Note: This is the second half of the ski trip. If you haven't read the first half, click the link to the right. Things will make a lot more sense then!
Continued from the first half in Big Sky, MT
The first night in Moose Camp turned out to be REALLY cold. I woke the next morning to a chilly 24° inside the tent. The cold wasn’t so bad, but the ice inside as soon as I got up wasn’t so pleasant. I finally got moving and headed up to my one and only day of skiing at Big Sky, Montana. Skiing continued the typical spring pattern of icey in the mornings, but softening up around lunch. Big Sky was a nice, big area with very few people. Several times I had the entire run to myself, free to fly straight down, or play around making big turns. The only downside was the lack of snow. It seems that they had a pretty light winter for snow, and many of the runs had lots of exposed rock. My poor skis took a beating at Big Sky. But the weather was great, and I broke for lunch at the top of the mountain, eating my sandwich in the sunshine. Then I skied for the rest of the day before heading back for my last night at good ‘ol Moose Camp. Tomorrow I’d be on to Idaho.
A frost-covered moose camp
Lone Peak in the distance
The bare summit at Big Sky
Big Sky view
Looking a little rough with a fresh beard, ski hat hair, and some sun
Big Sky, MT to Sun Valley, ID
The next morning I woke and broke camp in the cold. I couldn’t wait for the truck to warm up so I could defrost my fingers. I got all packed up and headed west for Idaho. I chose to go a rather non-direct, but very scenic route. It would take me a good deal longer, but hey, what was I out here for anyway? The geography soon changed to arid and dry mountain areas interspersed with some very good looking trout rivers. At times I over lapped the route of Lewis and Clark, and several times I stopped to check out the historic signposts marking their epic adventure.
At one point on the small road I came across a sign that read Warning: Pavement Ends. And just like that I was on an un-paved dirt road running along side a river. The river had huge rafts of ice coming down it, presumably as a result of the spring thaw. The size of these ice rafts was really impressive, with several being larger that 8 ft. They would crash and pile up on one-another, jamming up like an interstate after a multi-car accident. I’d certainly never seen anything like this before; it added a real sense of wild to this drive. Eventually the pavement resumed, and a snow storm blew in up ahead. Big wispy snow clouds came all the way to the ground and swirled about with the increasing wind. I passed a hawk, which unfortunately I can’t identify. He was posted up on a fence post, taking a break from the heavy winds. He was sporting a mixture of his summer/winter plumage, with patches of white still visible against his mottled brown.
Big ice rafts in the river
Ice flows jamming up on one-another
Snow storm moving in
Unknown hawk taking a rest on a fence post
Soon I entered Idaho, and some strikingly beautiful country. Idaho certainly had the most accumulated snow of any state I’d been in yet. I’d drive for miles through a seemingly-continuous sea of white. Eventually the road took to following the Salmon river. The snow continued to fall, and mixed with the river’s beauty, created a winter paradise. I stopped several times to try and capture photographs of nature’s majesty, but I fear they won’t come close to doing justice to such an amazing landscape.
Salmon River
Salmon River amidst a gentle snow
Not long after leaving the Salmon River valley I entered the town of Salmon, Idaho. I don’t know why, but this felt like a place I’d like to spend some time. Unfortunately I had to press on so that I could make Sun Valley in the early afternoon. I had to take care of a few of those annoying but necessary every day tasks, namely my laundry. In Sun Valley I’d be staying with Ian’s cousin, Lacey. I’d never met Lacey, and it was only through sheer randomness that Ian had a cousin in Sun Valley. Then it was due only to Lacey being fantastic that I was able to stay with her. Lacey and her room mate Ed have a sweet little house near the base of the mountain. Lacey works with autistic children, and in the very short time that I observed her it became clear that she is blessed with special abilities for getting through to these kids. Ed currently works as a framer at a local gallery, but his real passion is his art work. He paints some fantastic work, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see him one day make it big.
