Skier down!

1-5-17

 Well we finally got some snow, if you can call a 1/2" of fluffy white powder snow. This is southern IN so by the way people freak out over a little dusting you would have thought it was a blizzard! Needless to say they called school off so Cindy got a day off from work extending her Christmas vacation by another day. She was a happy camper even if we did not get enough snow to dust off the xc skis.
 At least the temperature had been cold enough for Paoli to fire up the snow makers and with the 1 inch of real snow that they got we thought we would take advantage of the cold and snow and take a quick trip down to Paoli to do a little downhill. I took the afternoon off and went home to pick up my little lady then head south, yes south, to get in a few runs.
 We arrived about 2 and were quickly ready to hit the hill. They were surprisingly busy for midweek which we were happy to see. We made a couple run down the west side and then the power line run. They had some of the blowers running on those runs but for the most part the snow was actually in pretty good shape. Cindy did have one small mishap at the top of the power line run and went down. I stopped to wait on her and got totally encrusted by ice thanks to the wind and the snow blower.
 It was our first experience with the snow makers being on while we skied so we were learning as we went. First important observation was that it is not totally frozen when it comes out of the blower even when the outside air temp is a balmy 14 degrees. That would explain why I was covered in ice by the time Cindy got back up on her skis.
 Second observation was that not all the blowers oscillated. Some were fixed units, which would later prove to be our undoing.
 Here we are a bit iced over riding the ski lift back up.

