I have returned from Colorado in one piece but I'm definately moving alot slower. My entire body is in pain after three days of skiing and trying to keep up with three teenagers on the slopes. And to think I workout four days week. I would hate to think how bad I would feel if I didn't! We had the best time!! On the first day the weather wasn't the best. It snowed about eight inches, but that didn't stop us from a full day on the slopes. By the afternoon it was snowing so hard and the wind was blowing that visibility was about zero. Guess what...we were the only idiots out there which meant no lift lines. My dad is such a die hard for skiing that he would ski in a blizzard and have a great time. Sunday and Monday the weather was absolutely gorgeous...bright and sunny, temperature about 20 degrees. If you were to ask the kids what the highlight of the weekend was, they would say it was, "ski biking!" If you were to ask me, it would be that I lived through the ski biking. Now, I have ski biked one other time and it was the last time that I was in Vail. We had such a great time so we decided to try it again. Wow!! It wasn't like the first time. The only way to describe this experience is "GNARLY!!!" You are probably wondering what ski biking is...well, you sit on a bike but the bike does not have wheels, it has a ski on the front and a ski on the back. You put two small flat skiis on your feet and then you go down a big hill. Scariest part...no brakes!! If you want to stop, you have to "hockey stop" like when you ice skate. Our last experience we stayed in a single file line and they let us practice a little to get use to the bike. We even got to travel through the trees with lots of fun trails and what I call "whoop de do's." You might think this sounds like a leisure bike trip but it was not. These bikes go really fast and if you turn that front ski or handle bar just a little, guess what happens...you get launched! And it happens so quickly you don't even know what hit ya...trust me, I did it and it didn't feel good! When you go through the trees, you get going so fast that you can't stop...remember no brakes...that you run over the bikers in front of you. It might not sound like it, but ski biking is a blast!! This trip was so much scarier...it was a race to the bottom and even over the moguls (the big mounds in the snow). I didn't brave the moguls. I took the "old folks" approach and went around them. It was comical watching the bikes bounce from mogul to mogul throwing the riders from the bikes. The first time down the hill I got going so fast that I was sure I was going to kill myself if I fell. Want to know what was going through my head...a few choice words (that I don't use), why do I not have a helmet on my head, and if I fall it's going to hurt REALLY bad!! I consider myself a dare devil and I don't get scared real easily, but going down that hill...I was scared!! After the first trip down I got use to the bike so the second and third trip down was a little less scary. Oh, I forgot to tell you...this is all done after the slopes have closed so it is dark on top of everything else. They strap a little light to your head so you can see, just not that well. Ha!Ha! We did go through the trees again, although not in single file, it was a free for all. And when we came out of the trees there were small cliffs that we launched off of. I'm sure the kids were embarrassed by all the hootin' and hollerin' I was doing. By the end of the experience I just kept telling myself hang on tight and DON'T turn the handle bar! It was SCARY but it was also a BLAST!! Bet you're wondering if I fell...YEP!! Only it wasn't while going down a hill thankfully. It was going through the trees. I got going too fast, couldn't stop, and so I had to dodge a tree that was directly in my path. Guess what...I turned the handle bar and it launched me into (no, not a tree) a tree hole. A tree hole is when all the snow collects around the bottom of a tree, and it's deep. Best part...it's soft. Worst part...I got stuck! The guide had to come dig me out. I'm sure you are laughing at me now, aren't you! Do you think this little adventure contributed to my body being sore? Mom and Dad...they were the smart ones...they went out for a romantic valentine dinner. Just kidding, I loved hanging out all weekend with Jamie and my nephews. They keep me young. The hard part is always saying goodbye to Jamie. Before dropping her back at the University we had a nice dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. At least I won't have to wait long. She comes home for spring break in about a month.
These are the teenagers that I had to keep up with...they were sitting and waiting at the ski lift for Grandpa and I to catch up.
Billy, Jamie, my Dad, and Josh
Jamie and me
The kids ready for their ski biking. This is what a ski bike looks like and check out those little lights on their helmets.
