A quick update on all that has been happening since we returned from Steamboat. We were just settling into the new semester of school when news broke that a front of bad weather was on its way. Kristie was in Las Vegas for work. Saturday night, just as it was getting dark, it started to sleet. We woke up to several inches of ice on the ground. Kristie juggled her travel plans and, of course, her Subie was up for the task of getting her home from Charlotte. She was lucky because as things thawed and froze (the temp never really got above 35 degrees), the road conditions got worse. A week later, just as the roads were getting passable, a really pretty snow began to fall. We received about 8 inches. All told, we missed two weeks of school.
Having the free time and knowing that the major roads were passable, we took the opportunity to do a couple of college tours. We visited App State and then East Carolina (Jay and Ansel had never been to ECU, and both were impressed).
Ansel got her driver’s permit last summer, and so we have been looking for cars. Kristie had the idea that we should test drive one that she had seen while on the way home from ECU. Ansel fell in love with the immaculate Volkswagen Tiguan that we stopped to look at. She also seemed to like the Porsche parked beside it. We left without either, but Kristie continued to research, which included going back by herself to take another look at the VW. She decided that it was the right car. Kristie told Ansel that we were going to the library, but that we could go back and see the car again. When we arrived at the dealership, the car was no longer there. Ansel was visibly angry when they told her that it was sold about 30 minutes ago, but that they would be happy to show her any other cars. She immediately demanded to see the Porsche. The salesman was happy to comply and grabbed the keys. While Jay and Ansel were checking out the Porsche, the salesman drove the Tiguan around. Ansel was shocked! Big thanks to Modern Infiniti for such a great experience.
The next big adventure was a trip to Nashville for our niece Grey’s wedding. We enjoyed seeing Catherine, Chris and Harper as well as the rest of our family, and marveling at how Nashville continues to change. The wedding was beautiful, and the reception was so much fun.
With all the bad weather that NC had gotten, it was hard to get excited about our spring break trip. But we definitely needed a break. This year, given the lack of snow that CO has received, we decided to spice things up and head to Big Sky, Montana. Mom Mom has tagged along with us for our spring break trip before, but this time we included Kristie’s cousin Susan as well. We left bright and early (4:00 a.m.) and drove down to Charlotte to catch our flight to Chicago. We had a quick layover and rushed to our gate for our flight to Bozeman. We made it and boarded. And then we sat. And sat. Eventually, the pilot came on to let us know that there was a leak under the plane and that they were trying to locate it for a fix. Every ten minutes, the pilots would give us updates, but the updates never included any new information. Finally, the update contained the crucial news that they would find us a new plane. This gave us enough time to run to the lounge and grab something to eat. There were no issues on our new flight to Bozeman. We picked up our rental car (Jeep Wagoneer) and drove to our house in Gallatin Gateway, just outside of Big Sky. The drive along the Gallatin River was gorgeous! Mom Mom and Susan had their own travel issues with canceled and delayed flights. They finally rolled into town around midnight.
Prior to our arrival, Big Sky had received about 14 inches of snow. We enjoyed exploring the slopes, especially around Madison Base and Mountain Village. The weather turned cold the next day, and a lot of the trails iced over. We still had a great time. Mom Mom treated us to dinner that night at Block 3. The next day, we enjoyed the trails and views off of the Powder Seeker lift. We then made our way over for a few runs around the Shedhorn lift. We made several runs, but the temperatures in the teens and icy conditions soon drove us away.
On Wednesday, Mom Mom was up for an adventure. She joined us on the slopes. While Jay, Parker, and Ansel skied, Mom Mom, Kristie, and Susan took the Lone Peak Tram to the tip top.
The weather turned bad on Thursday. Kristie took the day off to join Mom Mom and Susan on a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Jay, Parker, and Ansel hit the slopes. They didn’t last long. Although the temperature was a bit warmer, the wind was howling (~30 mph). Most of the lifts were closed, so they were forced to stay around the Madison 8 lift. All the open lifts seemed to be running at a quarter speed. They made a few runs and even took the Dreamer lift (which services several beginner trails) for a few runs but ultimately called it a day early. They decided to take a trip to check out Bozeman and had lunch at Fiesta Mexicana.
Although the snow was minimal, the conditions Friday were the best of the week, which was perfect for our last day. After a day of fun skiing, we returned to our house and started getting packed up. This should be the end of our adventure, but as we were rolling out, Susan noticed that her rental car had really low tire pressure. We drove back to Big Sky to pump it up, but soon noticed a nail. We quickly changed it in the wintry mix and headed to the airport. Luckily, especially with how packed the line was, we all made it onboard our flight home.
