I finally got a chance to sit down and catch up on our blog. Where to begin. It has been a very busy month with two more trips to ski in Michigan. So far this ski season we have managed to ski 8 1/2 days, 6 of which were down hill. I only counted our trip to Michigan in November as a 1/2 because we only got to ski about 3 hours before the snow got too soft. I don't think I will get anywhere close to last years 19 days but considering how much driving we have had to do this season I will take all that I can get.
Three weeks ago we started planning a trip to Bittersweet in Otsego MI. I had puppy care and mom care arranged, just needed the weather to hold out. Well, it didn't. By Wednesday of that week it was clear that they were going to get rain and be warm for the days we would be there. Well crap. So I canceled the trip about noon. About 6 that evening I got a text from Captain Scott who was going to go up to their cabin on Bear Lake MI to check on things. He invited us to come up and crash with him and then go ski at Crystal Mountain. At first I did not think we could since I had just cancelled everything but after thinking about it for about a minute, I made some frantic calls and was able to un cancel our puppy sitter! We were going to Michigan!
I had everything loaded up Friday morning and dropped my lil Lady off at work then went to work myself. I had to fly but was able to get back to still pick Cindy up as soon as she released the buses. Off to Michigan we went. Bear Lake was about 3 hours further north than Bittersweet so they were not forecasted to get above freezing and no rain. the drive up went well and we rolled in to Scotts Cabin about 10:30 or so. We stayed up and talked till almost one before we all crashed.
Up early the next morning not wanting to let a minute of our time in snow country go to waste I headed over to the local restaurant and brought breakfast back for everyone. With full tummies Cindy and headed off to find Crystal Mountain. It was a short 20 min drive before we pulled into the parking lot that was already quite full. It had only been open about 10 mins so they must have a lot of snow lovers in the area. We wasted no time in getting suited up and ready to hit the slopes.
We skied over to the closest lift and waited our turn. This was a new setup for us as there was a magic carpet that you slid down onto and then it took you to where the lift chair would pick you up. Luckily with two other couples in front of us we were able to watch them and see what to do. All went well but I did notice the chair was really low. Not thinking anything of that we proceeded up the hill. Well the low chair would wind up having the last laugh as when I stood up to ski away the low chair had sat down on top of the back of my ski boot. I leaned forward to take off but went no where, except down. AS I laid there on the ramp I could hear Cindy talking to me as she thought I was right beside her. I tried to roll out of the way fast enough to not have them shut the lift down but it was too late. The operator must have seen me go down and hit the stop button right away. He stuck his head out and asked if I was ok to which I had to stop laughing long enough to assure him I was. Back on my skis I went in search of my playmate.
We took a few runs to try and figure out the lay of the slopes. The snow was great and the runs were really nice. Crystal Mountain has 55 runs versus the 8 we are used to back home at Paoli so we worked on hitting them all. It took a little bit to figure out how to navigate around all the different lifts but we soon had the front side figured out about the time the back side opened up at 10. WE alternated back and forth between the front side and back side run the rest of the day. While it was busy it was by no means overly crowded. We were able to go from area to area and for the most part did not have to wait very long at all for a lift chair.
While there were a lot of different runs to choose from the ones on the back side were not very long in length. That is just part of skiing in the Midwest. We both felt like skiing at home on the ice at Paoli was good practice as neither of us really had any issues skiing at Crystal Mountain.
Cindy did take a nasty tumble on one run on the back side that while not extremely steep was very lumpy for lack of a better term. It almost seemed like it had not been groomed for a few days and was like skiing moguls at the top. I went down first and once I got out of the rough section I pulled over and stopped to wait on Cindy. I could not see the start due to some trees so I waited and waited. then I heard someone ask if they were ok. I heard Cindy reply yes. Not good. She finally made it down to me and had snow packed in the vent sin her helmet it was sitting lop sided on her head. Never a good sign. She said she took a hard hit and from the looks of things she did. Cindy wanted to take a break which was probably a good idea but by the time we got back up the lift she was ready to try it again. Really should have taken that break.
We really enjoyed the Cut Off run as it was a pretty run down through the trees on the front side. It was not extremely difficult other than it was very narrow. It was probably the tightest run we had been on to date. We both did fine our first time down which looked like this when thing go as they should.
Well our next trip down that run Cindy took a pretty good spill. She was fine but left a pretty good divot in the snow. The next pass down she made the mistake of pointing out where she wiped out at on the previous run. This is what happened.
I got laughing so hard I feel over backwards! Sadly I turned the camera off while I helped put Cindy back together again. I took a gnarly spill at the bottom when to avoid another skier I turned right with out enough room and my right ski shot up the hill towards the trees. I had no idea my leg would go up over my head, but now I do. It was one heck of a wipe out!
We continued on even though I think both of our legs were starting to wear out. Seemed the spills were coming with a bit more frequency than they did earlier in the day. Cindy had a head ache, still suffering from her first spill on the back side. Here is a collection of a few spills we took.
