colorado ski trip!
1/31 - Saturday
Cindy wakes up dreaming of the bacon she courageously delivered to Sam’s house. Sam wakes up bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and begins frying bacon and flipping pancakes. Cindy is delighted but overtakes the pancake situation shortly upon witnessing the process.
The two travel to the airport via the Link whilst burdened by their giant ski gear. Luckily, upon arriving at the airport, Cindy and Sam are invited to sit in the airport golf cart, easing their load dramatically. Ready for a peaceful ride, they soon discover they have signed up for a different experience. The enthusiastic golf cart driver soon unleashes a flurry of honks and pummels through the crowd as pedestrian victims urgently scurry out of his line of fire. After assailing the weary travelers with shrill honks and yelling “out of the way” and “coming through”, the driver makes sure to smile and wish each victim good morning as they toss him a side eye. Sam is very overstimulated by the honking at strangers and feels great secondhand embarrassment. Cindy revels in the chaos.
Aboard the flight, Cindy and Sam tragically sit in middle seats in the same aisle. To Cindy’s grand surprise, the flight is only 2 hours, and Cindy happily reads The Stranger as Sam reads and finishes Project Hail Mary. When they land in Denver, they meet Steve (Sam’s dad) and Joan (Steve’s girlfriend) at Fox car rentals. They pile in the XL Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo and begin their ascent into the mountains. Shortly into their ascent, they are interrupted by hungry stomachs and make a pit stop in Lakewood, CO for a Mexican dinner. Sam curiously directs the crew into an eccentric plaza where exotic birds and reptiles are sold alongside a church event venue and their Mexican restaurant of interest, Chapalas.
Everyone is defeated when they enter the bustling restaurant laden with customers but are quickly persuaded to enter the line by the hostess and the other hungry onlookers who are seasoned veterans of the place. The line passes quickly and before they know it, Sam is sipping a ginormous mile-high margarita, Steve expanding his culinary horizons with a gordita, Cindy is beholden by a massive fajita spread, and Joan is eating tacos which she states to be as good as the ones she had in the real Mexico.
Back on the road, Cindy and Joan doze off in the back while Steve and Sam navigate the winding mountains and safely arrive at the luxurious Airbnb in Frisco, CO. They somehow ascend from 5,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation in an hour. Cindy and Sam, on an adventurous late night stroll, discover they are conveniently located in a hubbub of relevant stores and make many purchases from Walmart. Sam replenishes his moisturizer and toothpaste supply which were stolen by the TSA. The travelers settle in for the night, anticipating a wondrous ski vacation for the next week.
2/1 - Sunday
Early in the morning, Sam’s college friend Cam arrives at the Airbnb. The morning is quite jolly as everyone sips coffee and eats egg sandwiches crafted by Sam. They have an easy ride to Copper Mountain via car and then shuttle. Cindy, Sam, and Cam start the day skiing moguls off Excelerator, Super Bee, Revolution, and the T-bar. They have a fantastic morning, and Cindy feels a familiar joy as she is jostled by the firm bumps. Sam is very happy to be back skiing as well, albeit nervous to see how his multifaceted leg will hold up under such sustained and varied conditions.
For lunch, they go to the lodge in Central Village where the depleted skiers are assaulted with lodge price inflation. Cam purchases a $17 tallboy. Sam and Cindy split 3 chicken tenders and some fries, valued at $21. Steve buys nothing. Steve is known for his frugality. Everyone looks for Joan, but she shares that she is off “fighting her dragons”.
This is reasonable as there is very thin snow coverage with large, deep moguls abound in rocks, roots, and brush galore. They managed to find good snow and fun bumps worth skiing, but it certainly takes its toll. They do a few more runs after lunch and call it around 4 PM.
The day is not over as Sam has grand plans to acquire a Melanzana hoodie, a Colorado exclusive. Cindy, deeply susceptible to marketing schemes and Sam’s influence, soon finds herself desperately wanting to obtain this arbitrary piece of clothing as well.
