Our trip is nearly over. We had a glorious time in Yellowstone. While we did not have access to the internet there, I still wrote up daily journal entries. Unfortunately, you will have to wait a few more days for me to get pictures posted as I've taken hundreds and have not started weeding through them. We are sitting in Bozeman with internet access and I'll take the opportunity to post our activities from the past week. Here is the first of a few posts.
January 10, 2009
Today was a travel day. We took the Alpine Taxi (shuttle service) from our condo in Steamboat to Hayden Airport, flew to Bozeman with a connection in Salt Lake City, then were shuttled via the Karst Stage Shuttle from the Bozeman airport to West Yellowstone. Luckily all our travel worked out as scheduled and we had no problems.
January 11, 2009
We arrived in Yellowstone today and it is just as pretty as I imagined it would be. The thermal features are steaming in the cold air and all the trees in the steam are iced over with what's called hoarfrost that turns them completely white covered in ice and snow. Now they are ghost trees standing on the edge of boiling mud pits and bubbling geyser basins.
This morning we took the Xanterra express snowcoach from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful. We rode in what's called a Bombardier and is pretty hard to describe. It's almost like a very small and aerodynamic tank that sits on snow tracks. There is a luggage rack on the roof to hold our suitcases, and we sat in side on benches that lined the walls of the interior of the Bombardier. Eight of us fit inside, and we might have been able to squeeze in 2 more if we were forced to, but it was cozy with 8. Since this was an express shuttle, we went straight to Old Faithful with no stops. There were about 4 photographers on board including myself and I was the least equipped. The others had a tripod or two, and full camera backpacks full of lenses. The hardest part of travel for me is deciding how much photog gear to bring and I usually try to minimize it as much as possible because it is less to haul that way. We took photos as our snowcoach bumped along noisily through the park's entrance road. Hopefully I got a few non-blurry shots.
We arrived at Old Faithful just in time to see it erupt so we trekked out to have a look. We took a less-traveled path and ended up thigh deep in snow. Thankfully we found the traveled path and continued in on foot. The day was overcast and the steam was pouring from the blowhole. We could tell there was some water shooting up, but mostly we saw a mixture of clouds and steam. It was still spectacular, but the photo-op was less than perfect. There will be many other opportunities, however. We strolled around the Old Faithful area on the boardwalks finding it easy to stay on the path because of the foot-trampled snow in front of us. There are lots of signs warning us not to travel off the path, but in the winter the boardwalk covered in snow looks exactly the same as the thermal area next to the boardwalk covered in snow. Finally we were cold and hungry, so we went back to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge for lunch. Did you know that the historic Old Faithful Inn that we all see pictures of is not equipped to handle winter guests? Apparently the people who built it figured that no one would be brave enough to come into the park during the cold winter months, so the Inn has no insulation. It's closed. So, we are in the somewhat adjacent Snow Lodge that has winter services. Our next snowcoach was picking us up soon, so we borrowed some books from the little library cart they had and read about Yellowstone while we waited.
The four hour snowcoach ride from old Faithful to Mammoth Springs was excellent. We pulled out and walked around the area of the Painted Pots where we got to see a lot of ghost trees and bubbling mud. We also stopped for any wildlife on the side of the road that we wanted to capture on camera. Our guide was really nice about stopped anywhere for us. We got to see lots of bison in the distance digging their massive heads into the snow. They dig down to the Earth to hopefully find grass to eat. When they rise from their digging hole, their heads are giant white masks of snow. We also saw lots of Canadian geese, trumpeter swans, other ducks, a couple eagles, ravens of course, elk, and of course lots and lots and lots of snow. The snow here is white and untouched and when it blankets an interesting landscape full of rocks, downed trees, thermal features, and more, it is really quite beautiful to look at. Many of the streams here are fed by thermally heated waters so they do not freeze over, but move briskly through the snow-covered canyons and meadows. At the end of our journey it not only started snowing to almost white-out conditions, but it also got dark, so when we spotted a carcass a ways off the road, we could only imagine what it must look like in the non-hazy conditions. There were ravens and even an eagle eating their dinner.
we can't wait for our tours tomorrow when we'll see even more features and wildlife.
