tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122261462024-03-07T03:52:50.798-05:00Tim's blogfestTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-70407924020852674082012-02-25T09:44:00.001-05:002012-02-25T09:44:40.453-05:00San Francisco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-40354010658127759932011-07-01T09:27:00.001-05:002011-07-01T09:27:08.826-05:00Anchorage, Alaska<div style="text-align: center;">At the beginning of June I went up to Alaska for work and had a couple of extra days to look around. An Added bonus was that my cousin Erin lives up there and I got to visit with her, her son Jeremy, and her husband Matt. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">First let me say that the scenic beauty of Alaska is unmatched by anywhere that I have ever been. Lush, snow capped, green mountains that roll down to the sea were in abundance and there were all kinds of waterfalls fed by the spring snow melt. An added bonus was that even though it was the rainy season I had surprisingly good weather for almost the whole time. One thing that makes an impression is the sun being up well after midnight.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The first day of free time I went for a 1 hour cruise of the Portage glacier, which was very reasonable at $39. I had a long chat with the Captain of the boat, who was also a Coast Guard vet. We talked about the Guard and the ships that we had served aboard as well as things to do in Alaska.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLt4MOLQeR13YJXc-d5OsJAeWXL5l5dsJwXjKvH7jS7dbsrY7ffFaoB0LlCYP8oirpqF-dn0h0xbI_XBPV5G7fSpd8XfX-ZsQdOq2UNa5JIMk5IFIl6P3OMeanK18i9uYjobvV/s1600/P1020317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLt4MOLQeR13YJXc-d5OsJAeWXL5l5dsJwXjKvH7jS7dbsrY7ffFaoB0LlCYP8oirpqF-dn0h0xbI_XBPV5G7fSpd8XfX-ZsQdOq2UNa5JIMk5IFIl6P3OMeanK18i9uYjobvV/s320/P1020317.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Flying into Anchorage you can see many of the islands along the coast. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCjhNyWAffvsjYvDh0VzNOXOlocyBhjAK9iCOnLqC_7JtbYHObLNcrWDZaIsYctT-Mp7ZIkptzWv8vLgItt8gLBW3XhEmlCkWW6saLOJO-Q4B1VBG6r0_mJmG6Snczhc4kKvT/s1600/P1020330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCjhNyWAffvsjYvDh0VzNOXOlocyBhjAK9iCOnLqC_7JtbYHObLNcrWDZaIsYctT-Mp7ZIkptzWv8vLgItt8gLBW3XhEmlCkWW6saLOJO-Q4B1VBG6r0_mJmG6Snczhc4kKvT/s320/P1020330.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0042bAAH4pQJXo5VWM3uXqHtHatYO2KqPbufCjh2z8FYFQCase_1XGza4OZlqdORxYBZVKwoFtrSGiItR6GiSqHUiEtsMhgabZuEG9pG6TeZUfOTogpXZnUHe_4pguWR6v9l/s1600/P1020383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0042bAAH4pQJXo5VWM3uXqHtHatYO2KqPbufCjh2z8FYFQCase_1XGza4OZlqdORxYBZVKwoFtrSGiItR6GiSqHUiEtsMhgabZuEG9pG6TeZUfOTogpXZnUHe_4pguWR6v9l/s320/P1020383.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbV__I8kqdDU_Q8rtp_hDiAffCBoySBjiGsB0jc6xd55MMBNC6ZvO5k-LWhwqf-bmzsbNlLay9-gwfzlgDnpwOK_07WhAdk58TPDj7lsa3q-jqh6OoDCfkjVqpDQolbCbNDh-F/s1600/P1020333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbV__I8kqdDU_Q8rtp_hDiAffCBoySBjiGsB0jc6xd55MMBNC6ZvO5k-LWhwqf-bmzsbNlLay9-gwfzlgDnpwOK_07WhAdk58TPDj7lsa3q-jqh6OoDCfkjVqpDQolbCbNDh-F/s320/P1020333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>This is Beluga Point, on the highway from Anchorage to Seward.