The real stars of the place and my companions for the next few days were the two dogs, Bella and Rumbles. Bella is a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Boxer mix with keen intelligence and a kind disposition. Rumbles is a very cute American Bulldog/Boxer mix with jaws that never stop and an attitude that reminds you of a spoiled but beautiful little girl. She is like Bella’s annoying younger sister. Rumbles only wants a toy if Bella has it first, and she only barks in alarm if Bella first clues her in. Each day these two would patiently await the arrival of their people, keeping watch at the upstairs window for any sign of their arrival.
Bella and Rumbles keeping watch at the window
My first night in Sun Valley we grabbed a burger at a place called Lefty’s and Lacey hooked us up with some Monkey fries. They were quite tasty. Then we headed to a chilled out little pub called the Cellar to celebrate her friend’s accomplishments. I got to have several interesting conversations with the local Sun Valley crew, and then headed home so that Lacey could rest up for work and I could rest up for skiing.
Morning came early for Lacey and Ed. I gave them my best regards from the couch, then caught another couple hours of sleep. Ahh the vacation lifestyle. I got moving, then strolled up to the slopes. That’s right, you can walk to the lifts from Lacey’s place. Deluxe for sure. Once up on the mountain my old pal ice was present in full effect. My edges were also pretty dull and beat up from Big Sky, so the first day of skiing was a little slippery. Several times I was leaned over nearly contacting the slopes just to try and catch and edge. But with the afternoon heat things got much nicer. Sun Valley is a beautiful ski area, cradled by mountains on all sides. I finished the day up, then dropped the skis at a locally recommended shop called Sun Summit for a full tune. After Lacey got home we went and tried the Idaho version of Mexican food. It honestly wasn’t so bad, coming from someone who’s spoiled on great Tex-Mex. Then we went and picked up some Toni’s Ice Cream, handmade locally in Sun Valley. That stuff was sinfully good, I had to use restraint. We finished the night up with some high-quality conversation, then turned in.
The Sun Valley surroundings
The next morning I picked up my fresh skis, then hit the hill. They felt lively and fast again, and the sharp edges bit right into the slick stuff. Skied the day out, then strolled back to Lacey’s to enjoy a beer out on the deck in the warm afternoon sun. The dogs of course kept me company. Lacey had to work late, but after she was freed up we picked up delicious asian food from a place called Rickshaw and matched it with a lovely Petite Shiraz wine. That made for a world class meal. I then stayed up late working on the blog, finally finishing the first half around 1 a.m. The next day I had to leave Sun Valley, but my short time there had been great. On to Utah.
Sun Valley, ID to Park City and Alta, UT
The next morning I hit the road once again. The drive to Utah was picturesque, with red rock hills and canyons. This continued until I was faced with the unfortunate occurrence of city. After so much time in quaint and picturesque mountain towns Salt Lake City seemed an unsightly scar on the landscape. None the less I had to go through it to get to Park City. My temporary home in Utah would be Jordanelle State Park. Jordanelle is situated next to a reservoir in a canyon. It was only 15 minutes from the mountain, so it made for an ideal camp site. Ian would fly in the next day, and ski with me for the remainder of the trip. In true desert style the temperature dropped right along with the sun. I soon followed suit and hopped in my sleeping bag.
Roads in Utah
The next morning I made the short drive in to Park City and hit the slopes. I was initially pretty disappointed with Park City; it’s not the most beautiful area. Much of the slopes are bare of trees, and the thin snow made for numerous brown patches. I had heard that Brighton was the better ski area, but I had a free pass to Park City so economics won that battle. Eventually I found some runs I really liked, and the back side of the mountain turned out to be much more beautiful than the front. Around noon Ian called and said his shuttle would get there soon, so I headed back towards the base to meet him and stash his stuff in the truck.