Be sure to visit http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com/
Friday, January 16, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Last day in Steamboat
January 9, 2009
It's another snow day. We woke up this morning to find a winter wonderland outside and the snow was still falling. I would guess that about 5 inches fell overnight. We bundled up for our last day skiing and headed out into the snow. Since we had a day off yesterday, we started out on the Christy Express which goes up the lower part of the mountain. I was a little concerned that after the warm day yesterday, the skiing would be icy, but with all the snow it was fresh powder. In fact on the sides of the slopes it was quite deep. When our skis took us into the embankment, we were about shin deep in the snow. After a couple runs on lower mountain, we got on the gondola to head up to the top to take the 3 mile green trail down the mountain called Why Not. When we got off the gondola, it was almost a complete white out. There seemed to be a little less people on the mountain today and we had a good ski down the mountain. For a change of pace, we had lunch at the base of the mountain at a place called Gondola Pub and Grill where Mark ate on the first day. There was no wait for a table which was nice and we had a glorious meal of hamburgers. The fifth day of skiing this week was taking it out of us and gravity held us to our seats like glue.
Somehow we managed to unstick ourselves and give our table to some other hungry skiers and we went straight up the gondola. It's colder on the top of the mountain, and the first run down Spur Run to the ski lift was chilly. Plus the snow was falling harder and harder. While on the lift that took us back up the mountain to the gondola we started getting a little buried in snow. =) Not really, but we were covered. We did one more run down Spur Run and Joanna started to take some of the steeper sections. Finally it was time for the last run of the day. On the way back to the gondola we entered even more of a white out than earlier. In fact we could hardly see the building we were headed towards. Joanna took a short blue run that linked up with the green run that Mark was headed on. The blue run didn't look so intimidating because in the white out I couldn't see the bottom and see how long and steep it was. Our last ski of the day was through some of the hardest snow we've seen yet and Joanna's hair iced up and froze. We took some pictures of ourselves covered in snow that you can see below.
At the bottom of the mountain the Music Fest that had been going on all week in the evenings was in full swing in the afternoon and we walked through the snow covered crowd and turned in our rented skis and boots. I was very glad to give up those ski boots. Our clunky hiking boots always feel so light and airy after taking off our ski boots. Plus with the hiking books we've got a range of motion in our ankles. =) Imagine if we had tennis shoes! To finish off the day we headed to a cafe for a hot cookie each. The hot cookie was about as big as my hand if I made a jazz hand and it was gooey and yummy and hit the spot after all the day's activity.
The rest of our day was pretty boring as we are just hanging out in the condo watching tv, doing laundry, and being generally lazy. Tomorrow we head out to Yellowstone. We won't arrive in West Yellowstone until late at night and while in the park we won't have any internet unless we are really really lucky. So, we'll go on a posting break and let you know how it all went in a week. We head back to Houston on January 17th. If you can't see the pictures be sure to visit: http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com
It's another snow day. We woke up this morning to find a winter wonderland outside and the snow was still falling. I would guess that about 5 inches fell overnight. We bundled up for our last day skiing and headed out into the snow. Since we had a day off yesterday, we started out on the Christy Express which goes up the lower part of the mountain. I was a little concerned that after the warm day yesterday, the skiing would be icy, but with all the snow it was fresh powder. In fact on the sides of the slopes it was quite deep. When our skis took us into the embankment, we were about shin deep in the snow. After a couple runs on lower mountain, we got on the gondola to head up to the top to take the 3 mile green trail down the mountain called Why Not. When we got off the gondola, it was almost a complete white out. There seemed to be a little less people on the mountain today and we had a good ski down the mountain. For a change of pace, we had lunch at the base of the mountain at a place called Gondola Pub and Grill where Mark ate on the first day. There was no wait for a table which was nice and we had a glorious meal of hamburgers. The fifth day of skiing this week was taking it out of us and gravity held us to our seats like glue.
