We Ski

I got up and moving at 5:45am. It was easier than usual since I knew I didn’t have to be at work. Still, we had a busy morning ahead, one that would look like most any other work day up until about 8:15am. I still had to exercise, walk the dog, run, and get Jacob on the school bus. After finishing all of my early morning activities I sipped coffee in front of the PC. Mindy came down around 6:15am to fetch her own. She poked at me for not bringing her some. Actually, I had planned to, and already had her cup full of creamer and Splenda. I think she forgave me. While she headed back up for a shower like any other workday morning, I dressed and left for a run. I wore my “B” grade running attire to keep my good stuff fresh and packed. Thankfully, it was 30 degrees – a heat wave of sorts. I didn’t need all the thick stuff. I shortened my run to three miles to save time and energy. After all, I’d be skiing up a storm later in the afternoon. I got back home at 7:00am on the nose. Mindy was surprised I was home so soon. I used the time to continue organizing our gear for travel. It wasn’t long at all before she and the wee ones departed. I gave all three big hugs and wished them each a fun-filled weekend. After Mindy left I took a hot shower. I was downstairs and ready by 7:41am. We had fifteen minutes before bus stop time. I used that time to load coolers – one with beer, the other with our cold snacks. Jacob and I walked to the bus stop at our usual 7:58am. Soon he was on the bus and headed for school. I hurried back home to finalize the packing. My goal was to have everything organized by the door ready for Mindy’s return. During the next fifteen minutes I finished the packing and organizing and even had time to grab a few last minute items that I knew would make our trip even more comfortable. Mindy was home by 8:35am – just five minutes later than expected. We had the Honda loaded to depart by 8:45am. I scrawled a note for dad and did one more walk through before locking up. Just as we were preparing to back out the drive dad pulled up. We spent a couple minutes reviewing Ykraps care along with our agenda and then said goodbye and hit the road. We called Bob & Mary Ann to let them know that we were on our way. We were a few minutes behind schedule, but not by much. We arrived at the Imber’s at 9:10am. We installed his Yakima carrier on the top of the Honda to transport their ski gear. There was plenty of room in the back for their personal gear. We hit the road at what we thought was 9:35am but according to Mindy, the Honda’s clock is set 7 minutes fast. By the time we hit I-71N it was 9:40am. Holiday Valley is located in Ellicottville, New York (about 45 miles south of Buffalo). It’s about a 320 mile drive. We stopped twice, once for food somewhere along the outerbelt of Cleveland, and then once in New York to pee. We made it to Holiday Valley even before 3:00pm. We made great time. We wisely refueled for the trip home as soon as we got into town. We scoped out the Ellicottville Brewing Company but parking was next to impossible so we went to check in instead. Check-in was a breeze. We had our lift tickets and were in our room by 3:20pm. Before hitting the slopes we all enjoyed a frosty cold beverage. Bob & I each had a HopSlam. Mindy & Mary Ann shared a 22oz. Hoppin’ Frog Silky Porter. Ski rental was about a half mile up the road at one of a handful of lodges. Bob dropped us off and then took the Honda back to the Inn, which is located at the base of the Sunrise lift. We planned to ski back to our room with our shoes in tow. We were on the lift by 4pm. We made a quick run back towards the Inn to drop our shoes then headed back out for the evening. It took a while to get our ski legs but all of us eventually did. Mindy did great. She continues to show marked improvement even on tougher slopes. In fact, I don’t think she fell even once that night, and that was after hitting at least one legitimate black diamond. Even though the weekend forecast called for bitter cold, it started to sleet ever so lightly that first night. For the time being, the temperature was hovering just below freezing. We took a couple short breaks and drank beers back at our room, but quickly headed back out for more fun. We sipped Goldschlager from our pocket flasks while riding the lifts. By dark, we had the courage of a lion. The skiing was fantastic. Mindy and I struggled with the layout, relying solely on Bob’s intimate knowledge of the terrain to direct us around. Noticeable right away was the vastness of the park. There’s no big, majestic mountain peak to gaze at but the slopes were all we could handle and more. Too, all of the lifts but one are high speed quads which is really nice. We stopped skiing around 9:30pm just so we could do a little hot tubbing before dinner. We must’ve gotten in the hot tub, which was just a stones throw from our room, sometime after 10pm. The Inn’s security guard made all of us get out in a hurry right at 10:30pm – closing time. Crap! We barely had time to mend. Just as well. We quickly changed into street clothes and headed across the street to Cadillac Jack’s for dinner. We ordered an assortment of goodies: calamari, muscles, wings, wine, and beer. And yes, by the time we were finished I had quite a buzz. But hey, we were on a mini-vacation, and better yet, we were walking! We were back at our room and down for the count by midnight.