 We decided to go try out the east side of the hill and see how conditions were there as there are usually fewer people there. Cindy lost one of her ski poles on the way to Walnut Alley and I made a slick between the legs grab of her pole and handed it to her as I skied past. I stopped and waited on Cindy to catch up so she could go first and I could follow behind her just in case she needed any help. Standing at the top of the run we noticed that all the blowers were on and visibility was pretty bad. Not giving it any thought off we went. Cindy had about a 100 foot head start on me and just as I started down Cindy wend head over heals down the in a very nasty looking wipe out! It was a very helpless feeling just standing there watching her tumble onto her head. I took off and got to her as quickly as could to help her up and put her back together. I nearly wiped out as I reached her as a large pile of slush was what caused her to wiped out. It nearly got me but I made it to her. She was starting to get up when I got to her and I asked if she was ok. She said yes, not totally correct, and we went about gathering up her skis and poles and getting her put back together. She hit hard on the left side of the top of her helmet and I tried to get as much of the impacted snow and ice off of her helmet but we were getting pelted by the snow maker so I asked if she was good, again she said yes, totally not correct. She assured me she could get to the bottom so I let her take off first and tried to follow her down.
  I did not make it far before the tips of my skis sunk into another mound of slush from the one of the fixed blowers and down I went making me loose sight of Cindy. I scrambled back up as fast as I could but I went down again just rounding the last turn. Other skiers and boarders were going down all around me so I had plenty of company on the ground but my main concern was getting to Cindy as quickly as I could. Back on my skis I saw her laying on the ground about 300 feet up from the bottom of the run so I bee lined it to her and slid to stop next to her.
 Even with her face all covered with goggles and her balaclava I could tell she was hurt by her body actions. I asked her if she was ok and she said her knee went out! Oh crap. But then she said she could get to the lift. So I gather up her skis and got back together. I think she was worried about getting ran over so she took off pretty quickly after we got her back on her skis and I followed closely behind. I could hear her moans of pain as she made the turn at the bottom to get to the lift and could tell she was really hurting as she poled her way the last few feet to the chair. We managed to get her on the chair but by now she is really hurting. On the ride up we came up with the plan that if she could just get off the lift to stop as soon as she could and we we would pop out of our skis and I would get her inside then come back for our gear. As we got to the top and exited the lift she could not turn without extreme pain so she went straight and I was really worried she might ski off the edge of the edge and down the hill to the parking area. Luckily she stopped just short and we worked on getting her inside.
 Once inside and sitting down I finally got to see her face uncovered and I could tell she was in a lot of pain. I ran back out and gathered up our gear and took it all straight to Shiftie then returned to get Cindy. Once I got back to her is when she came clean and told me that she had hit her head so hard the first time that she saw starts but then by the time I got to her she was better. But then as she skied down the hill to the lift her vision worsened till all she saw was purple and that was when she went down hurting her knee. She said her vision came back to normal as she was sitting there waiting on me to get the gear loaded up.
 Her pupils looked ok so we elected to just get her to the car then go from there. I helped her get her ski boots and clothes off then helped get down the stairs as easily as she could. I had her wait for me by the side exit as there is a covered parking spot there with a side door that has no stairs. I pulled around and dodged the ambulance that was there to pick up someone else as I slipped into the covered spot. I got Cindy loaded up and we headed out.
 Cindy assured me it was not broken, like she has a built in xray. I stopped an got her some ibuprofen to hopefully help keep the swelling down then we stopped at Porkys to get her something to eat before she took the ibuprofen.
 We were back home about 4 hours after we left and I helped Cindy hop into the house and got her sitting in front of the fire to warm up as I unloaded all our ice covered gear. She tried to tell me it was fine but each time she tried to walk I could tell she was far from fine. I ran into town a bit later and retrieved the communal crutches from Libby as they seem to get passed around from injured person to injured person.
 Cindy was supposed to go to school the next day but driving into town I really doubted that they would have school as the roads were glazed in ice and temps were supposed to drop into the single digits. I was really hoping they called it off so Cindy could get some more rest.
 Back home Cindy hopped her way to bed and stayed there the rest of the night. She got the text about school being closed about 6 am the next morning so at least she dodged that bullet. I went to work and started calling the orthopedic doctor's office about 5 minutes before they opened hoping to get her an appointment. I lucked out and got her the only opening of the day at 11 am.
 I ran home and picked Cindy up before returning to the hospital where the ortho office is located. They got her in pretty quickly and after a quick xray the doc came in and checked out the damage.
 It did not appear to as bad as it could have been. He thinks she just has a grade one MCL sprain and elected not to do an MRI at this time as the swelling was not as bad as he thought it would have been had she had more severe internal damage to the knee. He had her fitted for a knee brace and told her to wear it until she comes back in 3 weeks at which time if she is still in pain they will do the MRI to see if there is any internal damage that needs repaired. Then something was mentioned about how hard she hit her head and he asked her quite a few questions about her symptoms she was having. He said she probably suffered a slight concussion and told me to get her to a prompt med or ER if any of her symptoms worsened.
 After picking up lunch I took Cindy back to our little lodge and got her set up in front of the fire with the boys before I headed back to work. Our friends Libby and Amy came out and kept her company till I got home which was really sweet of them. She did fine all day and her symptoms did not get any worse.
 By Saturday she was walking gingerly without the crutches and had just a slit headache. By the next day she did not even take them with her as we ventured out. Cindy really got lucky that it was not any worse but now it brings us to a fork in the road.
 Last ski season when she hurt her shoulder in a nasty fall up at Crystal Mountain in Michigan I told her that the next time she got hurt during downhill we were done with downhill skiing. She swears she did not agree to that, that she just did not feel like arguing with me and assumed she would not get hurt again. Well, it happened as now she is banged up again. Our skis season is over as I wont ski without my Bestie. I am ready to sell our down hill gear and the lift tickets that I had pre purchased but someone is not happy about that. Cindy seems to think that she will be fine in a few weeks and she will back on skis again yet this season. This is how I see it. Cindy and I are too active and she needs her knees to be healthy too much to risk hurting it again by trying to rush this recovery. The very last thing I want to see is her get hurt again. She seems to think that her goggles were what caused the first wipe out as she could not see. Now she wants to get some OTG (over the glasses goggles) so she can wear her glasses under them. It would have probably been wise of her to have had those before now as seeing is kind of important but I don't think that would have helped her very much as I went down twice myself as the conditions were treacherous on that run due to the snow making activity.
 There comes a point in everyone's life when they have to look at themselves in the mirror and say "Self, I think the time has come to maybe pick a new hobby with less chance for personal injury". I had to do this with myself when I decided to sell the Harley that I had built. I had totally rebuilt and customized my bike into a loud ass, go fast scooter that was probably just going to wind up either killing me or worse turning me into a vegetable. Cindy did not feel comfortable riding on it so I just stopped and asked myself what was more important to me, riding my Harley or being with my Bestie? Cindy won out, I sold my bike and all my gear, we bought a Jeep that she thoroughly enjoys, and we are both still alive. Do I miss my bike,? Sometimes, but I enjoy my time with Cindy much much more.
 I really hope Cindy comes to the conclusion that maybe downhill skiing is a bit too risky for us at this point in our lives. We both probably got started doing it too late in life and we just don't get to do it enough to get really good at it. As we both age our recovery time is just going to increase. So really, what fun is it constantly worrying about getting hurt or your loved one getting hurt as you watch it happen in front of you with nothing to do to stop it. We can still cross country ski which I totally enjoy. Yes, we have had a lot of fun down hill skiing, but I really think the time has come to let it go and concentrate on a little safer winter activity like xc and snow shoeing. I promised Cindy that when we got to where we could no longer ski we would transition into snowmobiles so we could still get out and enjoy the snow. Maybe this brings us one step closer to getting sleds.
 Here is wishing my little lady a speedy recovery and a heart felt I love you!

Back on real SNOW!!!