Somehow we managed to unstick ourselves and give our table to some other hungry skiers and we went straight up the gondola. It's colder on the top of the mountain, and the first run down Spur Run to the ski lift was chilly. Plus the snow was falling harder and harder. While on the lift that took us back up the mountain to the gondola we started getting a little buried in snow. =) Not really, but we were covered. We did one more run down Spur Run and Joanna started to take some of the steeper sections. Finally it was time for the last run of the day. On the way back to the gondola we entered even more of a white out than earlier. In fact we could hardly see the building we were headed towards. Joanna took a short blue run that linked up with the green run that Mark was headed on. The blue run didn't look so intimidating because in the white out I couldn't see the bottom and see how long and steep it was. Our last ski of the day was through some of the hardest snow we've seen yet and Joanna's hair iced up and froze. We took some pictures of ourselves covered in snow that you can see below.
At the bottom of the mountain the Music Fest that had been going on all week in the evenings was in full swing in the afternoon and we walked through the snow covered crowd and turned in our rented skis and boots. I was very glad to give up those ski boots. Our clunky hiking boots always feel so light and airy after taking off our ski boots. Plus with the hiking books we've got a range of motion in our ankles. =) Imagine if we had tennis shoes! To finish off the day we headed to a cafe for a hot cookie each. The hot cookie was about as big as my hand if I made a jazz hand and it was gooey and yummy and hit the spot after all the day's activity.
The rest of our day was pretty boring as we are just hanging out in the condo watching tv, doing laundry, and being generally lazy. Tomorrow we head out to Yellowstone. We won't arrive in West Yellowstone until late at night and while in the park we won't have any internet unless we are really really lucky. So, we'll go on a posting break and let you know how it all went in a week. We head back to Houston on January 17th. If you can't see the pictures be sure to visit: http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com
Glorious day for a snowshoe
January 8, 2009
We woke up today to sunny skies. It was a beautiful day, so we took the day off skiing and rented some snowshoes. Most of the parks in the area are not accessible easily by the free city bus, so we headed over to a city park and ski area called Howelson Hill. It seems to be more of a small ski area for the locals. They train many Olympic athletes here and are open for night skiing. They have ski jumps, tubing, and for us today, nordic trails. We snow showed on the side of the cross country ski trails through a meadow area and them up the mountain almost to the top. It got up to about 32 today, so we were very warm and put our jackets in our packs and just wore our fleece. As long as we were moving we were comfortable if not warm. The sun was out and so were the people. We encountered many people cross country skiing, or just out jogging through the snow with their dogs. The skiers had their dogs with them as well. I don't think we saw any dogs on leashes, but they were all very well behaved. With a clear day, we took the good camera out with us and got some good landscape shots. For the most part we stuck to the groomed trails, but had fun going "off roading" too. The snow here is so soft and powdery. Even in snowshoes we sink down to our knees. Without the snowshoes, I'm sure we'd be buried past our waist. It is also gorgeous snow because it sparkles like glitter in the sunlight. That's the Steamboat Springs Champagne Powder.
In order to be home in time for the BCS football championship game, we left the hill and headed back to the condo getting back by 6pm. It's been a tiring week and a tiring day traipsing through the snow so we were happy to collapse in the condo. However, I manged to get up to get some night pictures. Steamboat tonight was very different from the rest of the days. The day was so warm that the snow had melted from the roads and the sidewalks had melted and were refreezing into ice. Everything was now dirty instead of the pure white snow we'd been seeing. But it was still a perfect night for photos because the almost full moon was out, the sky was clear, and it wasn't crazy cold out.