We actually managed to get to the truck within a couple minutes of one-another. Ian was carrying gear for two, so it had taken a creative packing job to get everything on the plane, but he’d managed. After a quick parking lot clothes change session we were skiing once again. I looked forward to skiing with Ian, not only because he’s my best friend, but also because he’s a better skier. I knew I’d push myself while with him and thereby improve. This is just what happened. We skied a few easy runs, then hit a lift serving only double-black diamond terrain, the back Jupiter bowl. We made our way down the first time easily enough, working down a ridge. We then made our way back up for a more adventurous run, and this is where things got interesting
We worked a traverse over, trying to get to a nice bowl we’d seen from the lift. To get there we had to drop down into a little trough, duck a tree, then pop back over a blind hill. I came over the hill with some speed only to find that there was a cliff on the other side, nothing but bare air. Well, having the choice between going off this cliff and crashing on the uphill side I chose the latter. I dove to the uphill side and wiped. Then, upon looking down I see Ian about ten feet down on a ledge that you couldn’t initially see. He’d gone off what turned out to be a little cliff, but he thought he was done for. He said he thought he was going to fall, so he’d grabbed out for trees, grass, whatever, only to find that the ledge was a bit below. A fun little moment, for sure. We worked our way back to the slopes, and skied on down. We skied a little too long that day, not hopping the last lift before it closed. Instead we had to cruise all the way back on a flat little cat track. Oh well. We got back to the truck and enjoyed a couple brews in the parking lot, tailgate style. Life is good.
View from the top of Park City
Ian and I after skiing Park City
Alta, UT
The next day Ian and I headed over to Alta. Alta is reputed to be some of the greatest skiing anywhere, and Luette works there as well making it a double win. Luette would also serve as our free guide to all the cool traverses and off-piste runs. The snow and skiing didn’t disappoint, proving to be the best of the trip. We skied the day out, then Ian and I went on a quest to find some good Chinese in Salt Lake. It turned out to truly be a quest, taking far too long, but eventually we made it.
A neat slope side building in Alta, UT
The ridge across from Alta, UT
Utah to Vail, CO
We said goodbye to the Jordanelle camp site, and headed for CO. On the way we made a few stops, the first at Strawberry Lake. This place was amazing, a huge lake still completely frozen over. It was like some sort of haven for Winter. We even saw some ice fisherman. We then continued on, admiring the red rock desert beauty of Utah. Luckily, our spring timing had allowed us to enjoy the purple blanket of flowers that spread out this time of year. They are tiny, but they are so numerous that they serve as a cheerful accessory to the barren wardrobe of the desert landscape.
Playing around in deep snow
Ice fisherman out on Strawberry Lake, UT
Utah purple flowers
The next stop we made was at Dinosaur Valley National Monument. In this place you can view all sorts of things from the past, including fossilized dinosaur bones still in place, and ancient Petroglyphs from Paleo Indians. We spent a few hours exploring this place, and found a great many of the glyphs. It’s an odd feeling to think of an ancient culture in that same landscape, expressing their wonder for the natural world on the canyon walls. My theory is that it was bored children drawing, just as bored children draw on a side walk today. There were definitely some strange glyphs; you could spend a good deal of time analyzing what they're supposed to be. I included a couple of the better glyphs here.
Clouds against a red bluff
Storms rolling in over the Green River
Petroglyphs of warriors, bighorn sheep, and who knows what else
Lizard glyphs
Continued from the first half in Big Sky, MT
The first night in Moose Camp turned out to be REALLY cold. I woke the next morning to a chilly 24° inside the tent. The cold wasn’t so bad, but the ice inside as soon as I got up wasn’t so pleasant. I finally got moving and headed up to my one and only day of skiing at Big Sky, Montana. Skiing continued the typical spring pattern of icey in the mornings, but softening up around lunch. Big Sky was a nice, big area with very few people. Several times I had the entire run to myself, free to fly straight down, or play around making big turns. The only downside was the lack of snow. It seems that they had a pretty light winter for snow, and many of the runs had lots of exposed rock. My poor skis took a beating at Big Sky. But the weather was great, and I broke for lunch at the top of the mountain, eating my sandwich in the sunshine. Then I skied for the rest of the day before heading back for my last night at good ‘ol Moose Camp. Tomorrow I’d be on to Idaho.