Sam, Cindy, and Cam set sail for Leadville, CO, to acquire these hoodies. On the beautiful drive over, they encountered a large mining facility that harvests molybdenum from the mountains. It is called Moly for short. They learn that Cam, a recently minted JD now working for the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, is suing the Molybdenum mine for water compliance failures. Sam is fascinated to see such a large mine in action, cutting perfectly horizontal lines through the sharp, vertical mountains. He sees many large mining trucks driving along these lines, hauling their day’s work back to home base.
The Melanzana store is fascinating and preceded by a Taco Bell pit stop. It appears to be the site of all Melanzana manufacturing. Naturally, there is a meager supply available for purchase without an appointment, and the next appointment slot is in August. Sam finds a dashing blue hoodie, and Cindy discovers she can fit into a kid’s large. Everyone leaves happy.
For dinner, the skiers buy pasta and salad ingredients from Safeway. They seamlessly make two boxes of pasta accompanied by a delectable bolognese sauce. Dinner is tasty and needs to be followed by a digestive walk to avoid further complications. Once back, everyone plays Cindy’s favorite game Squabble. We learn some new words: rex, cubit, atonal, and jape.
Though everyone is tired, rest lies at 9,000 ft elevation. Not everyone sleeps well. Sam’s heart rate is significantly elevated and he does not sleep much. Cindy experiences sleep paralysis much to her dismay. Others suffer from dry mouth in the arid atmosphere.
2/2 - Monday
The day magically starts with a giant waffle breakfast before returning to Copper Mountain. Sam, Cam, and Cindy are quite a good chef team as they seamlessly churn out many waffles and eggs. Today Joan enters ski school and Steve joins the other skiers. The conditions are much like to the previous day, and it seems that more snow has melted. To Cindy’s deep dark regret, she takes Sam on a run that makes him feel bad things happening to his leg, initiating a solid cry, and ultimately challenging his spirit. At the end of the run, Cindy finds Sam with tears in his eyes, blood on his lips. Everyone agrees it’s lunchtime.
Sam and Cam curiously eat bagels with cream cheese and peanut butter. Cindy observes with mild distaste. After some more skiing, Cam sadly leaves. Cindy and Sam grind out another delicious dinner to supplement the previous night’s pasta with some more sauce and sausage as well as a nutritious bean salad. Sam and Cindy go on another digestive walk. Once home, the team crushes the crossword and watches a movie called Lou. Lou was good enough to warrant further discussion.
2/3 - Tuesday
Sam, tormented by yesterday’s mogul experience, needs to take a day off. Cindy finds a natural hot spring for the two to visit. After showing Steve and Joan the Moly mine and dropping them off at Copper, Sam and Cindy drive to Radium Hot Springs where they speed through vast and dry mountainous landscapes. Blustery snowstorms in Frisco quickly turn into bright blue skies and rolling desert hills. They enter a well maintained service road and drive a few miles to the trailhead, which likely would not have been passable in years with normal amounts of snowfall.
Once parked and ready for a short hike to the springs, they walk half a mile down a steep trail that leads to the Colorado River. They reach a step drop-off by the river and sure enough, at the base lies a serene pool circled with perfectly formed rocks abutting the river. Cindy and Sam excitedly descend and are in awe at their grand fortune, as the pool is both very warm, and they are the sole visitors.
As they are enjoying the steam and warmth, a lone hiker descends into their territory. The lone hiker, Helen, is very friendly and speaks highly of Colorado, enticing Cindy and Sam with a summer visit.
On their way out, they stop by the small mountain town of Kremmling and dine at a saloon and drive off with an ice cream cone each.
For dinner, Steve and Joan are determined to switch roles and make dinner. Cindy and Sam wait in anticipation to see what they whip up. Sam knows dinner could be suspicious, albeit simple. They are wonderfully surprised by rotisserie chicken, a cabbage-apple slaw, and white yams. After dinner, Sam and Cindy resume their digestive walk as expected and start the movie Hitman, which holds promise as entertainment.
2/4 - Wednesday
Today, Cindy, Sam, and Steve venture to Arapahoe Basin. As they drive through the winding mountain road, they are greeted with massive snowy peaks that tower over them. They are stunned as they pull in to the A-Basin main parking lot as the ski resort is situated in the basin of an awe-inspiring peak. They are able to park three rows away from the lifts and lodges - a statement that is rarely made at any other resort. The day is off to a good start.