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNf-QgL5TwL9F7g4oMRXSmOqUhJ9QfVkPciKVm38X_tDfcj1xM5vpmobMoo7YotEOTzfkWa0PgfiH_ct_3YRNltV9FbkZg3yPxf8kmpszysIAHWy9ONCGhk8X5TgbAI3MVxMc/s1600/P1020334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNf-QgL5TwL9F7g4oMRXSmOqUhJ9QfVkPciKVm38X_tDfcj1xM5vpmobMoo7YotEOTzfkWa0PgfiH_ct_3YRNltV9FbkZg3yPxf8kmpszysIAHWy9ONCGhk8X5TgbAI3MVxMc/s320/P1020334.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGjBBfgnB0AsGm5TQ2D92ka_8ZDC6YHE7Qm7zcD9V8o08GVO22RJXjZLVAUy2__uMvqIgckyK12phy10YB2vvrR4jNjl_f9_qGVzSJ-vtsW1NilNIiwrSx7UxItc_4wvrB2tL/s1600/P1020348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGjBBfgnB0AsGm5TQ2D92ka_8ZDC6YHE7Qm7zcD9V8o08GVO22RJXjZLVAUy2__uMvqIgckyK12phy10YB2vvrR4jNjl_f9_qGVzSJ-vtsW1NilNIiwrSx7UxItc_4wvrB2tL/s320/P1020348.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Small icebergs from the Portage Glacier. Keep in mind that this is 80% underwater.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_14Hp9TXzVrU3KoT4UycdgeNuEFWmCUKy_ivzVTYJ7mn_UQJlwSlZECnHfPSSAszLh6BuWhUOdhm09vqDGvpZoB2cbUiElfsqldCW5mGuQGQrBLiVAvqMDoWT-AdvRHiiT2i/s1600/P1020350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_14Hp9TXzVrU3KoT4UycdgeNuEFWmCUKy_ivzVTYJ7mn_UQJlwSlZECnHfPSSAszLh6BuWhUOdhm09vqDGvpZoB2cbUiElfsqldCW5mGuQGQrBLiVAvqMDoWT-AdvRHiiT2i/s320/P1020350.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Portage Lake.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiltJR4TvhtmT_qfMmI9jFXnBFSGZ8yvUhUpsXUn9fqpAaR3o8VnCTIhU3uVZive1CwRrfSngzyF__PI1aaI4rP24RmaiIQzPmrRMrz6uGf1uVoPyq5SWW5i4EFf8UfHmF8wq/s1600/P1020351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiltJR4TvhtmT_qfMmI9jFXnBFSGZ8yvUhUpsXUn9fqpAaR3o8VnCTIhU3uVZive1CwRrfSngzyF__PI1aaI4rP24RmaiIQzPmrRMrz6uGf1uVoPyq5SWW5i4EFf8UfHmF8wq/s320/P1020351.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu2bXMzV_jUTIPrZLRg7gjw0dOJercbrIKQ7hhkJaY25vaIcHnx7ljaOPZakJ078mPintrpXIbYjqZl0ej2FnTyNDmj-iOdh3Wl-AEHaiGD9jRTZufW9Q2V_tn8nus6zW8neA/s1600/P1020363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu2bXMzV_jUTIPrZLRg7gjw0dOJercbrIKQ7hhkJaY25vaIcHnx7ljaOPZakJ078mPintrpXIbYjqZl0ej2FnTyNDmj-iOdh3Wl-AEHaiGD9jRTZufW9Q2V_tn8nus6zW8neA/s320/P1020363.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>This is the glacier. Bright blue ice.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivepMdW55sym_DR_KEYwTrkkxDJR2j6k5yBsySgV3mIr1-x0yRxnIytm855p51cWbW1TU_DBQ9jWC_k0Db5TiFQoG4zFPfeT_wCe9vv5pGalcVhCzi2u3ml-_M0K-1pOupf1Yk/s1600/P1020370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivepMdW55sym_DR_KEYwTrkkxDJR2j6k5yBsySgV3mIr1-x0yRxnIytm855p51cWbW1TU_DBQ9jWC_k0Db5TiFQoG4zFPfeT_wCe9vv5pGalcVhCzi2u3ml-_M0K-1pOupf1Yk/s320/P1020370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-6597041996932061412011-05-21T11:13:00.000-05:002011-05-21T11:13:05.226-05:00Bramble, former Coast Guard cutter, for sale for $300,000I served aboard this ship in 1982. Certainly not as nice of a ship as the icebreaker Mackinaw, but I made some friends during my time there. Another part of my past slips away. Sigh. The article has one mistake: the Bramble is 180' long, not 185'.<br />
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<a href="http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011105210371">http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011105210371</a>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-88277552717377223372011-05-01T10:52:00.000-05:002011-05-01T10:52:15.966-05:00The Recession...Shamelessly copied from the comments section of a Yahoo News story...<br />
<br />
