Hap Hap Happy in Holiday Valley - Ski Day #1

I woke a time or two during the overnight and even once considered getting up and heading to the Inn lobby. Glad I didn't. Instead, I fell back asleep and didn't get up again until 640am. Eager to run and ski, I quickly dressed for my run. Having done this a time or two, I had my running clothes in a single pile in the closet where i could grab 'em and slip into the bathroom for a quick change with minimal interruption to the others. I was out of the room by 655am and in the lobby enjoying a small cup of Starbucks before heading out for a run.

And yes, it snowed overnight, and in fact it was still snowing, but at the time only about inch of new accumulation. It was cold, too, only 12 degrees. Expecting a high of only 19 or 20. I ran my usual route into town. And like many snow days the past couple years, they had the sidewalks plowed clean. Sweet! I love Ellicottville. Does my heart good to run Jefferson Ave. Feel right at home. Noticed a sign now posted at the old cemetery sharing that it's on the national registry of historical places. Burials there dating back to 1817, many of whom were born prior to our independence in 1776. Something to ponder as one takes in the landmark.

The run went well. Wished some locals shoveling their drives a happy new year. As fun as my run was, I was happy to be back at the Inn for more coffee and ultimately breakfast. I prepared two cups of Starbuck then headed back to the room. Mindy was already up and getting ready for breakfast and skiing. That made me happy. Both kids wanted to sleep. Jacob, I wasn't surprised, but Bella? Odd, she usually looks very forward to breakfast at the Inn. However, that said, she hardly got a wink of sleep Saturday night in anticipation of our ski trip.

Mindy and I headed to breakfast together. French toast and sausage were the two main offerings. Of course they had all the accoutrements too. Before heading back to the room, Mindy headed to the lobby to get our lift tickets. I headed back to the room and to unload our skis from the Thule. That went pretty easily. Back in the room Mindy shared that her credit cards were denied. We both expected it due to the data breach but later learned it was something much more benign - she hadn't activated them properly. Rarely uses them.

Both kids wanted to sleep in even longer. Mindy, on the other hand, was eager to ski. She and I headed out after asking the kids to text once they were up and ready. We were at the Sunrise lift by 905am - probably the earliest we've been at the lifts in several trips to HV. The runs were groomed best they could but more ice than soft snow. In fact, as Mindy put it, the conditions were ice with a dusting of snow. To be fair, some more so than others. Sunrise and Cindy's were especially icy. Mardi Gras, Champagne, Morning Star and others were decent. Snow makers blowing everywhere. HV doesn't miss an opportunity to make snow, even when they're in the midst of a winter storm, just as we were on the leading edge of at the time.

We skid together for about 90 minutes before heading in the Yodeler lodge for a break. It was only 1045am and I was ordering a Southern Tier IPA - Horrah! We shared a bowl of chili in a bread bowl too. Can't remember if Mindy had a beer too, but think she did. Around 1115am the kids sent a text sharing that they were in fact ready to come ski. Wanted us to come get 'em. No problem. We skied back across the resort to the Inn and went to the room where they were dressed in their gear and ready.

Skied all day. Snowed all day. A winter wonderland indeed. Around 2pm we took a break at the T-bar on the 3rd floor of the HV lodge. Love that place. Ordered another S.T. IPA. Yum! We ordered food, again, too. Can't remember exactly what but it was good. Not sure if I had one or two beers.

Skied all afternoon until about 430pm. I was a little disappointed when everybody said they were done for the day. Meh! Better to start fresh again the following day, I guess. My plan was to get out of the ski clothes and then head directly to the hot tub. The kids suggested dinner first. Holy crap! I wasn't even hungry. Mindy agreed with me. If we did it the other way, good chance we'd never have made it to the hot tub. It was just Mindy, Bella, and me. Jacob never wants to hot tub. In fact, he's really good and NOT doing the family things with us. Sad!

We enjoyed our time in the hot tub and like always, met a few interesting people. Sure, the hot tub was packed but emptied in a hurry. I took our cooler, a bottle of wine, and a jug of Barley's St Nick's Xmas ale. We had our plastic hot tub tumblers too. Bella swam while we hot tubbed. She loves the outdoor/indoor heated pool. I met she and Mindy in the sauna for a brief bit before we headed back to the room. Our plan was to do dinner at Cadillac Jack's.
A shower felt terrific. I needed one badly having not had one since early Sunday AM before leaving home. Headed to Cadillac Jack's near 7pm. Not too impressed with their beer menu, I opted for orange soda. I didn't need the alcohol anyway. Drank enough beer earlier while on the slopes and in the hot tub. Was really bummed that they were out of steamed mussels. Dang it!

Again, can't recall for certain what I ate, but remember it being good. Think I had a bowl of lobster bisque. We were there for about an hour. We walked back to the Inn, which is directly across the street. By then it was feeling really cold, the temperature a chilly10 degrees. Back in the room I poured a Jack & Coke but couldn't finish it. I was bloated and full. Once again, I was sound asleep somewhere between 9-930pm.