Holiday in the Valley - day 4

I was up at 715am and feeling pretty good despite Mindy coughing all night long. Once again, I was quickly outfitted in my running gear and out the door by 730am. I stopped for a quick cup of orange juice that darted off into the cold with just a few stray snow flurries. The day's high was expected to breach freezing but they were still calling for snow all day with an additional inch or two by day's end.

With the walks cleared, it was a comparably easy run. This time I took a right into town running by the EBC, Balloons, and other popular EVL party spots. I noticed that Ellicottville has its own jean company aptly named The Ellicottville Jean Company. The run was easier than the day before though I was beginning to feel some fatigue in my legs after three days of skiing.

Back in the room I showered then asked the others if they were ready for breakfast. The only one ready and willing was Bella. She and l headed down to the buffet. It was near 9am so the crowd at its optimum. They were serving sausage and eggs again. Yum-yum. All the tables taken, we opted for the big comfy sofa in the lobby near the fire. Very nice! We both enjoyed perusing the local paper while we ate. Bella was an enjoyable date. She buttered a bagel to take back to Jacob.

Back in the room Mindy was up and in the shower. Said she was feeling a little better now that the antibiotics were kicking in. We were geared up and at the lift line by 1015am. Jacob was a bit more daring, this his third day boarding at the Valley. We started off doing Laurel and Tannenbaum then sprinkled in a few runs on Crystal, Northwind, & Mardi Gras. While Mindy and the kids played on the green and blue hills, I peeled off for a few runs each on Yodeler & Champagne. Yodeler was a real workout. Never have I seen it so mogulled. But the moguls and rollers were spaced far enough apart to allow for carving, but with my tired legs it was one heck of a workout. The benefit, of course, was that Champagne now seemed like a piece of cake. I guess it's all a matter of perspective!

We took a lunch break in the room near 1230pm enjoying Honey Baked ham sandwiches and brew. It was 2pm before we headed out again. I had a heck of a buzz after just two beers. It was snowed on and off all day, and sometimes hard. After our break we noticed that Morning Star was now opened. Excitedly, we skied over there and did that run. Like most other times, it wasn't groomed which made it difficult for the Mindy and the kids. Not entirely sure why, but they had created large tight rollers even on Mardi Gras. The snow boarders were loving it.  We spent a lot of time on Tannenbaum & Crystal until another late afternoon break in the Tannenbaum lodge, after which Mindy & Bella tried out the new mountain coaster for $8 each. For my money, it appeared a rip off. Begins at the Tannenbaum lodge and ends or turns around, just above where the Tannenbaum run releases into Spruce Lake. They both enjoyed it, but Mindy agreed that it was priced way to high. She cited $3 as the right price. After the coaster ride we did a few more runs at that end but spent the lion's share of our evening on Mardi Gras, Northwind and Cindy's.  By nightfall, Jacob's confidence was soaring. He was doing all of his runs without stopping and even did Cindy's from the very top, which by then was quite daunting (icy and mogully). I was very surprised, He even asked if he could stay there and ride up the Cindy's lift by himself while we did Northwind. Mindy & Bella headed in a run before Jacob and I.

We finished up our Thursday skiing around 7pm with a plan to return to the Depot for dinner, but this time for their pizza.  When we headed in it was still snowing albeit lightly. Regardless, it was the wintry conditions we'd been hoping for all autumn long, and for that I was most grateful.

Mindy & Bella were showering when Jacob and I got back to the room. We headed to dinner at 8pm. Once again, I had to scrape the Pilot clear of snow. The Depot was a bit more crowded than the evening before. Including us, there were two parties waiting tables. Thankfully, the wait wasn't too long, about 10 minutes. This time we were seated closer to restrooms, or deeper into the narrow establishment. Brian was our server again. Mindy & Bella were pleased with that. He remembered what I was drinking but was lost when trying to recall both Mindy & Bella's preferences.

We ordered two large pizzas. The first, a pepperoni, and the  second a pepperoni, sausage, and hot pepper rings. Took about 10-15 minutes for our pies to arrive. Mindy and I shared the latter while Jacob and Bella shared the former. It was better than Cadillac Jack's but definitely not anywhere close to the  pizza back home. I enjoyed a 2nd Jack & Coke with dinner. Brian brought us a pizza box for our leftovers which amounted to nearly an entire pie.

We tuned into the Baylor/Washington Alamo bowl batch-up from our beds. I started to dose right off but quickly got my second wind. The game was exciting. Lots of scoring and lots of big plays. Bella gave both Mindy & I a foot massage while we watched the game. It was heavenly. Still can't believe she's that good at it.

Mindy eventually put in her ear plugs and asked if we could turn off the TV more than once. And eventually both kids asked the same. But I held my ground wanting badly to watch more of the game.  I turned the volume way down as a concession. Baylor was behind by 18 points at one point. I must've fallen asleep mid way through the third quarter. When I woke they were up 52 - 49 with about 8 minutes left. I didn't see any more of the game. Good night moon!