After we finally got out of Denver and away from the substitute pirates, we make our way out to YMCA of the Rockies- Snow Mountain Ranch. While there we took advantage of all of the facilities- the xc ski trails, the archery range, the roller rink, the courts, ping pong tables, and most of all, our room's microwave. Yep- 6 people in one room for a week, mostly eating out of a microwave. I was very unaware of the depth and breadth of microwave cuisine. And I had hoped to stay that way.
There was so much to do at Snow Mountain Ranch that it was hard to pull ourselves away to go try out downhill skiing in the mountains. But we did. We spent the first day at a small place- still big hills by Minnesota standards, but only one chalet and just a few lifts. The boys started out cautiously, but by the end of the day they were looking great. And my mom and dad? It's like they had never taken a 20 year hiatus. They still had all the moves. The other day of downhill we spent at Winter Park- the place we came as a family many times in my youth. The names of the hills came right back, Mock Turtle, Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, and it was just as beautiful and exhilarating as I remembered. Only this time the exhilaration didn't come from my own daredevil moves, but from watching my boys shake off their hesitation and really figure this skiing business out. Theo inherited my (dangerous) love of dodging in and out of the trees. The grin on his face was probably gorgeous, but it was hidden behind a helmet. Thankfully.
In all, we lucked out. Great weather, great snow, short lines. Enough sun to keep us smiling, but not so much that we were fried to a crisp like I was back in the 80s. We will definitely return. But we are upgrading to something with a kitchen.
No comments:
Post a Comment