Happy V-day!

I had a wonderful time skiing for my birthday.  But more fun awaited.  The next day, I joined my regular Thursday ski bus and went up to the mountain again.


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Bus Mom Linda putting heart stickers on everyone

It happened to be Valentine's Day.  Our bus mom Linda loves V-day, and always celebrates in style.  She decorates the bus, has a contest to see who's wearing the most red, and places heart stickers on everyone's faces.

How do you like this lady's t-shirt?

Upon our arrival at Meadows, I headed to the lifts. While waiting for my friends, I spotted this women sporting a very distinctive t-shirt over her jacket.  I did a double-take at first, it looked so real!

Rear view

It even had a back side.  The lady turned around so I could get a shot of the rear view.  She commented that all the women laughed at her shirt, but the men averted their eyes and didn't say a thing.  I thought it was great!  Really fit in with the V-day theme, don't you think?

Glen and Katie join me today

I met up with Tele-lady Katie, and my buddy Glen, a retired co-worker.  Glen and Katie hit it off right away, and our happy trio set out to conquer the slopes under the Hood River Meadows (aka "HRM") lift.

Me and my ol' buddy Glen

Glen had to give me a hard time about hitting the big 5-0!  However, both he and Katie are well into their 60's, so to them I was "still a kid."  Feeling bad about your age?  Just go skiing with folks older than yourself. 

Glen all by his lonesome on the lift

Katie and I jumped on the lift before Glen was ready and left him to ride all by himself.  When we got to the top, Glen said the liftie commented we'd ditched him to get some "girl time."

Failed synchronized tele attempt

I had my tele skis that day, and had the bright idea to have Glen get some photos of Katie and I making synchronized tele turns.  Well.....not so easy.  Even though we skied in a line and tried counting out, this was the best we could do.  Not very "in sync" at all!  Oh well, it was great fun trying.

The mountain's coming out!

The weather went from overcast to foggy.  And then, near the end of the day, Mt. Hood decided to peep out from behind her cloudy veil.  It made a nice backdrop for a final shot of my friends.

B-day gift from my ski bus - what could it be?

Back on the bus after a hard day's skiing, I knew something was up.  Doug, one of our regular riders, is a retired high school art teacher, and a very talented artist.  Over the years, he's made funny signs, cards, and painted hats and mugs for various bus riders.  For my 40th birthday (which happened to fall on a bus day) he made a mini coffin, complete with feet sticking out one side.  What was Doug gonna do for my 50th?

A senior skier!

After bus mom Linda announced my birthday over the PA system, the entire bus sang the "happy birthday" song.  Then a large bag was passed up the aisle.  Uh-oh....what was inside?  Did I dare open it?

Close up photo of "old Maude"

In the bag was a very funny figurine.  It was of an old lady skier, nicknamed "Old Maude."  Around her neck was an AARP card with the words "AARP ski team."  She was wearing Depends, and had a bota bag of Geritol hanging from her side.  On the back of Old Maude's skis were training wheels.  What a hoot!  I laughed so hard!

The artist and his creation

Also inside the bag was a card, created by Doug of course, and signed by all my bus friends.  Doug's specialty is drawing caricatures of people, so the person depicted on the card was me.  I absolutely loved it!

Awesome card from Doug!

The birthday celebrations just keep on coming!  I'm very fortunate to have found this great community of skiers and friends on the midweek ski bus.  Made for a very special and memorable birthday (and Valentine's Day) this year.  Thanks everyone!

50

I love birthdays - especially when they're mine!  And milestone B-days?  Double the fun.  But turning a half century?  Gotta do something special.  No way was I gonna be at work the day of my big 5-0!


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Birthday ski day!

I decided long ago to spend the day of my 50th birthday on the slopes.  Unfortunately my b-day didn't land on Thursday.  That meant no celebrating with my ski bus friends.  But, no problem, Meadows had buses running other days of the week.  So I hooked up with the Wednesday bus.  I was a little sad to be spending my big day with strangers, but the desire to ski on my b-day ended up trumping those feelings.

It's my birthday!

I was in for a surprise.  Getting on the bus that morning, I was pleased to discover Dave and Vito, two Thursday regulars, on board.  Yahoo - someone to ski with!

My skiing companions (aka "the bodyguards")

I saved my pink princess hat helmet cover that I'd worn in Alta.  Time to try it out at Mt. Hood Meadows.  It was a big hit.  Lots of people smiled, laughed, and wished me a happy birthday.  One of the liftees announced my b-day to everyone (on the megaphone) and sang the "happy birthday" song.  Photographer Grant caught me as I skied by, and got lots of photos of me wearing my special headwear.

