Dwight Peck's personal website

Petites Chaumilles in sunlight

Fantastic new snow at the first of December, and we're going out to roll around in it.


You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

We seize the Swiss sunlight when we can

We're starting out bursting with enthusiasm, 4 December 2010, headed now for the farm of Meylande-Dessus at 1321m off the road between the Col de Marchairuz and the town of Le Brassus in the Vallée du Joux.

A skier's been out before us, but otherwise we've got the place to ourselves. Mont Tendre is peeking over in the background, and it's wonderfully sunny, and really really cold.

It's cold, but cold by Jura, not Canadian, standards -- that is, like, you should put your gloves on.

A beautiful Jura farm in the snow. All Jura farms are beautiful in the snow.

We're circumambulating the building for views of all sides of it.

And then we're striking off to the northeast towards Petite Chaumilles.

Meylande-Dessus as we take our leave

Our next farm destination is at about 1400m so we'll need to walk up the hill a bit.

However flat some parts of our route, the new powder feels to some of us like uphill all the way.

The farm of Petites Chaumilles

A Lumix-zoom view of Mont Tendre stretching its slow length along, with the summit pylon at the far end

Far below us, Pré de Denens at 1367m, on the Marchairuz to Mollendruz crosscountry ski trail.

Petites Chaumilles

The same.

Late afternoon in the Jura

Now we're going up on the hill behind, at 1430m, for some aerial shots.

Up we go.

A glance back down at Petites Chaumilles, with the Grand Cunay on the ridgeline.

A Lumix-zoom of La Dôle in the distance.

We've been following a convenient track, but now we'd better go down to the left into the forest.

Judging by the sun, this is the right general direction.

Dieter has been waiting patiently all afternoon, and didn't even freeze up his doorlocks on us this time.


The farm of Meylande-Dessus the next day -- all changed, changed utterly. A terrible beauty in the forest today.


Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 28 December 2010.


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