A little Classic at Eldora

Decided for an early morning at Eldora--was to be warm and since I will be skate skiing all weekend, made sense. Strapped on the Classic Fischer E-99's and waxed up. Steve joined me again and he broke out his classic gear also--much nicer track skis than mine for sure--I was envious.

Steve doing a quick pole strap adjustment.

Kick and glide on 17th on the way to Phoebe and Meadows.

We did about 7miles or 10K on pretty good conditions in the time that we had. Had small break in the middle to talk to a ski patroller--first time I had ever been asked to see my pass but good for us paying folk that they are out there checking. The Buckeye Basin was a little thin which circles the lake on the top right of the map above. A few rocks there but everywhere else was still looking great. Several folks out but as we were leaving the parking lot was getting busier. My wax was almost perfect today--purple flavor used but did slip on some hills--probably would have been good with one more thin layer.

A little graph for all those that love this stuff. My average HR was 148 throughout the period but we had several stops which skewed that. I think it was more like an average of 165 which corresponds better to my biking/climbing HR. We will see how this compares to later in the season when I do the same track and do not have to stop at all!

Then the snow falls--why not Skate Ski then?

Decided to head up with Steve to do a little Skating at Eldora. Tough place for me to learn but it was well worth the trip. Snow was perfect, conditions were great. Cold temps at the end but complete coverage--best I have ever seen at the trails there. Did not hurt that we had 7 inches of snow the night before either! A view of the flatirons from the University that morning.

Steve grabbing the gear

Here is a map of the Nordic area there--good selection of trails and very hilly. Most trails were open--only a few still closed but opening the next day for full access skiing. Slopes at the Alpine area were mostly open too.

Steve Skating his way out

Phoebe and Meadows loops area. This is where I tried to practice the most since its fairly flat. But, just getting myself to this point was a huge effort. I have lot to learn and to be efficient.

Nice groomed tracks!

Here is the track of our skiing. This is from Steve's device since I forgot to start mine till halfway through! He did lots more skating than me, at times circling me and slipping back and forth--its amazing to watch someone who is really good at this sport and how smooth they are. His little tele turns down the hills on the skate skis is even more amazing. He suggested I try it but I knew I would pull my binding right out of my ski!

Overall a super fun afternoon--I head to Steamboat this weekend for 2 days of Nordic camp--that should help tons with my technique. Now, how sore will my legs and shoulders be tomorrow?

Our little XMAS tree

Even though we are going away, we decided to pick up a small tree. We were trying to cut one up in steamboat, but I forgot the saw. Maybe next year. Anyway, we found this perfect little tree to fit in the house. And then the adventure began.....drilling holes, mounting the stand, trimming, and then everyone's greatest task--lights!

First things first--had to give the turkey wishbone a chance at luck--but no luck for me! Guess who now has to do the lights!

Replacing bulbs and untangling knots.

Found this when I was sorting through ornaments--wonder if its still any good to "cash" in on?

Amy sorting through all the ornaments that we received from my Grandmothers last year--some really nice stuff and made our place look super christmasy. We had the Charlie Brown Xmas Cd playing in the background to keep us spirited.

A print of Col's paw. This will go on the tree this year to recognize his passing. Sure is weird not having him around to sniff all the boxes and try to sneak a few cookies!

Speaking of cookies--peanut butter blossoms--ummmm--in the making by chef extroidinaire.

Hot fresh cookies out of the oven...let the winter training begin!

Our finished tree--we need more ornaments for sure!

A quick visit to the House In Ned

A little overnight action to check on things, see what the snow had done and maybe ski. Way too warm on Saturday up there--it was 41 at 9am! Crazy inversion going on I think. Relaxing though and quiet, despite the wind--house is insulated very well. Just need some bigger couches to stretch out on next. Snow has come in nicely though--but we could do for a few more inches. Found that the middle floor bathroom toilet was cracked at the base--contacting builder about that right away!

