Careful – the freeway near Black Bear was total ice
*Of course* it would snow tonight <grumble>
Almost time to hop back in the car and go play casino boss for New Year’s Eve – be safe everyone!
Final run of 2011 in the books: 8.7 miles with Megan along Minnehaha Creek in Minneapolis. 785 miles for the year
Hurry – special 0.9% financing offers end soon on new Aston Martins
Basement workout: 5K treadmill with small incline, 3x3x10 dumbbells and 150 sit-ups
Finished all three seasons of Arrested Development – moving on to Portlandia next
This week we stopped at one of the few spots in Minnesota that has snow right now – Giants Ridge in Biwabik. Of course most of that snow was artificially made, but you really couldn’t tell. The quality was great – not icy and very few bare patches. It helped that there was a dusting of real snow overnight, but overall I was very happy with my first day out this season.
After the big crash last year at Lutsen, I now judge the success of a ski trip by whether or not my face gets smashed on something. The new helmut makes me a little more confident, but I’m still not as agressive as I used to be. I’m slowly coming around to the fact that I should probably dump the ancient straight skis and get something more modern (and safe), but cost is a huge factor right now.
Speaking of cost, I experienced a bit of sticker shock at the front desk. I was hoping Giants Ridge would have a reasonable beginners package available, as one of the kids had never skied and another needed a refresher after not skiing for a few years. All I wanted was a bunny hill lift ticket, rentals and a short group lesson for a reasonable price (say $50?), but they didn’t offer anything like that. I bought four lift tickets, three rental sets and taught my own group lesson and it was $250. Add in several visits to the cafeteria and it was a very expensive five hours.
A few other downers: spoiled kids, rotten parents, cursing teenagers, greasy chalet food, lack of sunshine, cold winds and frozen extremities.
But I still love the actual sport of skiing – there is really nothing else like it. Freedom to move at your own pace, a connection to the outdoors, the feeling of “beating” winter, spending time with my kids and an adrenaline rush you don’t get from running or golf.
You will never confuse Giants Ridge with Colorado, but compared to other ski areas in Minnesota, it’s fun. I still prefer Lutsen, but Giants Ridge is only a half hour from work. Both of them could use some high-speed, detachable chairlifts, though – the old style chairs take soooo long…
You’re never gonna make a billion dollars dancing like that…
Today I had a clerk ask for my ID when paying with a credit card and she said:
“You were born the same year as my dad, but you look a lot younger than him – he has silver hair.”
Not sure if I should feel good about that or not…
Judge Reinhold is neither a real judge, nor has he received acting’s highest honor…
Rushing to finish up all the loose ends before driving back and forth twice in 24 hours
Successful ski day so far – decent snow conditions and no smashed faces
Not a great start to the day, but I’m still heading to Giants Ridge
Sucked back into Skip-Bo tonight on Birch Point with Ann, the Mayor, my parents and the old lady
Ann and company over to swim and visit, mom and dad arriving soon, VC pizza tonight and Giants Ridge tomorrow
Stupid Zillow emails: Oct 2011 Eagan home values down 0.3% compared to Sept 2011 and down 6.6% compared to Oct 2010
The Gravity Forms plugin for WordPress totally kicks ass – nicely done
What a strange news day already