Wednesday 03-08-17

Well we made the decision to leave on Thursday. This was based on weather forecast for the mid-section of the country. But before we go, we got in one more day of skiing at Keystone. The morning sunrise was beautiful and we got to the parking lot by 8am and we walked into an empty resort. We got to the lift line by 8:10am, and we got FIRST CHAIR. We skied with our friends and went down trails on perfectly groomed conditions. It was a wonderful way to end our vacation. We spent the rest of the day loading the car, getting rid of the garbage and just getting ready for early Thursday morning. This will be my last blog entry. So long and see you next year.

Tuesday 03-07-17

While it wasn't snowing this morning, the winds were howling at about 40 MPH under clear blue skies. We went to Copper Mtn and to our surprise, not many Spring Breakers. We had many of the trails to ourselves and the snow was good. The winds were still blowing hard by 1pm and the trails then became a little icy. In fact, if you looked at the trees, you wouldn't have known that it snowed yesterday. Any way, we have started to look at the travel forecast for the weekend and it looks like a mixture of wind, snow and rain depending what state you are travelling thru. We may make a decision to leave on Thursday to try and stay ahead of the weather.

Monday 03-06-17

Woke this morning to a mini-blizzard. Three or four inches of snow had fallen overnight and with the wind blowing around 35 MPH, visibility was near zero. Temps were around 15 degrees so it was a light soft snow. Many of the roadways (rt70) and mountain passes were closed. Winds reached 80-90 MPH over these passes. It quickly became clear that it wasn't a ski day. Around 12 noon, I decided to go to the Rec center for some exercise. In the afternoon, it was still VERY windy but it appeared the snow had ended. By evening, we were able to go to the Dam Brewery for Happy Hour. The forecast now calls for an end of the snow for the next 7 days with increasing temps into the upper 40s and low 50s. The winds have also increased the fire damage in Denver and Eastern Colorado. This will have to be watched.

Sunday 03-05-17

The morning started with overhead clouds and mild temps. When we went to church, you noticed all of the Nebraska and Texas cars in the parking lot. Start of the Spring Breakers from those states. The church was packed. After church we took a ride to Copper Mtn and saw the crowds that were already there. Lift lines were about 10-15 minutes. Also you saw the need for more snow. The mountain tops were bare in many areas because of the high winds blowing the snow around. We looked at one restaurant - CB Grill for possibly enjoying a late lunch/early dinner. But after looking at the prices, we decided against it. A rib eye  steak was only $80. Since it was near 4pm, we decided to go to the Arapahoe Cafe for $7 burgers. The forecast did call for snow starting in the early evening, but by 9pm, the stars were still out. Maybe tomorrow for the snow.

Saturday 03-04-17

Another beautiful morning. Not a cloud in the sky except for the Wave Cloud over Keystone. This cloud stayed there for 5 hours without moving. After doing some chores around the house, we went to Vail to check on the crowds. The weekend people were all out and enjoying the mild 40's temp. The non-discounted rate for one day of skiing is $179 (WOW). We tried to have a drink at one of the many lift side bars but they were overcrowded with a wait time of an outdoor seat of 1 hour. We then went to Garfingkers and found a seat indoors. I asked several people how the snow was and they all said it was GREAT. However, they also said the lift lines were about 15-20 minutes. That's why we don't ski weekends. Tomorrow is suppose to be a copy of today. Snow is also expected to move in late Sunday night, early Monday morning.

Thursday / Friday 03-02/03-03-17

Yesterday and today were very similar days. Total sunshine from morning till night with mild temps in the afternoon. We went to Breckenridge yesterday and Keystone today. While there were many people walking around at the top of the lifts very few were found on the slopes. There wasn't much wind either day at the resorts. At Keystone we went very early and we got the third lift. We were able to cruse down the 3 1/2 mile Schoolmarm trail with no one on it. Afterwards we tried to get a quick drink at the Last Life bar but it wasn't opened yet and it was closing at 3pm for a private party for the National Brotherhood of Skiers. At the end of the day, we went to Sauce for dinner. Temps are suppose to rise into the high 40s and low 50s over the weekend.

Wednesday 03-01-17

It was a beautiful morning. Overnight we received about 1 inch of new snow. With the sun and cold temps (+8), the snow sparkled on the roadway. We went to Copper Mtn and with the new snow, the skiing was great. As we started to get on the lift, we saw many of the kids waiting for their ski instructor playing in the snow. Other than the people at the restaurant and at the bottom of the lift, the trails were empty. At the Union Creek lift, I noticed another food stand (Chuck's Wagon) getting ready to open at 11:30am. We skied right thru lunch time and at the end of the day we skied down to JJ's for a very late lunch. Today was a real "Blue Bird Day". The forecast now shows the next 5-6 days as "Blue Bird Days". This should really bring in the locals from Denver over the weekend.

Tuesday 02-28-17

Overnight we received about 5 inches of snow and it continued thru the day. We went to Copper Mtn to ski and we were greeted with power conditions. While the light made clearly seeing where we were going, it was fun going thru the soft snow. We only skied about 2 hours before the blowing snow, on occasion, made it to difficult to ski.  After lunch, we got ready to celebrate Fat Tuesday at Keystone. The events were all outside with 15 tents participating in a Gumbo cook off. Many people were in costumes and wearing beads . Music was supplied by the Nacho band. I started to feel sorry for them because of the snow, wind and COLD. But it was fun. Tomorrow is suppose to be a sunny but COLD day.