Tday in Steamboat Springs with a stop at Loveland Ski area

Well, its been a while since I updated this particular site. Should be back on track now. Thanksgiving did not start off with much, but by the time we were leaving Steamboat , there was plenty of snow for all. Started the long weekend out with a morning at Loveland Ski area and a pot luck turkey lunch in the patrol room. Greg and Nathalie were nice enough to keep us company and wait for us on the slopes! Amy baked a pumpkin pie that was a big hit since everyone else brought store bought desserts. Then it was off to Steamboat Springs for our annual pilgrimage. This is where we find out how long its been since we were on the cross country skis and how those hip flexors are really doing!! It started snowing Thursday night and did not stop--with a record 48 inches total falling on Loveland ski area by Sunday and I think around 24 in Steamboat. Not bad at all--here are a few pics of the adventure. We skied about 16 miles of Alpine and then about 20 miles of Cross Country. You can click above for a slide show or a few are below with captions.

Here is the Loveland elevation profile for the 3 hours of skiing--only about 8K but we had fun! We used our Rando gear here to have as an option for some BC laps at Rabbit Ears or North Routt--lighter ski gear but it does the job. I was too scared to test out my new twin tips that I finally got mounted up--nice fat powder skis for the hut trips and Indian Peak adventures. Maybe next weekend!

Amy enjoying the day during our first water break.

Breaking trail above and below.

West Summit Loop

Amy was just ahead of me in this meadow and the trees dwarfing her were just amazing. This was the West Summit Loops--some good downhill in the middle and trail breaking almost all the way!

Our basic setup--Fisher 220cm E99's BCX with metal edges.

Another shot on the second day getting hammered by the snow.

Amy testing the snow quality

Us coming around a corner at Bruce's Loop on Rabbit Ears Pass

Here is an image of the Bruce's Loops

A quick return to the car for a little water after some laps on Bruce's trails. On the way home we did drive over Cameron Pass and through Fort Collins. Only took 5 hours with the heavy snow over the pass and a 45 minute stop at 3 margaritas near the end. We heard later that I-70 was shut down around 4:30pm and lasted for 5 hours. Some folks never got home that night. So glad we took the alternate route. Visibility on the Cameron pass was only 30 feet for several miles over the 10K pass but that was the hardest part. We may use that route more now.

Cross Country Ski on Coney Flats

Headed up to Coney Flats today for a little classic back country cross country ski. Super conditions with blue sky sunny weather and NO WIND! Almost unheard of at Coney. This ski is not very hard elevation wise and up to the wind blown ponds (usual turning around point) is about 3 miles.

Used a mix of blue and red wax but purple would have been the best with the 28 degree temps and shady trees. Grip up was great. Oh did I mention almost no crowds either--what a day. A few graphs follow as I tried to keep my HR consistent and keep a good workout going. Aerobic cross country skiing up above 9000 feet really gets you working!

Here are some pictures of the day:

Heading up the trail after a water break....

Enjoying the view!

Clouds starting to move in.

End of the line--no more snow to ski on!

Bike stuff moved...

Well, I moved all the bike training/riding stuff to another site--wanted this to be more about family adventures instead that when friends and relatives read, they do not have to sift through boring bike trainer graphs and my moaning and groaning about being sore and out of shape. See the link to the right now to view that info if you are really and truly interested in my workout log...

Siesta Key and Grandma

Photos: Memorial at her Residence, Recipe for Quick grits and Cheest Quick Grits--she loved those things! Us walking to dinner with Bob and Gerry--two of my Grandma's good friends. Mostly my family and Dad's sister at Lido Key Resort for Xmas dinner-amazing night for sure!

Siesta Key and Grandma

Photos: My grandma and her children, same again, all grandchildren present at the time, same again. Here we were all having a blast just at sunset with these family shots--my grandma was having a wonderful time as you can see from the laughter.