The snow is soft and much more plentiful than at Copper. The alpine zone appears larger, with rows of couloirs and jagged peaks surrounding the basin. Spirits soar as everyone explores all that A-Basin has to offer. They ski mini halfpipes, softer moguls, rare bits of powder, grippy groomers, and even secret trails open at 2 PM. Sam soars through the snow yipping as he goes much to his relief, excitement, and growing confidence. Cindy watches warmly.
For dinner, Sam and Cindy unexpectedly whip up a delicious taco bowl creation and finish Hitman with Joan and Steve. Not as good as it started.
2/5 - Thursday
On Thursday, the day resumes with the classic egg breakfast. Cindy, Sam, and Steve head to A-Basin again. Sam loses his phone in the Airbnb and is unfortunately frustrated for the ride up. They ski intensely, eat their divine lunch consisting of a cream cheese bagel paired with a hot chocolate. They discover a few new parts of the resort but have largely skied all the open terrain. Arapahoe Basin delivers another solid day and set of conditions. For dinner, Cindy and Sam craft delicious taco bowls again. The night ends with a movie called Amish Stud, the retold story of an Amish womanizer and murder. Better than Hitman, worse than Lou.
2/6 - Friday
The week draws to a close as the last ski day arrives. Everyone travels to the mountain together, engulfed in a cloud of hope and darkness as they will be flying out the next day. Cindy and Sam rerun some of the fan favorites like Triple Zero and inevitably end up in the lodge, unable to contain their excitement to consume their Mexican burritos prepared the night before. Sam’s burrito exploded in his backpack while Cindy’s remained in pristine condition. They enjoy another hot chocolate hack. Unfortunately, they do not make it back on the mountain. Fortunately, they are in the right place at the right time to hear some live music, inadvertently participating in some Friday afternoon Apres. They rendezvous with Joan and Steve at the live music, which they naturally gravitated towards. It seems they had an excellent day skiing together and are in good spirits.
Once home, the group tackles the great task of preparing a takeout order at the local BBQ restaurant. Cindy eats a 1 lb rack of ribs, as does Steve, Sam eats a ½ lb of brisket, and Joan gets a 1/2 lb of pulled pork. Additionally, Cindy and Sam each have a side of mac and cheese along with a shared side of potato salad. Cindy devours her ribs and feasts on the cornbread. Dinner is cheerful and everyone is deeply sated.
The next activity is of course, watching the Olympics opening ceremony. Joan discovers she had already been paying for a Peacock subscription, and the four of them watch the opening ceremony. Most countries come out in alphabetical order, but a few such as France, the USA, and Italy are the last three. None of the Olympic outfits are as good as the USA’s.
On their last night, everyone scurries to finish the food as perishables will need to be tossed tomorrow. Steve takes one for the team making a cream cheese rotisserie chicken concoction that elicits a reaction of strong aversion from the others. He perseveres on, bringing it as his plane snack. Cindy is inspired to generate her own creation, and wraps up a chicken-bean salad-hot sauce wrap for the following day.
2/7 - Saturday
Everyone wakes up early to leave the Airbnb by 9:30 AM. Sam and Cindy immediately begin their waffle operation, which is quite large, to finish off the trip. They whip up six delicious and fluffy waffles, Cindy concocts blueberry syrup, fresh coffee, bananas, and maple syrup for everyone. Despite Steve’s full stomach he thoroughly enjoys a pancake, and Joan liked hers so much she made one for later. Cindy and Sam’s bellies and hearts are full from such a delicious breakfast and an amazing trip.
After packing everything into the car, the team returns the rental car near the airport and goes through security and bag checking. The airport is weirdly laid out, with multiple trips to multiple vertical levels for each step of the airport process. Sam and Cindy’s gate is surprisingly close to Steve and Joan’s gate, so they hang out until they part ways to their respective gates. It is very pleasant to spend so much time together. Sam and Cindy have a normal flight home to Seattle, again in opposite middle seats. Sam lugs the crazy double ski bags from Colorado back to Seattle.
Upon reaching their homes, Cindy and Sam set off for Michaels, the Dollar Store, and Trader Joe’s to complete Cindy’s preparations for Galentine’s. It ended up being a massive success that will be told in another story, someday…