"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Recession</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The recession has hit everybody really hard...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">My neighbor got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Wives are having sex with their husbands because they can't afford batteries.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">CEO's are now playing miniature golf.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I saw a Mormon with only one wife.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">McDonald's is selling the 1/4 ouncer.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">My cousin had an exorcism but couldn't afford to pay for it, and they re-possessed her!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico .</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A picture is now only worth 200 words.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">And, finally....</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline. I got a call center in Pakistan, and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck..."</span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-7864993168071836592011-03-06T12:34:00.000-05:002011-03-06T12:34:55.853-05:00Snowbird, Utah<div style="text-align: center;">This is the fourth and final post chronicling my 2011 ski trip to Utah, a pilgrimage that will definitely occur on an annual basis as long as I am able. Snowbird was certainly the biggest as far as the resorts go. 3,200 foot vertical drop and tons of trails. Great skiing (as good as Alta) and it also had the added bonus of the high speed tram which gets you to the top in about five minutes, and this really allows you to get in a lot more downhill time. Although the skiing was just as good as Alta, the lodge lacked the atmosphere of Alta, which is two miles away. It had sort of a 1970's utilitarian feel to it, a concrete and steel creation that seems more at home as part of a freeway overpass or some other sort of municipal infrastructure construction. Still, it was laid out well and was certainly doing what it was designed for. I liked the place very much but still favor Alta. Another minor drawback was the presence of rowdy snowboarders who act like they own the place and felt little need to act courteously with their fellow snow sports enthusiasts. They really did not get too out of hand I suppose, but were overly aggressive at times. Their presence was not in any way missed up the road. I did not take as many pictures here because frankly, I was having too much fun skiing. After Alta, I'd say that this was my favorite Utah resort. Being that you can get a combo lift ticket that allows you to ski both places it is a sure bet that I'll be back here. in fact, you can get a super pass that allows you to ski Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton, although I'd just be interested in the first two. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuTzewUmbFt0l0qZK0VffuNsqXLMBiBUkwahzYtiRDN6sd5PyAVH0-Ausl0W-9Dm0ikF3B599v6b_qDq-wpyQrW5jP4xdy3z-YjNSIXBgovx1pVj8bWH59d2Vu56ZPclciQaV/s1600/Snowbird+2-2011+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuTzewUmbFt0l0qZK0VffuNsqXLMBiBUkwahzYtiRDN6sd5PyAVH0-Ausl0W-9Dm0ikF3B599v6b_qDq-wpyQrW5jP4xdy3z-YjNSIXBgovx1pVj8bWH59d2Vu56ZPclciQaV/s320/Snowbird+2-2011+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This is the view from the top of the high speed tram. Salt lake city is off to the right.