If you can't see the pictures be sure to visit: http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com
Night shot of our condo:
We woke up today to sunny skies. It was a beautiful day, so we took the day off skiing and rented some snowshoes. Most of the parks in the area are not accessible easily by the free city bus, so we headed over to a city park and ski area called Howelson Hill. It seems to be more of a small ski area for the locals. They train many Olympic athletes here and are open for night skiing. They have ski jumps, tubing, and for us today, nordic trails. We snow showed on the side of the cross country ski trails through a meadow area and them up the mountain almost to the top. It got up to about 32 today, so we were very warm and put our jackets in our packs and just wore our fleece. As long as we were moving we were comfortable if not warm. The sun was out and so were the people. We encountered many people cross country skiing, or just out jogging through the snow with their dogs. The skiers had their dogs with them as well. I don't think we saw any dogs on leashes, but they were all very well behaved. With a clear day, we took the good camera out with us and got some good landscape shots. For the most part we stuck to the groomed trails, but had fun going "off roading" too. The snow here is so soft and powdery. Even in snowshoes we sink down to our knees. Without the snowshoes, I'm sure we'd be buried past our waist. It is also gorgeous snow because it sparkles like glitter in the sunlight. That's the Steamboat Springs Champagne Powder.
In order to be home in time for the BCS football championship game, we left the hill and headed back to the condo getting back by 6pm. It's been a tiring week and a tiring day traipsing through the snow so we were happy to collapse in the condo. However, I manged to get up to get some night pictures. Steamboat tonight was very different from the rest of the days. The day was so warm that the snow had melted from the roads and the sidewalks had melted and were refreezing into ice. Everything was now dirty instead of the pure white snow we'd been seeing. But it was still a perfect night for photos because the almost full moon was out, the sky was clear, and it wasn't crazy cold out.
If you can't see the pictures be sure to visit: http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com
Night shot of our condo:
Powder
January 7, 2009
The skiing today was very different from yesterday because it snowed 16 inches yesterday and today we were skiing through the powder. This meant that first there were lots of people out to enjoy the powder, and second that with so many people making fresh tracks in the snow, humps almost like moguls were forming on the ski runs. It was a bumpy day if we skied straight, but it was also very hard on the knees to ski around these small moguls.
Steamboat is on a warming trend, being in the 20s today, so while on the lower part of the mountain, we were too warm. We left our fleece layer in our storage bin at the base, however it got a bit chilly up at the gondola. We went up to the summit again today, but ended up stopping at the warming hut up on the mountain for food and warmth. It's amazing that we can ski at the top of the mountain, but still find a place with food and facilities. It was a great idea to stop there for lunch as we had time to relax and warm up before we headed back out. By today we've already skied the green runs on the mountain, so we were just repeating what we'd done. However, it felt very different with all the fresh snow.
We stopped early and headed downtown towards Howelson Hill to watch a ski jump competition that was supposed to happen, but it was canceled at the last minute due to all the deep snow. It just wasn't safe for the jumpers. So, we had a yummy dinner downtown followed by ice cream at a candy shop. We got to wait for the bus while eating ice cream that was not melting at all as we stood outside. It was good ice cream though. =)
I didn't take many pictures today, but posted a few below. If you can't see the images, be sure to check out http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com
The skiing today was very different from yesterday because it snowed 16 inches yesterday and today we were skiing through the powder. This meant that first there were lots of people out to enjoy the powder, and second that with so many people making fresh tracks in the snow, humps almost like moguls were forming on the ski runs. It was a bumpy day if we skied straight, but it was also very hard on the knees to ski around these small moguls.
Steamboat is on a warming trend, being in the 20s today, so while on the lower part of the mountain, we were too warm. We left our fleece layer in our storage bin at the base, however it got a bit chilly up at the gondola. We went up to the summit again today, but ended up stopping at the warming hut up on the mountain for food and warmth. It's amazing that we can ski at the top of the mountain, but still find a place with food and facilities. It was a great idea to stop there for lunch as we had time to relax and warm up before we headed back out. By today we've already skied the green runs on the mountain, so we were just repeating what we'd done. However, it felt very different with all the fresh snow.
