Unfortunately, this plan was derailed almost immediately. The highway was backed up, bumper to bumper all the way to our exit. When we arrived, we were welcomed with a 30 minute wait at the lift.
And, no matter how hard we tried to escape, we found more and more people on the mountain: Mary Jane, Parsenn Bowl, Winter Park...all full to the brim.
I gained a migraine, Kenedy a stomach ache. Tucker and I collided and he ended up with a sore leg. Not the best day but, hey, we were skiing, together and the flakes started flying! We stopped for a snack and quickly cured the headache, stomach ache and sore leg with a cheesy, greasy pizza, a beer and a snickers bar (total of $31 and WORTH IT). Next stop...smiles and a new attitude.
Nobody wants an extra long, bumper-to-bumper drive to a fun day on the slopes. And, after that, nobody wants to stand in a long lift line before sliding down the hill even once. And, no one wants to get through all of that and then wind up not feeling well. But...somehow we all work together. We patiently wait for the parking lot to inch forward. We take turns in the lift line. We maneuver the mob-like crowds, doing our best not to hit each other on the head with our skiis. We watch out on the slope and chat pleasantly on the lifts. Actually, it's a great example of how a well-functioning community can work. We work together!