Colorado Skiing
Lila and
Alan Visit Pete and Sandy in Buena Vista, Colorado
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We just returned from Colorado, where I had the fabulous opportunity
to ski once again with my friend Pete, while Lila was visiting with
Pete’s wife, Sandy. This visit was similar to our skiing trip in
2005, when we stayed with Pete and Sandy and visited ski resorts
near their home in Buena Vista. |
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Pete and Sandy picked us up
at the airport in Denver and we drove to Buena Vista, experiencing
spectacular views of the Colorado Mountains and especially our drive
through wind-swept South Park. Our time with Pete and Sandy has
always been nothing less than wonderful; they are great hosts and
are extremely warm and delightful people. For city people, Lila
and I are also treated to the sight of deer at their back door each
morning. |
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This trip was
particularly exciting for me as I had recently gone through a
medical ordeal in November not knowing if I would be able to ski in
February, lest ski at all in the future. But, fortunately, I did
recover rapidly and was able to resume skiing as planned.
I did approach
this trip with a little trepidation, concerned with the strength of
my shoulder after the surgery and also having sufficient stamina to
ski the slopes. In fact, it was a very successful trip…I skied
better than I have in many years and even felt stronger and more
confident.
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Additionally, this
was the first year that I was eligible to ski “free” …that means no
charge for lift tickets. I qualified for free lift tickets because
I reached the tender age of 70 years old. Many ski resorts still
offer skiers who are at that age or older the opportunity to ski at
no charge…they no doubt believe that we “seniors” will not be on the
slopes very long and be spending more time in the lodge drinking hot
chocolate….well, that is what we did…… |
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Pete and I skied at a local ski resort, Monarch which
has many runs and lifts and is normally frequented by
those who live in the southern Colorado and northern New
Mexico region. We did ski at the Copper Ski
Resort, but it was definitely more crowded and less
enjoyable. Facilities at Monarch were perfect for
us…the runs were long and challenging, the snow
excellent and the lodge was very accessible.
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Our skiing time was less constrained by the necessity to
make as many runs as possible each day and more so by
the pleasure we were having just selecting and making
each run. This was even truer as we did not have
to pay for the lift tickets. One day was bitterly
cold …with temperatures in the single digits, but most
of the days were just perfect with temperatures in the
high teens or twenties.
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We did take one
day off from skiing so that we could visit Bishop’s Castle …..an
amazing achievement as it was the effort of only one man….
Read more about Bishop Castle.
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