1-4-2017

 Finally! We were able to get back on real snow! Oh how great it was, to be able to watch snow fall from the sky and collect on the ground again. It had been way too long for sure.
 Even though  Cindy and I had been down to our local southern Indiana downhill ski hill, Paoli Peaks, twice so far this season, it is all man made snow this season and while it is much better than not getting to play on snow, it just is not the same. After watching the weather we decided to roll the dice and head north to the Grayling Michigan area over the New Year's weekend to do some cross country skiing. They had good snow till 5 days before we left when it warmed up and rained. They had been getting new snow but just not much. Fortunately for us they received 3 fresh inches the night before we got there so we had pretty good conditions waiting on us.
 We left our lodge on the hill at the very ungentlemanly time of 5 am. to head north. Cindy is like the best traveling companion ever. She never complains, always lets me pick the radio station, never says anythign about my driving, and pretty much is good with whatever I want to do. The fact that she spends most of the car trips like this probably has something to do with it

 See what I mean, you just don't get a more relaxed traveling partner than this ;-) Cindy hates it when I take her picture while she is sleeping but I have to do something to entertain myself.
 We had a uneventful drive even though conditions started out a bit icey in places. Luckily what few accidents we encountered were either old enough they had been cleared or fresh enough that the wrecker had not arrived yet. I really thought we were going to make it Higgins Lake with only one stop as Cindy was snoozing away and we had enough fuel. But with about 20 mins to go Cindy woke up, looked around, saw snow, and said she was thirsty. So one more quick stop for drinks and snacks before we arrived at the Northwinds Lodge.
 We quickly checked into our room and changed into our ski clothes then ran next door to XC Ski Headquarters to get in a quick lap or two before it got dark. We were both surprised at how many cars were in the parking lot when we pulled in. A lot of people must have had the day off for New Years. Lucky bums.
 We wasted no time and were on the snow as soon as we got our trail passes. It was good that they had received the new snow as you could tell it was icey under the new snow. The skiing was good and once we passed the Trapper's cabin it was like we had the trail to ourselves. Our friends Jerry and Amy were a couple of hours behind us and arrived at ski Headquarters just as we finished our first lap so we headed back across the road to meet up with them and grab a quick bit to eat.
 There is just something so refreshing about being around others who like snow as much as you do. Everyone that was there was there because they wanted to be out in the snow playing, just like us. I got our lunch while Cindy shopped a bit then we people watched as we enjoyed our grilled cheese sandwiches and chips.
 After our snack we headed back out to hit the Rolling Hills trail and then stopped at the Trapper's Cabin to enjoy a warm cup or two, of spiced wine by the fire.

My sweater looks like I have one large man boob for some strange reason LOL! After we warmed up a bit we made one more lap on the big trail and finished up just as the last few lumens of daylight faded to black. We met up with Jerry and Amy in the Stone Turle Cafe and made plans for dinner with them before headed back to our rooms.
 We were all staying at the Northwinds Lodge ran by Jim Tucker. Jim is a nice as they come and he keeps a very clean and neat hotel. He always turns the heat up for us before we arrive so our room is nice and toasty when we get there. He did the same for Jerry and Amy so I was surprised when they said at dinner their room was freezing when they got there. We all enjoyed a great dinner at the Stream Side Restaurant just down the road from the lodge. You just can't beat the North Winds lodge for location, price, or hospitality as it is conveniently located between food and skiing!
 Back at the room after dinner I received an alert on my phone for a winter weather advisory for the area as lake effect snow was going to develop after midnight with 1-3 inches forcasted. You know who was up every hour or so looking outside to see if it had started and how much we had gotten so far. It start between 12 and 1 am and by 6 am we had gotten 2 inches at the lodge.
 I tried to let Cindy sleep as long as I could but the kid in me was dying to get outside and start playing in the snow. I finally could not hold back any longer and woke my little lady up. I am pretty sure she could tell by my voice that it had snowed before I even shared the wonderful news with her. I am also pretty sure she knew I was up about a dozen times in the night looking out the window.
 While I was outside getting Pearl ready to roll Jim came over and shared his concern with me that he might have messed up and given Jerry and Amy the wrong room key. He told me he had turned the heat on in H but the blinds were still open there and he could see that there was no one in there. Then he noticed that they had parked in front of J. I started laughing and told him how it all made sense now after Jerry saying their room was freezing. Jim felt awful about it and asked how they took jokes. I assured him that since they hung out with us I was pretty sure they would see the humor in it. Plus this might have been a good way to promote cuddling all night long for the two of them LOL!
 Cindy and I headed off to Fred's Place in Roscommon for the weekend breakfast buffet. Let me just say that if your ever in the area, you have to get the breakfast buffet. The bacon is to die for and the cinnamon french toast is supper yummy. Needless to say, we both ate too much, but it was soooo goood.
 After stuffing ourselves at Fred's it was time to get serious and hit the trails. We headed north about 20 miles to Hartick Pines State Park and the closer we got the more snow we could see they had gotten overnight. By the time we got to the park there  was 5 to 6 inches of new snow on top of what they already had and it was oh sooo beautiful!