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgConoCnnkCL7B2IY3e9-k6X5172tbWFZSfIMFOaU5z3gAy4jfHOeuHOXGAzeqkr-3cpxYzvD9R3BCU2AIJOny3imfgurjV6xk7er0xez8SdJtNqhkm1_Fc9l_KuVMCmHBrvbBW/s1600/Snowbird+2-2011+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgConoCnnkCL7B2IY3e9-k6X5172tbWFZSfIMFOaU5z3gAy4jfHOeuHOXGAzeqkr-3cpxYzvD9R3BCU2AIJOny3imfgurjV6xk7er0xez8SdJtNqhkm1_Fc9l_KuVMCmHBrvbBW/s320/Snowbird+2-2011+020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Out the rear window of the tram is the Snowbird lodge and other village structures . </i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDs4O6JEyMi7-b5lWuWOJIfR8MuvmKtBO8qbPInQA2P1sb8tuSWDlUhE8_nzccRO3_U5aZhXESylrnygMAFofW3PCvFU3HPj5kQiyEgtPxC_MNrwfFZuXN_UtdtHFLhkNQ55T0/s1600/Snowbird+2-2011+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDs4O6JEyMi7-b5lWuWOJIfR8MuvmKtBO8qbPInQA2P1sb8tuSWDlUhE8_nzccRO3_U5aZhXESylrnygMAFofW3PCvFU3HPj5kQiyEgtPxC_MNrwfFZuXN_UtdtHFLhkNQ55T0/s320/Snowbird+2-2011+019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A better shot of the lodge.</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm5yTGSf_sNL6fybIbOakwQxAJPVqv0YZHt8eW0aCXrA5hKq3I4ZpcWvOWfkDFMB45ucFG-rPbvjN3R0PVPehj1Cr5hg_kJX48_IKEvdLrZX1YNI3zWeqtqnd3_giR-ifP0Ru/s1600/Snowbird+2-2011+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm5yTGSf_sNL6fybIbOakwQxAJPVqv0YZHt8eW0aCXrA5hKq3I4ZpcWvOWfkDFMB45ucFG-rPbvjN3R0PVPehj1Cr5hg_kJX48_IKEvdLrZX1YNI3zWeqtqnd3_giR-ifP0Ru/s320/Snowbird+2-2011+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This view is off the back side of the tram...</i><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy2WWWjliuj7W6UCONGj8qr3Fqxv879bP9x8A0Vkz9syq76KvvPGS1SCA2paTmid7G3ZiNLneRwY2bRo2lYAQUXQg4IfJ0ZgQNCIq-VbNcv0jufp6tMZiEORXZwWse3OGdDPq/s1600/Snowbird+2-2011+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy2WWWjliuj7W6UCONGj8qr3Fqxv879bP9x8A0Vkz9syq76KvvPGS1SCA2paTmid7G3ZiNLneRwY2bRo2lYAQUXQg4IfJ0ZgQNCIq-VbNcv0jufp6tMZiEORXZwWse3OGdDPq/s320/Snowbird+2-2011+017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This shot of me is standing right where the last picture was taken, getting ready to ski down the run.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm5yTGSf_sNL6fybIbOakwQxAJPVqv0YZHt8eW0aCXrA5hKq3I4ZpcWvOWfkDFMB45ucFG-rPbvjN3R0PVPehj1Cr5hg_kJX48_IKEvdLrZX1YNI3zWeqtqnd3_giR-ifP0Ru/s1600/Snowbird+2-2011+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HofqdNjIX1S4jV9KUjfB6YIOdZ0xjXl7TihSQ61k65ACR-_Agu2YwKYpzaRFSE7Izx1jAOyoFxfiQN9BbVjHoVFK2PeGJH-DoVtHmvPoowWUi7Xg1rla_hDEKTMp0PteDCz2/s1600/Snowbird+2-2011+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HofqdNjIX1S4jV9KUjfB6YIOdZ0xjXl7TihSQ61k65ACR-_Agu2YwKYpzaRFSE7Izx1jAOyoFxfiQN9BbVjHoVFK2PeGJH-DoVtHmvPoowWUi7Xg1rla_hDEKTMp0PteDCz2/s320/Snowbird+2-2011+014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This is the top, right before I took off down the mountain...</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWOn3W9mZbwAfbHoYkuaEfax-6NXVspQzVclDbzXTI9l8oAQofYc5cth2iebChaWIhdcgE-cazivEYp6dY9efvAd3ViCxG97TxFoXILeLuO3tpP60EeQpNiedvLDyGICIODBs/s1600/Snowbird+2-2011+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWOn3W9mZbwAfbHoYkuaEfax-6NXVspQzVclDbzXTI9l8oAQofYc5cth2iebChaWIhdcgE-cazivEYp6dY9efvAd3ViCxG97TxFoXILeLuO3tpP60EeQpNiedvLDyGICIODBs/s320/Snowbird+2-2011+018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...and at the bottom, looking back up at where I just skied. This is the "bookends traverse" to "white diamonds" that you see in the trailmap below.