his power in the area this week. The powerful
storm – a surprise to everyone, including weather forecasters – dumped
anywhere between 5-10 inches on Tuesday, forcing many schools to close on
Tuesday and Wednesday – including Dallas, Lake-Lehman and Gate of Heaven.
The flakes fell so heavily that the Back Mountain area resembled a glass
snow globe – you know, those cute little decorations you shake to create a
winter scene.
Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township is always a popular spot
for the outdoor sports enthusiasts. The lake is home to several species of
game fish to challenge ice anglers, and it’s big enough for skaters to zip
across the ice, play a game of hockey or practice their latest figures.
Several miles of trails beckon cross-country skiers, who can sometimes
glide up so close to a deer that it snorts in their faces.
Others know the best hills for sledding, tobogganing and snow tubing –
everything from a “baby slope” to the true kamikaze hill favored by the more
adventurous types. The snow can transform even adults into big kids just
itching to take a downhill run and catch snowflakes in their teeth.
And there’s always space to walk – alone, with friends or with the family
dog, who would rather roll around in the drifts than pace sedately alongside
his person.
But you don’t have to leave your yard to catch some winter fun. A heavy,
wet snow makes the best snowballs for that epic battle the kids stayed up all
night planning. It’s also the best kind to make a snowman.
Snow sculpture seems to bring out people’s creativity in everything from
the traditional Frosty to some rather offbeat copies of classical Greek or
Roman models originally done in marble – or a whimsical dinosaur. Or you can
burrow into a huge snow pile and make a neat, if not authentic, igloo.