Ski nirvana

Just got back from a two day ski trip. Went to A-Basin Thursday then Breck Friday. A-Basin was fantastic. Great weather and no crowds. We skied our asses off. The Montezuma Bowl is pretty cool. Hiked to some EX terrain and had a tough go down some steep shit. Then I had the great idea to take a traverse across a wall to get some fresh powder. It took a month off our lives. What a treck. Other runs were right on. I calculated we made about 16,000 vertical for the day. Not too bad!
Drove to Breck and went to - where else - the Welcome Center. Scored a two room condo right on the Four O'Clock run. Had a loft with four more beds. Full kitchen, etc. Really sweet deal - I'll add pics later. Went out for dinner to Mi Casa (thanks Sharona) and had the nut / chile crusted trout. One of the best meals I've had in a while. Out for a few cold ones then back to the condo to crash. Pulled out the sleeper in front of the fireplace and kept the radio on. KSMT "The Mountain" is one of the BEST radio stations I've ever heard.
Skied some great runs today. It was so warm that it felt like spring. Skied right to the back of the condo and took the long way back to Denver.
Calling for 70 tomorrow so we're looking to play golf in the late am.
Good times!!

Update

Well, let me tell you about that damn Seneca Cleansing Fast. WTF was I thinking? 4 days of fasting and what do I have to show for it? No energy, lethargic, dizzy and mentally "checked out" (not unlike my last job ;)
Note to self - under no circumstances will I ever drink 4 cups of broth on an empty stomach. How can I say this......it's a recipe for a major purge. Solid food has never tasted so good!
Had lunch at Wahoo Fish Taco today. On the patio. Short sleeve shirt. Blue sky and sunny.
Headed to Breck to ski Thurs & Fri. Maybe Saturday.
Oh yeah - scored an apartment on Cheesman Park......looks like I'm gonna be here for a while....

Garden of the Gods

Made it to the driving range yesterday - sunny and 50 something. Hit the ball cart with my last ball at about 220 yards - SCORE!!!
Another great day on tap today so Ray & I drove to Colorado Springs to hike the Garden of the Gods. Very cool place and we took a nice hour long hike. First pic of me is in front of the Garden with Pike's Peak in the background. I'll hit that another day. Pic of Ray has the NORAD complex in the background.
Then drove to Manitou Springs to get some spring water to quench our thirst. By the way, we started a 4 day Seneca Indian Spring cleansing diet today. Fruits only today, herbal tea tomorrow, veggies Sunday and broth Monday. I'll let you know how that goes. I'm starving right now and it's 7 pm on day 1.
More great weather on tap this weekend - high's near 60 on Sunday. Planning on hitting the slopes again next week. Tues - Thurs?? We'll see.

Winter Park & Breck

Been out of town for a few days. My friend Elliot came in from Columbus for a few days of fun on the slopes. We stayed with friends in Winter Park and skied for 2 days. Their cabin was nice and cozy. Made it to the Hot Sulfur Springs in Gramby. Then off to Breck where we had another cabin for two nights. Sweet - had a great time. Some of it I will share....and some I won't ;)
Pics are Ray with the Continental Divide as the backdrop, Elliot regrouping after a few days of hitting the slopes, Elliot & I at the peak of Summit 7then Elliot & I enjoying a hearty lunch after a morning of following a group of kids. Next time you see Elliot, ask him about Mary Jane (the 1st run the kids took us on that morning).

Breck rocks

I decided to head to Breckenridge Wednesday to ski. Figured I would drive out, ski and drive back. After a great day on the slopes I walked around the town and stopped by the Visitors Center. I saw a sign informing me that they could make hotel reservations. What the hell, I thought - let's check it out. I asked what the best deal was. $89 for a room at the Village at Breckenridge. Book in Danno - that's what I call a "no-brainer". SCORE!! Two queen beds, plasma TV, hot tubs, pub. Hit the pub and they had a comedy show. Good times. I did realize that few 20 something women are interested in older men :( Hilarious. Skied my ass off again Thursday (booked a full day lesson and only one other person in the class - a 14 year old boy from England). Jennifer was the instructor and she killed it. I decided to swing by the Welcome Center to see if I could call to get a room (no - you have to go in person. They have an arangement with many hotels for "last minute deals" and they scored again! Got a room at the Breckenridge Mountain Lodge right on Main Street. SCORE!! Hit the town - dinner and wine at Fatty's Pizza (met some cool locals) then stopped by a few other bars to check out the scene. Good times....
During the lesson I saw a sign on one of the restaurants (Vista Haus) for $5 breakfast burrito and a coffee. Couldn't get it out of my head. Got up this morning and hit the continental breakfast for a starter then walked (yep - walked!) to the lift. Made it to the Vista Haus and ordered the $5 special. Grabbed a drink and a table. Found a table next to the window with a view of the Continental Divide (what a view - stunning!) and dug ito the burrito. God was it terrible. Worse than McDonalds (not the McSkillet Burrito though - they rock). That was the worst part of my day ;) The weather was fantastic - blue skies, sunny and warm. The snow was great and just a little crowded.