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.snowbird.com/imagelib/trailmaps/trailmap_mineral_XL.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Rear of mountain trailmap.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><img src="http://www.snowbird.com/imagelib/trailmaps/trailmap_snowbird_XL.jpg" /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Front view trailmap. My favorite run was a black diamond called "Primrose Path", an over one mile long natural half pipe.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-23677686587397131382011-03-04T12:15:00.004-05:002011-03-04T15:37:57.237-05:00Alta, Utah<div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">This is the third installment of my 2011 Utah ski odyssey. <a href="http://www.alta.com/">Alta</a> was absolutely the finest ski resort that I have ever had the pleasure of carving turns at, and I will certainly be skiing there every year as long as my legs will hold me up. This place is old school, and it shows. Built in 1939, it has that authentic feel and not the Disney on snow feel that so many resorts like Solitude have. From the panoramic views, rough hewn furniture in the lodges, and a million other little things that are reminiscent of a European ski resort, this is what skiing is meant to be. Other resorts may have 5 star hotels, wonderful spas and shopping, etc., and if that is what you are after, fine, go to Vail or Deer Valley, but if you want the best possible overall skiing experience (sorry snowboarders, you'll have to go 2 miles down the canyon to Snowbird) this is the place to be. I never believed in love at first sight, and then I saw her, and her name was Alta. Unbelievably Ski Magazine ranks this jewel at #28th overall, but let's break down those numbers:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Snow- #1</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Terrain variety- #8</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Challenge- #5</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Value-#3</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Weather-#3</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Scenery-#5</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Overall satisfaction-#1!</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Well, there you have it. Not in the top ten for on mountain food, lodging, dining, terrain parks (they don't have or need one), off hill activities, or family programs. This is a skier's mountain, and this is what they do: provide the best skiing experience in America. End of story.</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXLBSjJWocjDK5YLfUya8nqeHUARBZU78sJigGYawmcYgPG0OVpn37fZn8xnehXn3gqtkQyDYbksD-NYfK6kiNoJ50CAG3izPx_MEbYN1LXPs_2osxZCV5EUs-qdiD9j0Sa-P/s1600/Alta+2-2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXLBSjJWocjDK5YLfUya8nqeHUARBZU78sJigGYawmcYgPG0OVpn37fZn8xnehXn3gqtkQyDYbksD-NYfK6kiNoJ50CAG3izPx_MEbYN1LXPs_2osxZCV5EUs-qdiD9j0Sa-P/s320/Alta+2-2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><i>Getting ready for my first run near the base lodge.