A frost-covered moose camp
Lone Peak in the distance
The bare summit at Big Sky
Big Sky view
Looking a little rough with a fresh beard, ski hat hair, and some sun
Big Sky, MT to Sun Valley, ID
The next morning I woke and broke camp in the cold. I couldn’t wait for the truck to warm up so I could defrost my fingers. I got all packed up and headed west for Idaho. I chose to go a rather non-direct, but very scenic route. It would take me a good deal longer, but hey, what was I out here for anyway? The geography soon changed to arid and dry mountain areas interspersed with some very good looking trout rivers. At times I over lapped the route of Lewis and Clark, and several times I stopped to check out the historic signposts marking their epic adventure.
At one point on the small road I came across a sign that read Warning: Pavement Ends. And just like that I was on an un-paved dirt road running along side a river. The river had huge rafts of ice coming down it, presumably as a result of the spring thaw. The size of these ice rafts was really impressive, with several being larger that 8 ft. They would crash and pile up on one-another, jamming up like an interstate after a multi-car accident. I’d certainly never seen anything like this before; it added a real sense of wild to this drive. Eventually the pavement resumed, and a snow storm blew in up ahead. Big wispy snow clouds came all the way to the ground and swirled about with the increasing wind. I passed a hawk, which unfortunately I can’t identify. He was posted up on a fence post, taking a break from the heavy winds. He was sporting a mixture of his summer/winter plumage, with patches of white still visible against his mottled brown.
Big ice rafts in the river
Ice flows jamming up on one-another
Snow storm moving in
Unknown hawk taking a rest on a fence post
Soon I entered Idaho, and some strikingly beautiful country. Idaho certainly had the most accumulated snow of any state I’d been in yet. I’d drive for miles through a seemingly-continuous sea of white. Eventually the road took to following the Salmon river. The snow continued to fall, and mixed with the river’s beauty, created a winter paradise. I stopped several times to try and capture photographs of nature’s majesty, but I fear they won’t come close to doing justice to such an amazing landscape.
Salmon River
Salmon River amidst a gentle snow
Not long after leaving the Salmon River valley I entered the town of Salmon, Idaho. I don’t know why, but this felt like a place I’d like to spend some time. Unfortunately I had to press on so that I could make Sun Valley in the early afternoon. I had to take care of a few of those annoying but necessary every day tasks, namely my laundry. In Sun Valley I’d be staying with Ian’s cousin, Lacey. I’d never met Lacey, and it was only through sheer randomness that Ian had a cousin in Sun Valley. Then it was due only to Lacey being fantastic that I was able to stay with her. Lacey and her room mate Ed have a sweet little house near the base of the mountain. Lacey works with autistic children, and in the very short time that I observed her it became clear that she is blessed with special abilities for getting through to these kids. Ed currently works as a framer at a local gallery, but his real passion is his art work. He paints some fantastic work, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see him one day make it big.
The real stars of the place and my companions for the next few days were the two dogs, Bella and Rumbles. Bella is a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Boxer mix with keen intelligence and a kind disposition. Rumbles is a very cute American Bulldog/Boxer mix with jaws that never stop and an attitude that reminds you of a spoiled but beautiful little girl. She is like Bella’s annoying younger sister. Rumbles only wants a toy if Bella has it first, and she only barks in alarm if Bella first clues her in. Each day these two would patiently await the arrival of their people, keeping watch at the upstairs window for any sign of their arrival.
Bella and Rumbles keeping watch at the window
My first night in Sun Valley we grabbed a burger at a place called Lefty’s and Lacey hooked us up with some Monkey fries. They were quite tasty. Then we headed to a chilled out little pub called the Cellar to celebrate her friend’s accomplishments. I got to have several interesting conversations with the local Sun Valley crew, and then headed home so that Lacey could rest up for work and I could rest up for skiing.