As we are still laughing it is all good. I wonder if matters if the person laughing is not the person on the ground? As long as one of is laughing it's all good LOL!
After that last spill it was time to head to the bar. We headed back to Bear Lake after having a refreshing beverage in the bar. It had been a great day with almost non stop skiing. Other than a break for a coke and cookie we were on the slopes.
We enjoyed a nice dinner in Bear Lake with Scott before going over and playing cards with afriend of theirs. I am proud to say that Cindy and I are now the Winter 2016 Bear Lake Euchre champs! Still waiting on those t shirts to get here.
I don't think either one of us moved during the night, either from being too sore or very tired, either way I slept like a rock. After saying good by and thank you to Scott we headed north to Empire MI where were will be returning to this July to get married! We wanted to get in a early wedding practice. After a short 30 min drive we arrived at the parking are for
It will look a bit different when we return in July, as in no snow! We brought our snow shoes in case we needed them but there had already been people walking the trail so it was packed down nicely. Our snow boots would be all we would need. We came to the first overlook and had to stop and take a few pics, like we always do when we stop here. Here is the view of Empire beach with Southbar lake to the right and Sleeping Bear Dunes in the background.
Of course it was a prime spot for a selfie
Cindy is so photogenic. Never seen a camera that doesn't love her. Funny thing, Cindy commented that she did not think they had much snow. Well this bench is buried so I would say they had 20" of packed snow right there.
I would kill to have 20" of packed snow at home! We continued on the path and soon we were at the overlook where we will hopefully be married this July, weather permitting.
Here is Cindy braving the wind as she looks for the benches. they have to be around there somewhere. Thy were buried as she was standing over them on the snow! Here is the view from our wedding spot.
It is much prettier in the summer when the sun is setting. We walked back to the car talking about how the next time we walk back to the car it will be as husband and wife!
It was time to head home so we pointed Pearl south and headed for home. Like every trip we have ever taken to Michigan, the worst part is leaving. Luckily we would be back the next weekend!
Michigan trip #2
The week between our trips flew by and before we knew it the time to pack had arrived again! Once again I dropped Cindy off at school and went to work only to return a few hours later to pick up my lil Lady and head north!
We were heading back up to the Higgins Lake area to cross country ski. We had hoped to finally get our good friends Bill and Libby on the snow and to XC Ski Headquarters as they have not been either this season but due to weather they were not able to make it. So we soldiered on without them. This drive was a bit more time consuming than our last trip up due to bands of lake effect snow that came and went. We made one stop for fuel in Fort Wayne and made it the rest of the way nonstop. I had given Cindy her Valentines day gift early so she was being entertained by movies on her new Fire tablet. The drive wasn't bad till the last 10 miles or so when we ran into snow covered roads and blowing snow. Even then it wasn't bad till some impatient arse had to pass everyone it the left lane. It left us with zero visibility. Luckily I had given the car in front of us plenty of room as I had no idea where he was for probably 15- 20 seconds.
We rolled in to Higgins Lake with 20 miles range left on the gas gauge and 15 mins left to get a pizza at the Streamside restaurant. I called to place a order to go only to learn they had closed early that night. ARGH!!! They told me they stayed open till 11 when I called earlier. Must have been a slow night. We were not starving so we just decided to wait till breakfast.
Jim left our key in the room and had the heat on for us when we arrived at the North Winds Lodge. The wind was still howling and it was cold out so I made quick work of unloading Pearl and shutting the door to our room. Cindy turned the tv to HGTV which is where it pretty much stayed the whole weekend. We went to sleep watching house flippers.
I woke up early the next morning and ventured out to get gas and pastries for breakfast the next day.I could tell by the sharpness of the air that it was cold but fortunately the wind had laid down. The thermometer in Pearly said it was -15. I won't lie, it was cold, but there was no wind and the sun was out. This was going to be a great day to xc ski!
Back in the room I broke the news to Cindy who shivered and said BRRRRRRRRR! I told her not to worry as I had a game plan change. We would go say hi to Donnie and do some shopping at XC Ski Headquarters, then go do the breakfast buffet at Fred's Place, then go ski at North Higgins lake state park after it warmed up a bit. She was good with that so off we went.
My legs were cold by the time I walked from the car to the front door of ski headquarters. After saying hi to Donnie the wonder dog, I went in search of real xc ski pants as I was basically wearing warm weather running pants. I found some that fit and along with new sock liners I was ready to brave the cold. Cindy found a few items and we were on our way to Fred's.
Breakfast at Fred's was awesome! The French toast was to die for and the hash browns must have been fried in bacon grease they were soooooo gooood!!!! Yes, we ate like pigs, but we were going to work it off skiing. At least that was our logic. After waddling to the car we headed off in search of the park.
We arrived at what we thought was the spot but it turned out to be the Higgins lake winter festival. Once we found out we were on the wrong side of the road we put our skis back in the Skybox and took a quick look around. It had not started yet but they sure had a beautiful day for it. They were going to have snowmobile drag races, broom ball, ice skating, and a ice fishing tourney. There was a chili cook off at the conference center as well.
