Thanks to all of those social networking sites such as Linked In and Facebook, I was able to reconnect with an old college buddy. He mentioned doing the Talons Challenge this month, but wasn't sure if he had a friend to ski it with him. So I volunteered to join him in Beaver Creek this weekend to snowboard the event.
Do to a limited budget and cheap gas prices, I decided to make the drive from Dallas to Denver. I quite enjoy long drives through the US. One person mentioned once that they didn't think the scenery was any good going through the Midwest and the plains. I completely disagree. The empty wheat and corn fields with the sparsely dispersed farmhouses and grain silos are so picturesque. It would be amazing the see the bounty in the late summer right before harvest. The drive was quite tranquil and I had the perfect tunes to go along with it (Neko Case, The Jayhawks, Wilco, etc.). One problem was my ancient ipod (the one with the disk drive) only had 6 hours of battery life. I've driven through mountains, coast line, desert, Pac NW forests, and rural New England in the fall. I would say that the drive through the heartland is just as beautiful in it's own unique way. I'm immediately reminded of the scene in Forrest Gump where they show him running through the US to the Jackson Browne song Running on Empty. yeah! That's what I'm talking about! I think I'll buy an Airstream trailer when I retire.
Americans have a reputation of not being well travelled and culturally ignorant. However, when I'm presented with this criticism I always mention to non-Americans that most people travel for leisure and not culture anyway. Don't tell me that all of the Europeans on the beaches of Thailand are looking for culture. America has such a vast landscape that it is no wonder why most people stay close to home. We have beaches, mountains, deserts, forests, cities, and a huge mix of culture from all over the world right here at home! I'm not sure from where this new found patriotism came. Maybe I'm just glad that Obama intends on making the US more diplomatic so hopefully we don't come off as assholes abroad.
On another topic...Since when did ski lift tickets reach nearly $100?! WTF! I realized that I haven't been snowboarding in the US for nearly five years. This morning was the first time I've been to a US ski resort since Lake Tahoe in 2004. The last time I was at Cu mountain, the tickets were $68. This morning, I payed $92 and the Beaver Creek tickets are $98! At least Alpine Meadows still has tickets for under $50.
I had a terrible time on the mountain. I tried snowboarding the bumps in the morning and it was a complete disaster. My legs are absolutely trashed. I was only able to muster enough energy for one run after lunch. At the end of the run, I took a digger and slammed my body on the ground (nearly vomited a full bowl of chilli). I immediately unstrapped and walked to the shuttle bus. So I'm taking tomorrow off and hope that I have the strength to complete the 13 black and double black runs on Saturday.
Do to a limited budget and cheap gas prices, I decided to make the drive from Dallas to Denver. I quite enjoy long drives through the US. One person mentioned once that they didn't think the scenery was any good going through the Midwest and the plains. I completely disagree. The empty wheat and corn fields with the sparsely dispersed farmhouses and grain silos are so picturesque. It would be amazing the see the bounty in the late summer right before harvest. The drive was quite tranquil and I had the perfect tunes to go along with it (Neko Case, The Jayhawks, Wilco, etc.). One problem was my ancient ipod (the one with the disk drive) only had 6 hours of battery life. I've driven through mountains, coast line, desert, Pac NW forests, and rural New England in the fall. I would say that the drive through the heartland is just as beautiful in it's own unique way. I'm immediately reminded of the scene in Forrest Gump where they show him running through the US to the Jackson Browne song Running on Empty. yeah! That's what I'm talking about! I think I'll buy an Airstream trailer when I retire.
Americans have a reputation of not being well travelled and culturally ignorant. However, when I'm presented with this criticism I always mention to non-Americans that most people travel for leisure and not culture anyway. Don't tell me that all of the Europeans on the beaches of Thailand are looking for culture. America has such a vast landscape that it is no wonder why most people stay close to home. We have beaches, mountains, deserts, forests, cities, and a huge mix of culture from all over the world right here at home! I'm not sure from where this new found patriotism came. Maybe I'm just glad that Obama intends on making the US more diplomatic so hopefully we don't come off as assholes abroad.
On another topic...Since when did ski lift tickets reach nearly $100?! WTF! I realized that I haven't been snowboarding in the US for nearly five years. This morning was the first time I've been to a US ski resort since Lake Tahoe in 2004. The last time I was at Cu mountain, the tickets were $68. This morning, I payed $92 and the Beaver Creek tickets are $98! At least Alpine Meadows still has tickets for under $50.
I had a terrible time on the mountain. I tried snowboarding the bumps in the morning and it was a complete disaster. My legs are absolutely trashed. I was only able to muster enough energy for one run after lunch. At the end of the run, I took a digger and slammed my body on the ground (nearly vomited a full bowl of chilli). I immediately unstrapped and walked to the shuttle bus. So I'm taking tomorrow off and hope that I have the strength to complete the 13 black and double black runs on Saturday.
1 comment:
Alpine Meadow is $64/day. Get over it.
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