We stopped early and headed downtown towards Howelson Hill to watch a ski jump competition that was supposed to happen, but it was canceled at the last minute due to all the deep snow. It just wasn't safe for the jumpers. So, we had a yummy dinner downtown followed by ice cream at a candy shop. We got to wait for the bus while eating ice cream that was not melting at all as we stood outside. It was good ice cream though. =)
I didn't take many pictures today, but posted a few below. If you can't see the images, be sure to check out http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com
Snow Tubes
January 6, 2009
It's our first day skiing together without an instructor. Steamboat had a very large mountain for skiing. So far we've really only been taking a lift called the Christy Express that only goes up what is called lower mountain. Lower mountain is perhaps only 1/3 or 1/4 of the height of the summit. Now we know how to take the gondola up the mountain. The gondola goes quite a ways up the mountain, but still not to the summit. In fact to get to the summit, we skied down to another lift called the Sundown Express and took that up to the summit. There is only one green run from the summit back down to the gondola, and most people that come up here are coming up for the blue and black runs. So, our skiing today was fairly uncrowded and we were able to take our time. If it had been less cloudy today and less snowy, we would have had a great view of Steamboat Springs, but even so we had a lot of fun trying out the new trails. We had lunch up on the mountain at the gondola where there was a food court for all the skiers that stay up on the mountain rather than going back down to the base. In fact even further up from the gondola was another shelter with a food court and facilities in case you were higher up and tired.
In the evening we reserved a spot to go tubing at a place called Saddleback Ranch. They came and picked us up at the transit center and took us out to the ranch. As it turned out, the ranch was pretty far away, a 40 minute ride with the road conditions. The snow was really picking up tonight. However, this meant the tubing was fantastic. The ranch has a whole lift just for tubes! Last year I went tubing at a place downtown called Howelson Hill and we just rode a sort of moving walkway up a hill (called a magic carpet) with our tubes to come sliding down. At Saddleback Ranch tonight, however, their hill was twice as tall and the lift was specifically made for tubes. Each tube is just an inner tube like we use to tube on a river, but it is covered with fabric and has a hard plastic bottom and a handle. To drag the tube, just hold the handle and drag it along behind like a puppy. So, their lift was pretty easy. At the bottom we sat in the tube at the bottom of the lift. the lift consisted of a wire with straight bars that act as hooks. We simply sat in the tube, and the operator attached the handle to the hook and we were dragged up the hill. once at the top, we were automatically unhooked from the hook by sliding down a small incline. We had a fabulous time tubing. We had an hour and a half and we made the most of it. We usually raced each other down by taking a running start at the top and sliding down belly down on the tube. It was a blast. It snowed very hard the whole time too, so the course was nice and slick. Also as we were pulled up the hill we had a small pile of snow in our laps by the time we were at the top. We got so covered in snow. Not only from the falling stuff, but very often while tubing down, we'd slide through the sides and get covered in powder. I flew through some powder head first and came out looking like a snowman. It was cold, but hilarious. I've never been so covered in snow before.
I've added some pictures of us tubing and standing in the snow below. If you can't see the images, be sure to check out http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com
It's our first day skiing together without an instructor. Steamboat had a very large mountain for skiing. So far we've really only been taking a lift called the Christy Express that only goes up what is called lower mountain. Lower mountain is perhaps only 1/3 or 1/4 of the height of the summit. Now we know how to take the gondola up the mountain. The gondola goes quite a ways up the mountain, but still not to the summit. In fact to get to the summit, we skied down to another lift called the Sundown Express and took that up to the summit. There is only one green run from the summit back down to the gondola, and most people that come up here are coming up for the blue and black runs. So, our skiing today was fairly uncrowded and we were able to take our time. If it had been less cloudy today and less snowy, we would have had a great view of Steamboat Springs, but even so we had a lot of fun trying out the new trails. We had lunch up on the mountain at the gondola where there was a food court for all the skiers that stay up on the mountain rather than going back down to the base. In fact even further up from the gondola was another shelter with a food court and facilities in case you were higher up and tired.