After a short drive across the road we were at the trail head for their ski trails. We geared up and headed out into the woods. XC skiing is much different than downhill in that you actually burn calories xc skiing. As you burn calories you generate heat. While you may start off all bundled up you have to remove the layers as you heat up to keep your sweating under control. If you don't you will wind up drenched in sweat and then freeze when you stop. It was not too long into the trail that I was skiing in in just my sweater and base layer. It was up to a balmy 3 degrees at this point but the sun was overhead and there was no wind. It was really nice skiing. We had a note on our car when we go back that said "Please don't walk in the ski trails". Lets see, we had a skybox on the roof, ski tracks all around our car leading off to the trails. What part of that made her think we were walking on the trails???
From Higgins Lake we headed east to find the trail head for the Mason Tract trail. I have read about it for about 5 years now and Jay has skied it several times. I have been wanting to ski it for quite a while but it just never worked out. Well today it was going to. The wait was worth it as it was a very pretty trail. Probably not the best skiing conditions as there was not as much fresh snow on the trail and someone in snow shoes had walked on the ski track but the beauty of the trail made up for it. I referred to it being a very intimate trail in that it was a single track trail and the pines and cedars gave it a warm cozy feeling. Even though it goes along side the Ausable river you only catch glimpses of it due to the thick pines and cedars. It felt like skiing in a natural Christmas tree farm.
Here is Cindy on the trail just before she disappeared into the pines. We skied up the trail from the south till we got to high spot where the wind was now blowing. Between the wind and the fact that it was getting late in to the afternoon we turned around and skied back at this point. We stopped along the way to go down and check out the river.
The Ausable river is known for its great trout fishing and it looked PRIME! With its shallow waters and rock bottom I could just imagine hooking into a rainbow or large brown. We will definitely have to venture back up this way in the summer with fly rod in hand!!!
We headed back to the room to change and get ready for dinner, again at Fred's Place. It is really the only place to eat in Roscommon. Luckily it is really good. But before we could eat we had one more place to ski!
We skied at Hartwick Pines State park the last time we were up here and noticed they had lanterns for night skiing. Well, as luck would have it, tonight was the night for it! So off we went back to the northeast to ski the lantern trail. The moon was out when we got there and between the moon and the lanterns we did not even need to turn on our LED headlights. It was very pretty but hard to capture in a photo
The lanterns were placed about every 100 yards and the moon was casting enough of a shadow that we could see just fine, even in the woods. It was very pretty. There is just something magical about being in a snowy woods during the night. I remember a cold but magical night in the UP where we were out skiing on dark trail and came upon a pine grove where the trail was being lit up by a bunch of tiny tea lights. As Cindy stood there with most surprised look I have ever seen her have on her face, I drooped to one knee and asked her to marry me that night as the wind howled through the trees tops above us. Hard to believe that was over a year ago now.
Cindy was getting cold by the time we finished our first lap of the lantern trail so we packed away our gear and headed back to Fred's for our Valentine's day dinner. TO say that it was packed was an understatement. I think all 450 residents of the town were there. Lucky thing I made reservations.
We finally got our table and were informed that they had a pipe freeze under the building and they were having to use plastic silverware and plates. Pretty cold when pipes freeze in MI as they are supposed to be used to the cold up there. Dinner, like breakfast, was really good and we waddled out of there one more time.
So far the worst part of every trip to MI has been leaving and once again this held true. We ran out of the snow cover about 45 minutes south of Roscommon and drove in brown till about Fort Wayne, IN. Cindy amused herself with movies on her fire but had to cover up to shield her screen from the sunlight.
By the time we got close to Muncie IN the snow was coming down pretty good. We had slowed down to about the speed limit LOL but few others did not see the need. I really wish I had video of the truck in front of us as he lost it and fought it as it slid across the road 5 times. Luckily there was enough room between him and us and the semi beside us that we were able to give him all the room he needed. We still don't know how he kept from collecting the guard rails on either side of the road but he finally got it slowed down and off to the side where he got it under control. He got in the right lane and drove 45 mph till we passed him. We gave him two thumbs up for the show but he had a death grip on the wheel and probably skiddies in his undies!!!
The snow was stacking up and I knew it was just a matter of time before someone screwed the pouch and the interstate was shut down. This is Indiana. Sadly there are more idiots on the road than proficient drivers, it just happens. I got off as soon as I could which was south of Anderson and we came down county roads till we picked up HWY 9. It was a good thing too as Indy was a absolute mess with roads closed and wrecks everywhere. We had no problems on the county roads as it was not that bad.
We made it home about 7 and prayed for a snow day, which Cindy got! I took off work about noon and were off to ski again! This time down hill back at Paoli for what was probably the best conditions we had there all season!
Sadly that was to be the last ski of the season. It turned warm and the rain came. Our schedules did not have room for anymore trips up north even though they continued to ski right up to the scheduled closing dates. In fact, Nubs Knob closed with all the runs still open! Were going there next season!!!!
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