</i></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BHs7Uyes1Yt671-uCC80YPXu7SA9ZdAmuuU2aYjUgkF125jziByNkFf8hyphenhyphenYDNMIYXa_NhUljWNb0yOGNaEqh1xrJ70hfbqUvQQE80_NPSeWIOtYiwYsZ9PFpqFP93zysjWGw/s1600/Alta+2-2011+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BHs7Uyes1Yt671-uCC80YPXu7SA9ZdAmuuU2aYjUgkF125jziByNkFf8hyphenhyphenYDNMIYXa_NhUljWNb0yOGNaEqh1xrJ70hfbqUvQQE80_NPSeWIOtYiwYsZ9PFpqFP93zysjWGw/s320/Alta+2-2011+020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Here I am at the top of the Collins lift. It had been sunny most of the day, but as the lifts were getting ready to close the sun hid for a little while behind the clouds.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7GB_QOdmagOPAnzlIwZ1L9fsmQ8XNehdjAkkx7UzkvZ9slIdg94QnW46NtLda8WW6oLBHOoJemwp5pO9hnUesgtPEDOZK0iHwymn3ixx0MQq7IrtUMh9Qo_yKkJL4y9ilFur/s1600/Alta+2-2011+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7GB_QOdmagOPAnzlIwZ1L9fsmQ8XNehdjAkkx7UzkvZ9slIdg94QnW46NtLda8WW6oLBHOoJemwp5pO9hnUesgtPEDOZK0iHwymn3ixx0MQq7IrtUMh9Qo_yKkJL4y9ilFur/s320/Alta+2-2011+022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>It began to burn through again just in time for my last run. </i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvjQYLCFxNhyphenhyphenUkObCu88mC1FnlOWxBmFVk1FS-BSluLNfkqIE0pb9C6Ng8TW8F-b98auiJVhM6l_tjICXNbjz73RuO2LniIq7CCgt6MDdZC1jxnu3x6UT14Fz3YIOWGNaOeCc/s1600/Alta+2-2011+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvjQYLCFxNhyphenhyphenUkObCu88mC1FnlOWxBmFVk1FS-BSluLNfkqIE0pb9C6Ng8TW8F-b98auiJVhM6l_tjICXNbjz73RuO2LniIq7CCgt6MDdZC1jxnu3x6UT14Fz3YIOWGNaOeCc/s320/Alta+2-2011+025.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vLYf0EnjyWzfw5cq_SumOZaXTaqqu9NyskvcXFLghnLvPStVPwV22O-BhaVZi6Z_HWVEoIb3lWfc254c7arVp_el6cXh6bmrtxrx8C0bhFZF3rv5Sk_9_QBbd5iV8ink3IIo/s1600/Alta+2-2011+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vLYf0EnjyWzfw5cq_SumOZaXTaqqu9NyskvcXFLghnLvPStVPwV22O-BhaVZi6Z_HWVEoIb3lWfc254c7arVp_el6cXh6bmrtxrx8C0bhFZF3rv5Sk_9_QBbd5iV8ink3IIo/s320/Alta+2-2011+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPQaaW-OVZkW05nIMhYohyphenhyphenIS7rIx_rMULPs-e86A1vWi2Dh9d6C9jLJABy2nhR8pqNVMdFUd6rSyhNxm15BEgtjzYsjvCzJ7HYWVZV34i0Q5Z4rbBSFDhhpF8J70UmHyMlDp3/s1600/Alta+2-2011+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPQaaW-OVZkW05nIMhYohyphenhyphenIS7rIx_rMULPs-e86A1vWi2Dh9d6C9jLJABy2nhR8pqNVMdFUd6rSyhNxm15BEgtjzYsjvCzJ7HYWVZV34i0Q5Z4rbBSFDhhpF8J70UmHyMlDp3/s320/Alta+2-2011+027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Even the parking lot had spectacular scenery.</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9L48cR0DZfKD7H7arOyEJM40LktzJKNGZEH9Wiy4bvgL5H287bOkl05wWZNrXEjCIQpdS1pBO8pZKo1s3FjjGC_5rv0Hio2zT0TtK6ygdz1L9sV0twJaHqfquKQsxvmad4AR/s1600/Alta+2-2011+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9L48cR0DZfKD7H7arOyEJM40LktzJKNGZEH9Wiy4bvgL5H287bOkl05wWZNrXEjCIQpdS1pBO8pZKo1s3FjjGC_5rv0Hio2zT0TtK6ygdz1L9sV0twJaHqfquKQsxvmad4AR/s320/Alta+2-2011+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqsyvokU2Uc8EywmZObbKCK6BIXiCqyYSzDyQvdHS07m2hsmoQC87-K9LazSTTjB-nYrXcbV_6Gqb-a_x4rFshXZveMJ52BtP6Gc4T6upUMhRhmvHU062EUeKGbF4RWD8hNhE/s1600/Alta+2-2011+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqsyvokU2Uc8EywmZObbKCK6BIXiCqyYSzDyQvdHS07m2hsmoQC87-K9LazSTTjB-nYrXcbV_6Gqb-a_x4rFshXZveMJ52BtP6Gc4T6upUMhRhmvHU062EUeKGbF4RWD8hNhE/s320/Alta+2-2011+032.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The deck of the Alta Lodge.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEl6mPpJI_rrjeXmDA19VUMwXdyzji1WKkjSdI1guxL7sZ2VKWLtjKQPhi0rj3kfqOLlS80XrrVW5TPBiTK8rpDszvb2N9tnP23KiaucW4vVhBoB-3KlyShY11TvKYwZgNi1l/s1600/Alta+2-2011+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEl6mPpJI_rrjeXmDA19VUMwXdyzji1WKkjSdI1guxL7sZ2VKWLtjKQPhi0rj3kfqOLlS80XrrVW5TPBiTK8rpDszvb2N9tnP23KiaucW4vVhBoB-3KlyShY11TvKYwZgNi1l/s320/Alta+2-2011+031.