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Farewell to the 2020-21 Ski Season

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This ski season was interesting to say the least. Because of COVID-19, most Colorado ski resorts required reservations in order to ski. This wasn't too painful because we did most of our skiing during the week.

We recognized that social distancing might be an issue on weekends, so we rented a condo in Winter Park for the season. This allowed us to ski weekdays while working remotely. We didn't have it the whole season, just a week every month.

The ski season started for me on November 24, 2020, with some backyard cross-country skiing.

Sunset dog ski

I was super pumped when I drove our Syncro Westy to the condo and discovered it fit in the garage! My first day on the slopes was Friday, December 4th.

The van fits!Ugh, lines...It's a beautiful first day on the mountain!

The Fraser River Trail was just across the road from our condo, so it was easy to get some cross-country skiing in too.

Fraser River Trail

That weekend, Trish and Jack joined me and we went Nordic skiing at Snow Mountain Ranch's Nordic Center.

Family cross-country day!

Keep one cow apartSki bus!

The Telemark NeighborhoodIt's almost Christmas!

We took the day off on Trish's birthday; skiing corduroy groomers in the morning and cross-country in the afternoon.

We did it! 10 runs before noon. 😊Then, we went cross-country skiing!

I'm normally a big fan of taking two weeks off for Christmas and New Years. Since everyone stayed home for the holidays this year, I chose to work through them. I took off the first week in January instead.

Jack is an excellent skier now.I worked through Christmas break and took the first week in January off instead. It was excellent!Wednesday skiing!

Jim Creek TrailLunch loop near Fraser

Happy Friday!Abbie's ready for some turnsCross-country at Devil's Thumb Ranch

I worked in Stout the Syncro in the C-Lot at Mary Jane when I returned in February. That's the day I learned that four hours of Zoom costs about 7 GB in bandwidth. I tethered on my T-Mobile phone the whole time and only had to buy an additional 10 GB (for $10) at the very end. The fresh powder at the end of the day made it worth it!

My remote office in early February#VanLife4 hours of Zoom calls later

Hawaii Adventures in Kauai

My parents like to get away from Montana in the middle of winter. Before the pandemic hit, we ventured to New Orleans. This year, we decided to head to Kauai for two weeks. There were many COVID protocols in place for this trip.

We had to have a negative COVID test 72 hours before departure. We had to show those results when we landed in Kauai. Then we had to quarantine in a "resort bubble" hotel for 72 hours. Next, we had to take another test and receive negative results. After that, we were free to rent a car and start our island adventures. Abbie brought her boyfriend, Joseph, and best friend, Rory, along with us.

We left early for the airport because my parents took an at-home test and hadn't received their results yet. Since they had a 3-hour layover in Denver, we figured I could take them to a local Walgreens to get tested and everything would be good to go.

When we were driving to the airport, Trish's engine light came on in her Tahoe. By the time we arrived at the airport, the vehicle was obviously dying. We called AAA to pick it up and I jumped in a Lyft with my parents. The local Walgreens was hesitant to test without an appointment, but we told them our situation, and a manager there did his best to make it happen.

The manager was successful—I received the results on my phone as the plane was taxiing down the runway!

Going to Hawaii with my parents!We all had to get negative COVID tests 72 hours before departure, quarantine for 72 hours on arrival, and take another test before we could leave the hotel.Direct from Denver to Kauai on United!

Happy Ladies

Lighthouse shot by Trish!

The Hawaii Crew

Makai Golf Club 7th HoleTree HuggersPrinceville Botanical GardensMakai Golf Course SunsetThe kinda place a Montanan likes to be in February!

My Double RainbowMy fabulous parents

On our last night, Trish and I saw live music for the first time in over a year!

Yeehaw!

Trish ordered a new lens for her camera when she saw the Albatross nesting nearby. It arrived just hours before we flew home.

Expert in actionMajesticSo cute!

March Madness

When we arrived home in March, I headed back to the condo for our week. I arrived late at night and texted the owner to tell him I couldn't get the hot tub to turn on. He texted me back three times before I woke up the next morning. I had the wrong dates! People were checking in that night, so I had to wash all the sheets and get out of there quickly. I got all my work done in the morning and hit the slopes in the afternoon.

This is gonna hurt.I got the best parking spot in C Lot!Still got my Stormpath sticker

I returned the following week and had a blast skiing with my buddy, Bill Lyons. He's been a ski instructor at Winter Park and Mary Jane for decades and showed me some hidden trails. Thanks, Bill!

Line of sight trailThanks for being my guide, Bill!

We'd just returned from Hawaii, so we figured we might be able to skip Spring Break. Then we learned Abbie had senioritis and wanted to rendezvous with her similarly-minded cousins near a beach. Trish's parents have a place in Naples, Florida. Since they weren't using it, we made a plan, bought some tickets, and spent a splendid week with Trish's brother and his family.

Photo bomb!Oh my!

Now dance!

The owner of the Winter Park condo offered us a few free nights in April, so Jack and I headed up for the weekend. Just before leaving, Jack approached me and asked, "Do I have to go? It's so boring up there." I agreed with him. It was boring and I liked that. I told him to bring a good book and get in the van. We cross-county skied and had a beautiful day of corduroy runs to end the season.

Last weekend skiing with JackCruisin' at Devil's Thumb Ranch

Conditions were a bit sparseCorduroy turns to end the season

My stats for the season: 28 days cross-country skiing, 23 days downhill. That's 51 combined days! 😊

Detoxed and Fully Vaccinated

At the beginning of April, Trish and I started a 21-Day Sugar Detox. Abbie, Jack, and I were fully vaccinated by the end of the month, and Trish was well on her way.

The following week, I rode my bike into Thrive DTC and marveled at their remodeling project.

Thrive DTC is looking good!Thrive DTC

Thrive DTCThrive DTC

The Graduate

May came quickly and with it, the end of the school. I snapped photos of both kids on their last days.

Abbie's last day of high school!Jack's last day of sophomore year! 🎉

Abbie graduates from high school this Friday. My family is flying into town today. Trish's arrives tomorrow. We have the VWs all cleaned up, our landscaping/carport/basketball court project is finishing up, and we're grateful for everything that brought us to this point. 🥰

Hefe the Bus is ready to go cruisin! #vwbus #HefeTheBusStout the Syncro's new bedroom is almost finished! #SyncroWesty #StoutTheSyncro


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