 Can we say winter wonder land??? This was why we drove 7 hours north and the lake effect did not disappoint!
 We were only the third vehicle there when we pulled in and parked. A couple who was snow shoeing stop and wait on us to go ahead of them on the trail which was super nice of them. As we passed Cindy told them we had driven up from southern Indiana just to ski and they asked where. After telling them we were from Seymour they told us they were from Greenwood which is about a hour north of us. They drove all the way there just to snow show. People think I am crazy LOL!
 We got on the trail as quickly as we could not wanting to miss a minute of this awesome snow. One other person had been out on skis ahead of us but they turned left onto the main trail where as we went right. That meant that one of us was going to be breaking the trail. I was more than glad to make my tracks in the virgin snow. Genius me never thought that they would have enough snow that I would have needed my leg gators but I was I was wishing I had them with me instead of leaving them back in my ski bag in the room. Lesson learned.

 As you can see the snow stacked up onto my boots as I broke trail for Cindy. So glad I had my sock liners on as more snow than I would have liked wound up in my ski boots and although my socks were wet my feet were still warm.
 The scenery was just beautiful in the woods

 Luckily the wind that brought the lake effect snow had died down to almost nothing so it was very comfortable skiing temps. In fact I ditched my sweater shortly after we started and spent the rest of the day skiing in just my dry fit shirt.

 We skied about 6 miles there at Hartwick Pines breaking trail for about 4 1/2 miles of that so it was a good thing we had that extra plate of bacon at breakfast ;-)
 As the it got closer to noon the wind started blowing which made the snow on the trees fall off. At times it was near white out type conditions on the trail. Can you see Cindy on the trail in the picture below?

 Neither can I but she is in there somewhere. Had I taken this pic a few seconds earlier the visibility was so bad you cold not see the first tree on the left side of the pic. The other downside to the wind was large clumps of snow were now falling off the limbs above us. I took a big hit to the head here.

  That was chilly. But the great thing about cross country skiing is that as long as you keep moving your body is generating heat so you can keep warm. If you start to cool off, just ski faster!
 From Hartwick Pines we headed southeast to the Mason Tract Trail. this is one of my favorite trails up in that area as it is just so intimate and scenic. It runs along the Ausable river from the bridge on Chase Bridge road to M-72. We have skied on the west part of it twice, both times turning back before we reached the end. Once due to cold and running out of time, the other due to warming snow sticking to our skis. While it is not the type of trail where you are going to set speed records, it is a challenging trail due to the varying terrain. But all that aside, it is just a beautiful trail to ski with fresh snow slinging to the trees.

 We did make it to the first river access point where we walked the stairs down to the water's edge for this photo.

 The Ausable river is widely known as a excellent trout river and it looks like a fisherman's dream just standing next to it. Maybe someday we can make it back up in and fish parts of it.
 With the snow sticking to our skis we elected to head back to the car and do a little antiquing in Grayling. On our way Amy invited us to join them at the Paddlehard Brewing Company for snacks and a beverage. Drinks won out over antiques so off we went. We had a nice visit to the brewpub and enjoyed some cold beverages.
 Being the party animals that we are we finished off 2016 back at Fred's place with Jerry and Amy. All I can say is that Fred's does an awesome business as they are always crowded for dinner. The food was all very good and we all retired to our rooms well before midnight. Needless to say I failed to wake up to ring in the new year as I was out like a light once my head hit the pillow. I think we were going to watch a little tv but someone forgot to tell my body that.
 Sadly we woke up early and headed south back to Indiana with thoughts of hitting some antique shops in Allen MI on the way back. Being New Year's day several of the ones we wanted to visit were not open but we persevered on and found one open in Auburn IN and in Markle IN.
 After stopping at REI in Indy to get Cindy some new hiking shoes for our upcoming trip to the Rockies this summer we finally pulled in our driveway about dark. Knowing the boys were not going to be happy with us for going off and leaving them behind we got them junior back cheeseburgers from Wendy's to help smooth things over.

 In just a few seconds all was well again and I doubt they even remembered we had left.

 As we unpacked our gear we talked about when our next trip north was going to be and where we were going this time. While it is only 3 weeks away I am not sure I can hang on that long. Just knowing that they have awesome snow conditions up north is almost more than I can bare. Hopefully the lake effect continues and they have lots of powder when we arrive!
 It was another awesome ski trip to Michigan with my bestie. I cant wait till we load up and head north again!!!