In the evening we reserved a spot to go tubing at a place called Saddleback Ranch. They came and picked us up at the transit center and took us out to the ranch. As it turned out, the ranch was pretty far away, a 40 minute ride with the road conditions. The snow was really picking up tonight. However, this meant the tubing was fantastic. The ranch has a whole lift just for tubes! Last year I went tubing at a place downtown called Howelson Hill and we just rode a sort of moving walkway up a hill (called a magic carpet) with our tubes to come sliding down. At Saddleback Ranch tonight, however, their hill was twice as tall and the lift was specifically made for tubes. Each tube is just an inner tube like we use to tube on a river, but it is covered with fabric and has a hard plastic bottom and a handle. To drag the tube, just hold the handle and drag it along behind like a puppy. So, their lift was pretty easy. At the bottom we sat in the tube at the bottom of the lift. the lift consisted of a wire with straight bars that act as hooks. We simply sat in the tube, and the operator attached the handle to the hook and we were dragged up the hill. once at the top, we were automatically unhooked from the hook by sliding down a small incline. We had a fabulous time tubing. We had an hour and a half and we made the most of it. We usually raced each other down by taking a running start at the top and sliding down belly down on the tube. It was a blast. It snowed very hard the whole time too, so the course was nice and slick. Also as we were pulled up the hill we had a small pile of snow in our laps by the time we were at the top. We got so covered in snow. Not only from the falling stuff, but very often while tubing down, we'd slide through the sides and get covered in powder. I flew through some powder head first and came out looking like a snowman. It was cold, but hilarious. I've never been so covered in snow before.
I've added some pictures of us tubing and standing in the snow below. If you can't see the images, be sure to check out http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com
Monday, January 5, 2009
January 5, 2009
Today was warm compared to yesterday! We could even pull down our face mask to breath the cold air. It was 8 degrees out when we started, but I forgot to check the temp when we left the ski area. We both took the level 4 ski school together. We had a huge group of 11 people. After a quick run down the short run, our class divided up in half and we took off to learn how to control our skis. In level 4 we learned how to control our skis while making turns. We were to keep our skis parallel and we learned how to control our weight distribution over the skis using technics like edging. Of course the big key to skiing is leaning forward, always. This is hard because we just aren't used to falling down a mountain. We all want to lean back and that's when we lose control. Yesterday we only took a lift called Christie III that took us about a quarter of the way up the mountain. In the afternoon today, we took the gondola up to the halfway point up the mountain. The elevation here was about 10,000 compared to the 7,000 at the base. Luckily there are still easy runs (green) at the top. Our ski instructor pushed us to move to the next level (blue runs) and half of our class was able to do the blue runs by the end of the day. Mark and I stuck to the greens. I don't know about Mark, but I'm okay with going slow and staying in control. I'm sure the blue runs aren't that bad, but from the top they look rather steep.
During our final run down the mountain, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped as the snow rolled in. By the time we stowed our skis for the night, it was snowing outside. We walked in the snow for a while, but eventually came back to the condo to warm up, make spaghetti for dinner, and watch the Fiesta Bowl on the TV.
We are having a great time on vacation and want to say Hi to everyone back at home. We've still got the rest of the week here in Steamboat skiing before we head to Yellowstone.
If you have trouble viewing the pictures below, be sure to check out: http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com/
Today was warm compared to yesterday! We could even pull down our face mask to breath the cold air. It was 8 degrees out when we started, but I forgot to check the temp when we left the ski area. We both took the level 4 ski school together. We had a huge group of 11 people. After a quick run down the short run, our class divided up in half and we took off to learn how to control our skis. In level 4 we learned how to control our skis while making turns. We were to keep our skis parallel and we learned how to control our weight distribution over the skis using technics like edging. Of course the big key to skiing is leaning forward, always. This is hard because we just aren't used to falling down a mountain. We all want to lean back and that's when we lose control. Yesterday we only took a lift called Christie III that took us about a quarter of the way up the mountain. In the afternoon today, we took the gondola up to the halfway point up the mountain. The elevation here was about 10,000 compared to the 7,000 at the base. Luckily there are still easy runs (green) at the top. Our ski instructor pushed us to move to the next level (blue runs) and half of our class was able to do the blue runs by the end of the day. Mark and I stuck to the greens. I don't know about Mark, but I'm okay with going slow and staying in control. I'm sure the blue runs aren't that bad, but from the top they look rather steep.