Photographer Grant caught me on the slopes (photo by Grant Myrdal)

Vito and Dave teasingly called me "the princess" and dubbed themselves my "bodyguards."  They were great guys to ski with.  I had a blast tearing up the slopes with them.

Afternoon birthday snowfall

Although the day began with sunny, blue skies, by afternoon the weather had a change of heart.  Clouds moved in and it began to snow.  Wow - fresh powder for my b-day.  A great gift courtesy of Mother Nature!

Vito says "Let's go!"

Later in the afternoon, the same liftee who'd earlier announced my birthday asked my name.  He instructed us to come back to the lift next round.  My friends and I did as we were told, skied back down the hill, and got onto the same lift.  As our chair swung away from the loading area, I looked down at the ground below.  Written into the snow were the words: "Happy Birthday Linda."  Awwwwww!!

We head out to ski the new pow

After a wonderful day of skiing, I boarded the bus and popped open a beer for the trip home.  I soon discovered the Wednesday riders were a fun group.  They were super-friendly, brought tons of treats, and freely shared their wine.  Someone told a joke over the PA system, and before you knew it, there was a parade of people heading up to the microphone to share their funnies.  Even the bus driver told a few.  It was a merry ride all way back to Portland.  I've never laughed so hard!  By the time I deboarded, it felt like I had 25 new friends.

So this is what 50 looks like!  (photo by Grant Myrdal)

It was a fabulous way to commemorate hitting the half-century mark.  How do I feel about turning fifty?  Well, as my dad once said upon turning 65; "I'm 65 and I'm still alive!"  I'm grateful to be in good health, have a wonderful husband and kids, a great job, lots of super friends, and be able to enjoy skiing, hiking and running.  I'm proud of all I've accomplished over the 50 years I've spent on this planet.  And I'm looking forward to many more good times to come!

Tomorrow I had plans to ride my regular Thursday bus.  And rumor was my bus friends had something in store for me...... 

Check out my next blog post for all the details!

Out 'n About in SLC

Kim and I had nearly a full day to kill before our evening flight home.  Since we'd spent most of our vacation skiing, this was our opportunity to check out the sights in Salt Lake City.


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The site of the 2002 Olympics!

First up - a visit to the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park.  A huge fan of the Olympics, I was super-excited to see the very stadium that held the XIX Olympic Winter Games opening and closing ceremonies.

(And you finally get to see a photo of me without my blue ski coat and helmet!  You now know what I normally look like).

The Olympic Cauldron

The Olympic Cauldron Park is located next to the Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus.  The main attraction, of course, is the cauldron, lit for the duration of the 2002 winter games.  It was designed to look like an icicle to compliment the motto of the 2002 Olympics, Light the Fire Within, and its Fire and Ice theme.




Channeling my inner freestyle skier


A fence encircles one end of the stadium, decorated with colorful panels.  I later learned (thanks to Wikipedia) that there are 17 panels on this fence, one for each day of the Olympics.  The interior sides of the panels describe the highlights of each particular day, and the outer images are the same ones that adorned buildings in Salt Lake City during the games.

Colorful images decorated the fence

Of course, I only took photos of the panels with skiers. :)  (Not really, these two just turned out the best).

Another fence view

At the fence's far end, stood a intricate sculpture.  I later learned that this beautiful artwork, known as the Hoberman Arch, was originally located in the Olympics Medal Plaza downtown.  It was used as a backdrop for the Olympic medal ceremonies, and also as a concert venue.  After the Olympics ended, it was moved to this present location.

The Hoberman Arch

After walking the length of the fence, and peering at the cauldron through its bars, Kim and I decided to check out the visitor center.  The place was deserted.  As a matter of fact, we startled the one man working there when he walked out of a store room and saw us.  We got the impression this place doesn't see many visitors anymore (well, the SLC games were over 10 years ago).

There really wasn't much to see.  The only things on display were a collection of photographs from the 2002 games, and a torch in a glass case.  Supposedly, you could watch a movie, but the theater was roped off, and didn't look like it had seen recent use.

Snowy day at the Cauldron Park

Kim spotted a set of doors that opened to the courtyard where the cauldron resided.  She asked the visitor center host if we could go outside, and the man seemed surprised at our request.  He made the comment that almost nobody ever wanted to go out there.  But he was fine with us exploring the plaza.  Out we went again, into the snow (no one had bothered to shovel the walks, probably due to the lack of visitors).  Kim joked about us making "first tracks."

Not much happening today

The cauldron's base was fenced off, so we weren't able to get very close.  It was surrounded by some sort of concrete wall.  Everything was covered in snow, so I wasn't able to tell what it was.  Later (again via research on Wikipedia) I learned that this is supposed to be a plaza with a reflecting pool.  The names of all the 2002 medalists are engraved in stones at its base.