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This cozy little bar is called the Sitzmark. It was very intimate, holding no more than 20 or so guests. It made the top ten Apres-ski hot spots recently in USA Today. It was like traveling back in time to 1939. I had two beers here, the only drinking that I did for the entire trip.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjht8MJbVFEeELLze_-ZekRua6T0LaelbgGKYvKp_nR3aVpvHrskH8kO1UM_2IYQQoN7vxk8LAOoGhe2Sn5Xjw6rAgJg5Jce4DLcPkWsfsET-6nImMgdhXlg8kN4CGeas5aFsQ7/s1600/Alta+2-2011+035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBhyphenhyphenkD34mMhRO0Pt4hlKEO-3KoBin0DuvXSAGZhTpk5Kmqt2lEWW6GjqY2ibpG7SKFpa0_j-12ZNWUgfU7eSOaHbf8lhzVJgPQhQLgbMFm2dP7OYbV5m5MDOEs4a41itEV7Y6/s1600/Alta+2-2011+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBhyphenhyphenkD34mMhRO0Pt4hlKEO-3KoBin0DuvXSAGZhTpk5Kmqt2lEWW6GjqY2ibpG7SKFpa0_j-12ZNWUgfU7eSOaHbf8lhzVJgPQhQLgbMFm2dP7OYbV5m5MDOEs4a41itEV7Y6/s320/Alta+2-2011+036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The top photo was the right window next to the fireplace, this is the left. I am guessing the entire room is no more than 20 by 20 feet.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgEcbkygKiUkcJTzW1GmBvV8PTUf69LNWDIDXh3CFS80-vcaIL3NviHN3ygPxRtkWUjYMyUnK3Upd4c1bTD8lk5iHe9VsWhskk7uRVPdYX8ege4DHJ4mZNGNFDFH1jGwJrGG8/s1600/Alta+2-2011+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgEcbkygKiUkcJTzW1GmBvV8PTUf69LNWDIDXh3CFS80-vcaIL3NviHN3ygPxRtkWUjYMyUnK3Upd4c1bTD8lk5iHe9VsWhskk7uRVPdYX8ege4DHJ4mZNGNFDFH1jGwJrGG8/s320/Alta+2-2011+037.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Sheriff of Alta.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><img src="http://www.thealtastore.com/i/alta_trail_map.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>Alta trail map. the skier's map to Heaven (Nirvana, or Mecca. choose your own word for paradise).</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Anyone lucky enough to ski here will attest to the wonder of this magnificent skier's mountain.</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-19729366735759792802011-02-26T16:22:00.002-05:002011-02-27T14:22:23.091-05:00Deer Valley, Park City Utah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.deervalley.com/">Deer Valley ski resort</a> in Park City Utah has been ranked the number one ski resort in North America several times and it is easy to see why. The skiing is certainly up there with anything that I have experienced, but where they really shine is in all of the extra amenities like the fine dining options, lodge, spa, and lodging accommodations. They are truly first class. I was there for the skiing, and I was certainly impressed in that department. The scenery was also breathtaking, as you can see from these photos. My only complaint is that one of the lodges is halfway down the mountain and prevents you from skiing all the way to the bottom without taking a lift over it. This is a minor thing in the overall scheme of things though. Really hardly worth mentioning. I would certainly recommend Deer Valley to anyone who is a skiing enthusiast. One other nice thing about it is that they do not allow snowboarders. I really don't have a beef with snowboarders, but the lack of their rowdy behavior enhanced the overall experience. