Back on the Bus

My weekly ski bus started January 8th.  But still recuperating from foot surgery, I had to sit out the first two weeks.  Oh, it nearly killed me being at work, knowing my friends were up on the mountain having fun in the snow! 

All smiles on a sunny morning!

But after the doc's blessing, and trial run on MLK Day, I was ready for a triumphant return.  Nervously watching the weather all week, things weren't looking good for ski bus Thursday.  The weatherman predicted rain on the mountain.  Nooooo!  If it's raining at the ski area, the bus is usually cancelled.  I was afraid I'd be spending yet another Thursday stuck at the office.

Glen waves "hi" for the camera

The big day dawned.  Rising early, I checked the weather at our local ski resort.  Conditions didn't look good.  They were reporting drizzle, fog, and warm temperatures.  I kept expecting a cancellation phone call from my bus mom.

But no call came.  The ski area website said nothing about bus cancellations.  Okay.....it appeared to be all systems go!  I packed up my gear and headed to the bus stop.

Glen, Judy and I ready to ski

Sure enough, the bus was waiting.  It was great to see all of my friends again.  Everyone expressed doubts about the weather (and some folks did cancel), but the rest of us had made our plans and decided to stick with them.  Whatever the conditions, it was better than being at work!

My group in action

All the way up the mountain, I fretted about skiing in the rain.  Imagine my surprise when, rounding the final turn into the parking lot, I glimpsed sun peeping out from behind the clouds.  A tiny patch of blue sky was starting to show.  Maybe we'd have a good day after all!

I met up with friends Glen and Judy.  We were all jazzed about the unexpected dry weather.  And the snow was soft and wonderful.  Without further ado, we hit the slopes.

Action selfie

This time, I remembered to bring my selfie pole, and attached my GoPro camera.  Time for some action videos!  It was great fun practicing skiing while holding the camera on a long pole.  Glen was a gentleman and offered to take my extra ski pole, so I didn't have to hold them both in the other hand.  But after a few runs, I got the hang of things, and took both poles back.

All of the photos in this post, except for the first one, are screen shots from videos.  I was proud of myself for figuring out how to capture still screen shots from a video.  (Hopefully no one is sick of all these selfies!)

And, of course I had to include a short clip from my grand video experiment.  Although I still need practice, it didn't turn out too shabby!

Our nice day turned into foggy snain

Sadly, by late morning, clouds enveloped the mountain, and soggy flakes began to fall.  The snow became wetter and wetter, until it was more water than ice (the folks in the ski resort business refer to this as "snain.")  The warm precip made the snow wet and sticky.  It wasn't much fun to ski, as everyone worried about the grabby conditions causing sudden stops.

This isn't fun anymore

So we decided to take an early lunch.  My foot was beginning to bother me, so I was ready for a break.  After sitting around the lodge for a good hour, Glen and another guy decided to go back out.  But with the lousy snow conditions, I didn't want to risk an injury, so I spent the afternoon in the bar with Judy.  We each nursed a glass of beer and caught each other up on our lives.

Time to hit the bar!

The weather turned wetter, and huge raindrops began to fall.  More and more skiers came into the lodge, all shaking water from their jackets.  Pretty soon, we had a large crowd around our table.  Nearly everyone from our ski bus had gathered for drinks and conversation.  A pleasant way to pass the rest of the afternoon.

The "back of the bus" gang

On the way home, I hung out with the "back of the bus gang" enjoying some more liquid refreshment.  And I learned a GoPro camera, although great for outside action shots, doesn't do so well capturing indoor images.  Oh well, I had fun trying!

Although I only held up for half a day, it was still great to be back on the bus.  Missing all my skiing friends, it was wonderful to reconnect.  Here's to more fun Thursdays - and a huge dump of snow on our mountains! 


Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday and Wednesday Around the World.