The cauldron looked shabby and dirty.  It didn't appear to get much use anymore.  I suppose interest has waned, since its been many years since the 2002 games.  Still, it was very cool to see an actual Olympic cauldron, live and in person.

Fountain in City Creek Center

Our Olympic quest complete, Kim and I hopped on the TRAX light rail train and headed for downtown.  Both being nerdy transportation engineers, we had a field day checking out all the light rail infrastructure, and comparing it to Portland's system.  Of course, we also took note of the curb ramps, sidewalks, and street paving (we're such geeks!)

Retractable roof in City Creek Shopping Center

Downtown SLC has a fabulous new shopping center, called City Creek.  It takes up nearly four blocks, and is interconnected through skybridges.  The ceiling boasts a retractable roof, that I'm assuming is opened on beautiful summer days.  There are fountains in two plazas, and an actual rock-lined creek trickles through the center.  Kim and wandered the many levels of this mall, admiring the beautiful decor.

Salt Lake LDS Temple

Directly across the street from City Creek, was Temple Square, world HQ of the LDS church.  Although neither of us are Mormon, Kim and I were still interested in checking it out.  Having visited SLC as a teenager, I recalled that the Salt Lake Temple was a stunningly beautiful building. 

Close up of intricate details

Temple Square was a lovely place.  Although the dead of winter, the grounds were immaculately maintained, every walk shoveled.  And the temple was just as breathtaking as I remembered.

Golden angel Moroni on top

The temple was encircled with a fence.  Only LDS members are allowed inside.  Kim and I went into one of the visitor centers, and it had a interesting set of exhibits that described the temple construction.  Being nerdy civil engineers, Kim and I ate that up. 

An impressive building!

This magnificent building took 40 years to complete.  Starting in 1853, granite stone for the temple was mined from nearby Little Cottonwood Canyon.  It was constructed by church members.  Imagine building such a large intricate structure without the modern tools and equipment we have today.  An impressive feat!

Kin checks out the founders statues

Back outside, Kim and I wandered the nearby plazas, stopping to read inscriptions on a statue or two.

Smaller church building

I thought this smaller church building especially pretty.  Not sure what it's used for, though.  We were kind of hoping to catch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in rehearsal, but no such luck.

Pano view of Temple Square

I was kind of glad to be here in wintertime.  With leafless trees, you could see all the buildings through the bare branches.  But I'm sure this place is especially beautiful in the spring and summer when flowers and plants are in full bloom.

Angel glimpse through the branches

Heading to the airport later in the day, Kim and I reminisced about our successful trip.  Although not the abundance of fresh powder we'd hoped for, the skiing was still loads of fun.  The people of Utah were wonderful - extremely friendly and helpful.  Nothing but excellent service everywhere we went.  And our motel staff were amazing; I highly recommend the Crystal Inn at Midvale.  The people who work here totally rock!

I hope to return again and ski more of Utah's resorts.  Maybe next time I'll get lucky and hit the powder jackpot. 


Linking to:  Sunny Simple Sunday.

Solitude - The Fun Continues

I'm ba-ack!  Time for part two of my Utah adventure.

After two days at Alta, Kim and I were ready for more.  Time to check out another Salt Lake City ski area.  But which one?

Although I really wanted to ski Snowbird, it looked very crowded and full of snowboarders (since they weren't allowed at next-door Alta).  And someone on the lift told us all the snowboarders also like to go to Brighton.  But one young man recommended we try Solitude.  He said after Alta it was his favorite resort in the SLC area.


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Back on the slopes!

So our decision was made.  Solitude here we come!  But first, we had to dry all our gear, wet from two straight days of skiing.  How does one dry out wet boots and gloves when staying in a motel?  Well, you improvise a little.  We slid an end table in front of our room heater, and propped our boots on top.  Worked like a charm.

But first we gotta dry our gear

That evening the clouds opened up and zillions of white flakes fell from the sky.  It dumped snow all night.  In the morning we woke to five inches of sparkly fluff on the ground.  Kim and I were giddy - powder day!

Kim at Solitude

Solitude Mountain Resort is located in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  It's the next canyon over from Alta/Snowbird.  Although such smaller than Alta, it looked to have some nice terrain.  Still very close to town, our bus whisked us to Solitude's Moonbeam base in no time.

The beautiful scenery from Solitude's slopes

What a beautiful place!  Although it lacked the steep, craggy mountains of Alta, Solitude was surrounded by wide, gentle mountains covered in aspens.  The canyon here was wider and the views more open.  The slopes were meticulously groomed, the Moonbeam Lodge gorgeous.  On top of everything, the slopes were covered with a thick blanket of new-fallen snow.