Just another day

Let's see. Got up around 8 and read the Dispatch online. Made a cup of tea. Did 30 minutes of Yoga. Drove to Pep Boys and picked up my hatch lifts (car parts for my hatch). Got gas and a car wash. Installed the hatch lifts (the old ones gave out in Taos when it was 16 below and the hatch wouldn't stay up - that damn thing is heavy!) and then made it to the grocery. Had lunch and read the paper. Almost time for a nap. I truly enjoy these days.

Yesterday was busy. Took a tour of the US Mint, made it to the Statehouse again and walked around the art museum (closed on Mondays - what the hell?). Visited the REI store downtown, walked around the River Park and looked at the Millenium Bridge and the condos. Had a wonderful dinner (thanks Sharona!) and ready for a rest.

Looks like I'm headed to Breckenridge by myself tomorrow. Get a day on the slopes without the weekend crowds.

More Colorado

Thought I'd take a few days to chill after the Utah trip. Got antsy after a few days so I found a room near Breckenridge on Priceline for Friday night. Only problem was a winter storm which shut down I-70 on Thursday evening. The plan was to ski Friday all day, spend the night then ski Saturday before returning to Denver. With the shutdaown of I-70 we were on to plan B. On Friday mid morning we drove to Red Rocks in Golden. Can't wait to catch a show there - got to stand on stage and play air guitar. The Dead played there 25 times. The natural acoustics are among the best in the world as far as natural ampitheaters go. Next up was a drive up to Lookout Mountain to see Buffalo Bills grave. We passed several people on road bikes making the ride up. It looked positively grueling. I'm in no shape for such a ride. Cool view of Golden from up top - I'm pointing to Coors Brewery, our next destination.
The tour of the brewery was pretty cool. Much better than what had ever been offered at the Columbus Anheiser Bush facility (although I had an opportunity to take a behind the scenes tour there a few years ago and the automation was fascinating).
While we were in the sampling room (the Blue Moon Seasonal was my favorite by far) Ray learned that I-70 had opened. Time to go get our gear and hit the road.
Breckenridge at night in the winter is spectacular. The epitomy of a ski town. Had dinner at Erics then a few pints at the Gold Pan. Back to the hotel to get some rest as we had an early morning. Decided to ski Keystone as Breck tends to get crowded on the weekend. Nice day on the slopes and we skied our asses off. No pics but let me tell you how happy I am to have that helmet.....

Back to Denver

Well, we never made it to Snowbird as both canyon roads were closed so we went back to Solitude. Had a great run down a chute with powder up to my waist. Beautiful! Anyone need six lift tickets to Snowbird? I can make you a great deal!

Drove back to Denver via I 70 - much prettier drive than I 80. Long day in the car. Speaking of the car, it is showing it's age these days. Windshield is cracked, more dings & dents, filthy and ran out of wiper fluid today. The hatch hydraulics are shot. Actually, it looks like shit. Time for some TLC.

Gonna rest for a few days and hit the slopes again this w/e.

Snowbird Ski Resort

Get this - we have passes to Snowbird today, but the canyon road is now closed. Something about 91" of snow in the past 7 days. Hopefully it'll open this morning and we can carve some fresh tracks.

Salt Lake City

So far we've been to Brighton, Alta and Solitude. Taking Sunday off to recover and sight see before we head to Snowbird tomorrow. I threw out the idea of attending the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehersal and show this morning and we were all glad we made it. The President of the Mormon Church passed away last Sunday and they dedicated today's service to him - first time in their 79 year history that they dedicated a performance to one individual. His family were in attendance. Overall a very touching experience. Then we toured Temple Square and took a tour. Interesting. Visited a Wal-Mart with a 2 story parking garage - oh the things I've seen on this trip.

Bought a ski helmet today at Solitude after a minor incident involving a chair lift the other day. Found some powder at Solitude down a double black in the back country and took a tumble at one point. I rolled down hill then into the snow. I think a boot was showing. Maybe 10 minutes to regroup and get back on my skis. Falling in powder is a blast - for about 10 seconds. Until you try and get up. When the snow is 6+ feet deep and not packed you can't push up with your poles. Very entertaining.