Morning came early for Lacey and Ed. I gave them my best regards from the couch, then caught another couple hours of sleep. Ahh the vacation lifestyle. I got moving, then strolled up to the slopes. That’s right, you can walk to the lifts from Lacey’s place. Deluxe for sure. Once up on the mountain my old pal ice was present in full effect. My edges were also pretty dull and beat up from Big Sky, so the first day of skiing was a little slippery. Several times I was leaned over nearly contacting the slopes just to try and catch and edge. But with the afternoon heat things got much nicer. Sun Valley is a beautiful ski area, cradled by mountains on all sides. I finished the day up, then dropped the skis at a locally recommended shop called Sun Summit for a full tune. After Lacey got home we went and tried the Idaho version of Mexican food. It honestly wasn’t so bad, coming from someone who’s spoiled on great Tex-Mex. Then we went and picked up some Toni’s Ice Cream, handmade locally in Sun Valley. That stuff was sinfully good, I had to use restraint. We finished the night up with some high-quality conversation, then turned in.
The Sun Valley surroundings
The next morning I picked up my fresh skis, then hit the hill. They felt lively and fast again, and the sharp edges bit right into the slick stuff. Skied the day out, then strolled back to Lacey’s to enjoy a beer out on the deck in the warm afternoon sun. The dogs of course kept me company. Lacey had to work late, but after she was freed up we picked up delicious asian food from a place called Rickshaw and matched it with a lovely Petite Shiraz wine. That made for a world class meal. I then stayed up late working on the blog, finally finishing the first half around 1 a.m. The next day I had to leave Sun Valley, but my short time there had been great. On to Utah.
Sun Valley, ID to Park City and Alta, UT
The next morning I hit the road once again. The drive to Utah was picturesque, with red rock hills and canyons. This continued until I was faced with the unfortunate occurrence of city. After so much time in quaint and picturesque mountain towns Salt Lake City seemed an unsightly scar on the landscape. None the less I had to go through it to get to Park City. My temporary home in Utah would be Jordanelle State Park. Jordanelle is situated next to a reservoir in a canyon. It was only 15 minutes from the mountain, so it made for an ideal camp site. Ian would fly in the next day, and ski with me for the remainder of the trip. In true desert style the temperature dropped right along with the sun. I soon followed suit and hopped in my sleeping bag.
Roads in Utah
The next morning I made the short drive in to Park City and hit the slopes. I was initially pretty disappointed with Park City; it’s not the most beautiful area. Much of the slopes are bare of trees, and the thin snow made for numerous brown patches. I had heard that Brighton was the better ski area, but I had a free pass to Park City so economics won that battle. Eventually I found some runs I really liked, and the back side of the mountain turned out to be much more beautiful than the front. Around noon Ian called and said his shuttle would get there soon, so I headed back towards the base to meet him and stash his stuff in the truck.
We actually managed to get to the truck within a couple minutes of one-another. Ian was carrying gear for two, so it had taken a creative packing job to get everything on the plane, but he’d managed. After a quick parking lot clothes change session we were skiing once again. I looked forward to skiing with Ian, not only because he’s my best friend, but also because he’s a better skier. I knew I’d push myself while with him and thereby improve. This is just what happened. We skied a few easy runs, then hit a lift serving only double-black diamond terrain, the back Jupiter bowl. We made our way down the first time easily enough, working down a ridge. We then made our way back up for a more adventurous run, and this is where things got interesting
We worked a traverse over, trying to get to a nice bowl we’d seen from the lift. To get there we had to drop down into a little trough, duck a tree, then pop back over a blind hill. I came over the hill with some speed only to find that there was a cliff on the other side, nothing but bare air. Well, having the choice between going off this cliff and crashing on the uphill side I chose the latter. I dove to the uphill side and wiped. Then, upon looking down I see Ian about ten feet down on a ledge that you couldn’t initially see. He’d gone off what turned out to be a little cliff, but he thought he was done for. He said he thought he was going to fall, so he’d grabbed out for trees, grass, whatever, only to find that the ledge was a bit below. A fun little moment, for sure. We worked our way back to the slopes, and skied on down. We skied a little too long that day, not hopping the last lift before it closed. Instead we had to cruise all the way back on a flat little cat track. Oh well. We got back to the truck and enjoyed a couple brews in the parking lot, tailgate style. Life is good.