During our final run down the mountain, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped as the snow rolled in. By the time we stowed our skis for the night, it was snowing outside. We walked in the snow for a while, but eventually came back to the condo to warm up, make spaghetti for dinner, and watch the Fiesta Bowl on the TV.
We are having a great time on vacation and want to say Hi to everyone back at home. We've still got the rest of the week here in Steamboat skiing before we head to Yellowstone.
If you have trouble viewing the pictures below, be sure to check out: http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com/
Below Zero
January 4, 2009
Today was a beautiful, clear day. It was a great day for skiing because Steamboat had just received about 8 inches of snow the night before making the conditions on the mountain much better. According to a local, this was the first snow in about a week and some of the runs were getting a bit icy. It was also a very cold day due to the snow. The temps stayed around -4 throughout the day. It was cold. Very cold. Cold enough to freeze your nose hairs. Luckily, Mark and I brought the right clothing, and we were able to completely bundle up to cover all exposed skin. Our faces are the hardest to keep covered, but we had the right gear for it.
Joanna took ski lessons at Steamboat last year, so she spent the day remembering how to ski on the easy runs. Mark took the same ski lesson that Joanna had last year so that tomorrow we would be at the same level. Due to the cold weather and end of the holiday week, the mountain was very empty. In fact, many times I found myself alone for a few minutes on the runs. With the clear skies we could see for miles and the snow covered landscape was gorgeous. Every other corner seemed prettier than the one before. I brought my little camera with me, so I was able to take a few pictures. Only a few because my fingers froze when I took them out of the glove to get the camera. =)
Mark had fun, too in his class. There were only a few people in the class, so they all got plenty of ski time in and by the end of the day he was at the same level as Joanna. At the end of the day we were sore and exhausted. We came back to the condo to spend the evening. Our condo is quite large. I would guess it's at least 600 square feet if not a little bigger. The bedroom has a king size bed, dresser, and plenty of room to move around. The kitchen is the size of a decent apartment kitchen with a bar area that leads into the dining area complete with dining table and chairs. The dining room opens into the living room which has a couch, a loveseat, a coffee table, fireplace, and TV. We feel right at home here. We ended up finding a marathon of House on USA and relaxed with our leftovers from last night for dinner followed by hot chocolate.
If you have trouble viewing the pictures below, be sure to check out: http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com/
Today was a beautiful, clear day. It was a great day for skiing because Steamboat had just received about 8 inches of snow the night before making the conditions on the mountain much better. According to a local, this was the first snow in about a week and some of the runs were getting a bit icy. It was also a very cold day due to the snow. The temps stayed around -4 throughout the day. It was cold. Very cold. Cold enough to freeze your nose hairs. Luckily, Mark and I brought the right clothing, and we were able to completely bundle up to cover all exposed skin. Our faces are the hardest to keep covered, but we had the right gear for it.
Joanna took ski lessons at Steamboat last year, so she spent the day remembering how to ski on the easy runs. Mark took the same ski lesson that Joanna had last year so that tomorrow we would be at the same level. Due to the cold weather and end of the holiday week, the mountain was very empty. In fact, many times I found myself alone for a few minutes on the runs. With the clear skies we could see for miles and the snow covered landscape was gorgeous. Every other corner seemed prettier than the one before. I brought my little camera with me, so I was able to take a few pictures. Only a few because my fingers froze when I took them out of the glove to get the camera. =)
Mark had fun, too in his class. There were only a few people in the class, so they all got plenty of ski time in and by the end of the day he was at the same level as Joanna. At the end of the day we were sore and exhausted. We came back to the condo to spend the evening. Our condo is quite large. I would guess it's at least 600 square feet if not a little bigger. The bedroom has a king size bed, dresser, and plenty of room to move around. The kitchen is the size of a decent apartment kitchen with a bar area that leads into the dining area complete with dining table and chairs. The dining room opens into the living room which has a couch, a loveseat, a coffee table, fireplace, and TV. We feel right at home here. We ended up finding a marathon of House on USA and relaxed with our leftovers from last night for dinner followed by hot chocolate.
If you have trouble viewing the pictures below, be sure to check out: http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com/
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