Tuesday, February 3, 2015

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.

33 comments:

  1. very happy photos! love them :-)

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  2. I am glad you took me skiing!!! I enjoyed your go pro video...Now I am cold...tee hee! Glad you were able to get out and about and ski for awhile!! Yep, we'll need to plan a tulip season photo shoot this year! Take care!!

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  3. Skiing is something I must learn next, now that cold doesn't bother me much anymore. It looks so much fun on those mountains, pretty exciting. It's the first time I've heard of "snain" :)

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  4. Linda, what beautiful photos, and it looks like a great time!

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  5. So glad you're skiing again. You look great!
    I really hope it snows soon. Our mountains are looking pretty sparse.

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  6. Good to be back to normal again, Don't have that problem we don't get that much snow round here.

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  7. Glad to see you had at least half a day of good skiing and a great time with your friends! Pretty cool camera you have:)
    Blessings, Aimee

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  8. Linda, your video is awesome... I am glad you were able to get in some skiing before the rain came.. Looks like everyone had a great time.. have a happy day!

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  9. Sounds like a great day!

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  10. So pleased to see you back on the slopes. Hopefully all your future Thursdays will turn out to by snowy ones.

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  11. So fun! I would love to ski Mt. Hood!!

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  12. I love the way you shot the video. It's a really great view point. Glad you had fun!

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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  13. It all looks like enormous fun. Beautiful mountain.

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  14. Oh so excited for you that you got to go back and ski, and what an amazing selfie you got! I would be killed doing that. Know you are so happy to be back in the snow again. Those surgeries can be very frustrating to recover from. My daughter is going through that with an ankle fracture and pinning. Hard to be patient, but looks as if your patience has paid off.

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  15. So glad you got out on the slopes again. I was out for the first time XC skiing too yesterday, 3 months to the day post surgery! It's nice to be back!

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  16. That was really fun! Those screen captures are wonderful, and I did feel like I was there with you on the mountain. Our skiers are bummed that this has been the worst winter in ages for snow, with more rain on top of any snowfall we get. I like the selfie pole, it made me feel like I was right there with you. :-)

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  17. Love that video of you in action, Linda! Things were gorgeous there for a while before the weather turned, those pretty skies and pines flying by behind you.
    And the whole day sounds better than being in an office! :)

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  18. Happy to hear you made it back on the mountain! Good times and Great fun!!

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  19. Looks like a fun group! I'm surprised there was skiing too, given our temps. Cedar Loop is in Whipple Creek Park between Vancouver and Ridgefield. I think I'm going to be over in Hood River again tomorrow, if the weather cooperates (heavy rain) so I'll probably be getting a chai around lunchtime. Not sure where you live.

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  20. What a fun post! And wonderful video. So many smiling faces. It looks like you all had a great time!

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  21. Wow! I'm so excited....I thought hiking was fun with you....now I can ski!!!! Loved the video! You amaze me with your energy.......keep it coming!

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  22. Glad you got to go out skiing and the weather was decent in the morning! Looks like fun...sorry about the weather later in the day though! Love the smiles!

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  23. That video was so totally awesome. Fabulous run and I spotted Mt Hood several times. Rather nice to hear the voice of the writer of the blog!

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  24. Glad you got to get out and hang with your friends! Definitely better than work. lol! Loved the video. You are a go pro pro. lol!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  25. You did great with that video it was fun to watch! It is beautiful up there! :)

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  26. Looks like a fun day, judging by all the smiles!

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  27. Skiing is something I failed miserably in, the only time I tried. I probably rolled down the slope more times than skied down.

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  28. Thanks for sharing these great shot of Mount Hood. Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  29. It's such good news that you are back doing what you LOVE to do! YAY!

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  30. this is fun. when we find our forever place, and settle down, I really want a fun group like yours to hang out with.

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  31. Looks like you all had a great time. :-)

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