Lots of nice aspen trees

The day was frigid.  I didn't check the temperature because I was afraid to know how cold.  But we'd traveled here to ski, so Kim and I bundled up in our warmest layers and donned face masks.  Feeling like Michelin Men, my ski-buddy and I hit the lifts.

After a couple "warm-up" (ha-ha) runs, I suggested we hop on the Powderhorn II Lift.  It appeared to reach the top of an adjacent ridge where the skiing looked good.  Well, I've never been on such a slow chair in my life!  It plodded along at a snail's pace, an excruciatingly long ride in the bitter cold.  Both Kim and I's feet, hands and faces became numb.  Upon finally reaching the terminus and exiting, Kim adamantly declared she was not riding that lift again.    

Kim shows off her fat powder skis

I was sorry Kim felt that way, because off the ridge was some fun steeps covered with soft, fluffy pow.  I had a great run down to the bottom, then we headed to the Eagle Express Lift to check out things in its neighborhood.

Kim and I had discussed demo'ing some fat powder skis while in Utah.  But meager snowfall the prior two days hadn't quite warranted spending the bucks.  However, with today's ample white stuff, we hit Solitude's ski shop first thing, and were each outfitted with some wide boards.  It was great fun to blast through the new snow on some fatties.

Skiing down from the summit

Kim and I traveled all over Solitude's slopes, checking things out.  For a Sunday in February, we were amazed to find hardly any lift lines.  The place was full of families, which gave it a nice, relaxed atmosphere. 

Good friends and good times

For most of the morning, we explored the trails off the Eagle Express lift.  Lots of nice runs, but you had to be careful - some trails were full of huge moguls (almost Dolly Parton size!).  I made the mistake more than once turning into a run that was nothing but bump alley.  I don't mind skiing moguls, but Kim is not a fan.  Since I value her friendship, I quickly learned to look downslope first.

Solitude panorama (click to enlarge)

After a mid-morning warm up (our feet were freezing!) and more trips up Eagle Express, Kim and I decided to check out the other side of the resort.  We skied over to the Sunrise Lift and caught it en route to the Summit Chair.  The Summit chair was an old two-person buttwhapper lift, and loading was an adventure in itself.  But once on the very top, we took in the marvelous views.  Big Cottonwood Canyon spread out before us.  I hungrily looked down Honeycomb Canyon, but the steep, treed slopes weren't Kim's cup of tea.  So we made a couple of nice runs down the summit's front side.

Photographic proof that Kim skied the trees!

By then it was nearing 2:00 and our tummies were grumbling.  Time to ski down to the base lodge for some chow!  I soon discovered there was only one way down, via a run named "Deer Trail."  Following the other skiers, I didn't realize this trail flattens out dramatically (even going slightly uphill for a short distance).  I ran out of momentum, and ended up skating and poling a long ways.  Poor Kim was already tired, and I could almost hear her behind me muttering the "b" word.

Me and the tree get close

But we got down safely, and found a beautiful slopeside lodge with great food.  Our tummies happy once again, for our final hour I decided we should take some runs off of the Apex Lift.  But by now the nice fluffy powder had all been skied off, revealing old, icy snow underneath.  Not a fan of ice, I decided to check out a pretty aspen glade between the trails.  Although chewed up, the snow was still soft.  And the forest had ample gaps between trees.  A good place for the beginning tree skier.  It was so much fun, I even convinced Kim to give it a try.  And she liked it.  (See Kim, tree skiing is a blast!)

Love this sign!

By 3:30, we were cold and tired.  Three days of skiing in a row had taken its toll.  But I was so proud of Kim - she hung in there like a trooper!  Since we had some time to kill before the bus arrived, Kim and I hit the watering hole at the Moonbeam Lodge.  The bar had some signs on the wall advertising local beers.  I've seen many microbrews with creative names, but "Yard Sale Lager" is now my very favorite!  (And for those of you who don't ski, "yard sale" is slang for a wipeout so epic it scatters gear all over the slope.)

The perfect way to end a day of skiing!

I enjoyed my day at Solitude.  Although a smaller resort, it had a nice variety of runs, beautiful new lodges, friendly people, and small crowds.  (All they need to do is work on those slow, buttwhapper lifts!)

Cheers to three fabulous ski days in Utah!  But the fun wasn't over quite yet.  Although Kim and I were scheduled to fly home the next day, our flight didn't leave 'till evening.  That gave us most of the day to do something.  Time to see the sights in Salt Lake City!   

I'll tell you all about it in my next blog post......  :)