View from the top of Park City
Ian and I after skiing Park City
Alta, UT
The next day Ian and I headed over to Alta. Alta is reputed to be some of the greatest skiing anywhere, and Luette works there as well making it a double win. Luette would also serve as our free guide to all the cool traverses and off-piste runs. The snow and skiing didn’t disappoint, proving to be the best of the trip. We skied the day out, then Ian and I went on a quest to find some good Chinese in Salt Lake. It turned out to truly be a quest, taking far too long, but eventually we made it.
A neat slope side building in Alta, UT
The ridge across from Alta, UT
Utah to Vail, CO
We said goodbye to the Jordanelle camp site, and headed for CO. On the way we made a few stops, the first at Strawberry Lake. This place was amazing, a huge lake still completely frozen over. It was like some sort of haven for Winter. We even saw some ice fisherman. We then continued on, admiring the red rock desert beauty of Utah. Luckily, our spring timing had allowed us to enjoy the purple blanket of flowers that spread out this time of year. They are tiny, but they are so numerous that they serve as a cheerful accessory to the barren wardrobe of the desert landscape.
Playing around in deep snow
Ice fisherman out on Strawberry Lake, UT
Utah purple flowers
The next stop we made was at Dinosaur Valley National Monument. In this place you can view all sorts of things from the past, including fossilized dinosaur bones still in place, and ancient Petroglyphs from Paleo Indians. We spent a few hours exploring this place, and found a great many of the glyphs. It’s an odd feeling to think of an ancient culture in that same landscape, expressing their wonder for the natural world on the canyon walls. My theory is that it was bored children drawing, just as bored children draw on a side walk today. There were definitely some strange glyphs; you could spend a good deal of time analyzing what they're supposed to be. I included a couple of the better glyphs here.
Clouds against a red bluff
Storms rolling in over the Green River
Petroglyphs of warriors, bighorn sheep, and who knows what else
Lizard glyphs
We finally left Dinosaur Valley and pressed on for Vail. We had no idea where we would sleep in CO, so we needed to find some national forest land for the night. We finally found a snowy camp site late in the night and caught some needed rest, setting up in the dark.
The next day we skied Beaver Creek. It’s a good area, but it’s like a strange compound in that you have to pass through some serious gates just to get into the place. The next day we skied Vail, and woke up to fresh snow all over camp. This was a trend that would continue for the rest of the day, and come evening it was a full blizzard. In the midst of so much snow falling we decided to finally bite the bullet and get a hotel. We got a great room at the Summit Inn in Dillon, CO, and I took advantage of the hot tub and sauna, which felt REALLY good after being out in the cold so long. We woke the next morning amidst tons of new snow and headed for Keystone, CO. It snowed all day long, and we cut fresh tracks on several runs. I have never skied on or in conditions like that before. It was snowing so heavily that you’d be covered in minutes. It was brutally cold, but the skiing was amazing. The pictures below tell the story pretty well.
A snowy Vail, CO camp site
Gore Creek near Vail, CO
It was snowing just a bit
Ian’s excited about new snow; check out the ice in the beard
We got dumped on; there’s a truck under there somewhere
Finally, after enjoying a great day of skiing, we headed for the airport to drop Ian off. I-70 turned out to be a nasty mess, with traffic jams at every hill. The semis and a few cars were having a tough time making it up the hills in the snow and ice, so we had to find an alternate route. With a little creative navigating we found the way. The roads were a little dicey at first, with the truck sliding and breaking loose on every bridge, but we eventually got down and got to the airport with just a little time to spare. A quick re-packing job, and Ian was on the plane.
