I may have mentioned this a time or two before, but I do not like rain. Well, I guess that's not entirely true. I like rain in town when it means it's snowing on the mountain. I do not like rain when it is also raining on the mountain. I detest that kind of rain.
Nate and Marissa came to town to ski. We were supposed to ski, but it rained. A LOT.
Have you ever sat on a chairlift in the pouring rain? The water drips off of your helmet, off of your jacket, and straight on to your were-waterproof-in-2007 pants. And, no matter the temperature, you are freezing, because you are so dang wet.
So we bagged skiing on Saturday. We went to Beacon Rock instead. Where we were rained on.
It wasn't too bad. We completed our little hike and ended up at Burgerville. I can't remember the last time I went to a real fast food restaurant (1995 maybe?) but Burgerville? YUM.
Adaptable family in the rain: The Hizz, Barkernews, Nate, and Marissa.
The rain is only in their imaginations.
Family pic in which Hizz is listing decidedly to the left.
On Sunday, we sucked it up. Rain or no rain, we were going skiing. At best, the snow could be of spring-like quality. At worst, we would be soaked. What's a little water anyway?
Turns out it was a lot of water and *shocker* it was WET. Everyone did their requisite amount of turns in the fog and rain and then we went home. Kudos to Nate and Marissa for being good sports and always maintaining a positive attitude. I guess you can't live in the Northwest without a little fortitude for the wet stuff.
The Barkers with a "I just woke up from my nap, why are you taking a picture NOW?" baby.
In a fateful timing of sorts, it snowed on Monday. It was a snow of Colorado quality- cold and light. Because I am on vacation (Hey kids! I miss you! NOT!), I went and patrolled at Meadows. It turned out to be a glass half-full/half-empty kind of day. The powder was amazing. The work was not.
I was sent to the top of Cascade in the groomer before the lift was running. It looked like this:
Ahh...glass half-full.
Then, I was assigned to fix this, a ridiculously long rope line covered with two inches of rime ice and partially buried:
Ahh...glass half-empty.
Two and a half hours later, after watching everyone and their brother rip up the powder while I fought a rope line, I was given free reign to ski...about 4 runs.
Long story short and sparing you the minutiae of the details, by the end of the day, I decided not to patrol at Meadows anymore. It's just not for me. For the past three years, I have tried to enjoy patrolling there and the truth is, I just DON'T. Barkernews will still show up every two weeks for his assigned shift because he loves it. I, on the other hand, will be found at SkiBowl, where it's mellow and laid-back and no one treats me like an idiot for asking a simple question. Sure, the snow and terrain are better at Meadows, but that's why I have a season pass there. I plan to ski it like crazy. I just don't want to patrol there.
And with that decision, Barkernews, The Hizz, and I headed to Seattle for Christmas, to be followed by a week-long trip to the hinterlands of Colorado. Estes Park, Breckenridge, and Winter Park, here we come!
Stay tuned for tales of Christmas overload and debauchery and LOTS OF SKIING!