I hit the road headed South, sad the trip had to come to an end. I drove until about 3:30 a.m., then pulled over somewhere just north of Lubbock and slept in the truck for a couple hours. I woke at around 5:30 and continued on, enjoying the sun rise. South of Lubbock fatigue overtook me again, and I caught another couple hours at a rest stop. During my nap a soothing rain fell, tapping on the rood of the truck, and the day felt fresh and new afterward. I continued onward, and eventually hit the hill country, fresh from the recent rains. What a transition from 3 weeks ago! The wild flowers were in bloom and all was green. I drove along with a smile on my face, happy to live where I do. I finally pulled into Kyle, and smiled at the TONS of blue bonnets in the front yard this year. It’s a bumper crop for sure. I got out of the truck and said hi to my wonderful dog Katie, then found the shower
Dappled clouds after a calm rain
Home in the springtime
The trip turned out to be more than I could have hoped for. I got a great deal of skiing in, but I also got a lot of nature in. I met a number of great and interesting people, and saw some of this amazing landscape that we are lucky enough to call home. I thank God that everything went so well, and that I’m blessed enough to even have the opportunity to undertake things like this. The next few weeks I’ll be in TX, but Europe is coming soon, I depart April 26th!
The next day we skied Beaver Creek. It’s a good area, but it’s like a strange compound in that you have to pass through some serious gates just to get into the place. The next day we skied Vail, and woke up to fresh snow all over camp. This was a trend that would continue for the rest of the day, and come evening it was a full blizzard. In the midst of so much snow falling we decided to finally bite the bullet and get a hotel. We got a great room at the Summit Inn in Dillon, CO, and I took advantage of the hot tub and sauna, which felt REALLY good after being out in the cold so long. We woke the next morning amidst tons of new snow and headed for Keystone, CO. It snowed all day long, and we cut fresh tracks on several runs. I have never skied on or in conditions like that before. It was snowing so heavily that you’d be covered in minutes. It was brutally cold, but the skiing was amazing. The pictures below tell the story pretty well.
A snowy Vail, CO camp site
Gore Creek near Vail, CO
It was snowing just a bit
Ian’s excited about new snow; check out the ice in the beard
We got dumped on; there’s a truck under there somewhere
Finally, after enjoying a great day of skiing, we headed for the airport to drop Ian off. I-70 turned out to be a nasty mess, with traffic jams at every hill. The semis and a few cars were having a tough time making it up the hills in the snow and ice, so we had to find an alternate route. With a little creative navigating we found the way. The roads were a little dicey at first, with the truck sliding and breaking loose on every bridge, but we eventually got down and got to the airport with just a little time to spare. A quick re-packing job, and Ian was on the plane.
I hit the road headed South, sad the trip had to come to an end. I drove until about 3:30 a.m., then pulled over somewhere just north of Lubbock and slept in the truck for a couple hours. I woke at around 5:30 and continued on, enjoying the sun rise. South of Lubbock fatigue overtook me again, and I caught another couple hours at a rest stop. During my nap a soothing rain fell, tapping on the rood of the truck, and the day felt fresh and new afterward. I continued onward, and eventually hit the hill country, fresh from the recent rains. What a transition from 3 weeks ago! The wild flowers were in bloom and all was green. I drove along with a smile on my face, happy to live where I do. I finally pulled into Kyle, and smiled at the TONS of blue bonnets in the front yard this year. It’s a bumper crop for sure. I got out of the truck and said hi to my wonderful dog Katie, then found the shower
Dappled clouds after a calm rain
Home in the springtime
The trip turned out to be more than I could have hoped for. I got a great deal of skiing in, but I also got a lot of nature in. I met a number of great and interesting people, and saw some of this amazing landscape that we are lucky enough to call home. I thank God that everything went so well, and that I’m blessed enough to even have the opportunity to undertake things like this. The next few weeks I’ll be in TX, but Europe is coming soon, I depart April 26th!