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiE8gsIbp9z4QscsrS85lgEuBvOk6fG5OOQAUet24yhvKc66OmzosfoSkh7y1JTEGUsSktz1sJWIVhEkm8zbRtN-oao8o9c__DzU4-fMRtLMvOARZOTYkW9j7NcYnNZA8B1y3o/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiE8gsIbp9z4QscsrS85lgEuBvOk6fG5OOQAUet24yhvKc66OmzosfoSkh7y1JTEGUsSktz1sJWIVhEkm8zbRtN-oao8o9c__DzU4-fMRtLMvOARZOTYkW9j7NcYnNZA8B1y3o/s320/UPS+12-20-10+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>This was taken at the top of Bald Mtn., one of the four peaks at the resort. Below is the Jordenelle Reservoir.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MxmTD9eyI_XujkmnTa95Lva8J33SLuEQe21r0WJOCl7xIPd7zlQ2MJk-pxP0aWGkh9IcPzOo4J8VyUyIPHDuKsB3NbHzN_PDO0sYo3-y0ANplirQAanbipWT-5uSvH4d0ZUz/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MxmTD9eyI_XujkmnTa95Lva8J33SLuEQe21r0WJOCl7xIPd7zlQ2MJk-pxP0aWGkh9IcPzOo4J8VyUyIPHDuKsB3NbHzN_PDO0sYo3-y0ANplirQAanbipWT-5uSvH4d0ZUz/s320/UPS+12-20-10+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildaj5huphGHyiU4sTk3FO8Kd09_XfZFfSnVez8l4043oFd0wDXnRU1Y6-CszM4k5EAFd_HsOCQ2648ni6GldJrENSg8k1ysJSX44RNozEHQlvnUMdhkzW6tkOiQEj_eAgJozJ/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildaj5huphGHyiU4sTk3FO8Kd09_XfZFfSnVez8l4043oFd0wDXnRU1Y6-CszM4k5EAFd_HsOCQ2648ni6GldJrENSg8k1ysJSX44RNozEHQlvnUMdhkzW6tkOiQEj_eAgJozJ/s320/UPS+12-20-10+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Spectacular scenery...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ur7b__q4Gk2M0QqCZ7MdXbRaZK35RHU6AOfPoZe1tTQ1Hybbk_2nBr3Q5gwxuMSZp_1ylB6eOwq0t00t-AyzRi6U-e4AoC3oOjnwj5BPjg_Hmckulc3dVHLHFp0PwnoCNObb/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ur7b__q4Gk2M0QqCZ7MdXbRaZK35RHU6AOfPoZe1tTQ1Hybbk_2nBr3Q5gwxuMSZp_1ylB6eOwq0t00t-AyzRi6U-e4AoC3oOjnwj5BPjg_Hmckulc3dVHLHFp0PwnoCNObb/s320/UPS+12-20-10+015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...challenging skiing...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxgzv1A_bcSWfYf2ipQ-c7dxEOrDleYcagi94Wm2CwnWh2WbBims0J2L4LCBQ4BCYSXa0YC20pl77OpRPV8KSHZ-NxLM3KQmkxl43VOBGrJEp_PW1cp5FFm5mNZEQ9S223Ngv/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxgzv1A_bcSWfYf2ipQ-c7dxEOrDleYcagi94Wm2CwnWh2WbBims0J2L4LCBQ4BCYSXa0YC20pl77OpRPV8KSHZ-NxLM3KQmkxl43VOBGrJEp_PW1cp5FFm5mNZEQ9S223Ngv/s320/UPS+12-20-10+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MzrlQaehPsJwqxluim7WWsxDIq65etm6SVfEeGyw8gcWCku88z4p8FBy5owG5lbIliL9xXJ6I478SBH_uRHj38gef3Nvf5kU5e3Gn0kOHbru8Q7Kzg6yLaSKYCwehd9rwstw/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MzrlQaehPsJwqxluim7WWsxDIq65etm6SVfEeGyw8gcWCku88z4p8FBy5owG5lbIliL9xXJ6I478SBH_uRHj38gef3Nvf5kU5e3Gn0kOHbru8Q7Kzg6yLaSKYCwehd9rwstw/s320/UPS+12-20-10+019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiK0W25Xi4t4U6XuFKk5YsH0OzyOQGqWKr3sk_uKjoufx9j_aiXjebbZZhYWiSdoNONyLOX_OtBXq0iO0MGNpXSF6umiiY6dkEut16WB4OnWci5LiNm-LHvBlyk-EnlnDrvSY/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiK0W25Xi4t4U6XuFKk5YsH0OzyOQGqWKr3sk_uKjoufx9j_aiXjebbZZhYWiSdoNONyLOX_OtBXq0iO0MGNpXSF6umiiY6dkEut16WB4OnWci5LiNm-LHvBlyk-EnlnDrvSY/s320/UPS+12-20-10+030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0rHzkocLMuehOO3ooLSclRqTA766gwLqUvop1xwo5DeECX-hn3E6z67W5gE14HNBzc5rqeX6FJTXS8_DB4strd4xQl87ZnYB3IN4q3-1cne43HfPgzTtS6Z0r-fn2QSinK_1/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0rHzkocLMuehOO3ooLSclRqTA766gwLqUvop1xwo5DeECX-hn3E6z67W5gE14HNBzc5rqeX6FJTXS8_DB4strd4xQl87ZnYB3IN4q3-1cne43HfPgzTtS6Z0r-fn2QSinK_1/s320/UPS+12-20-10+033.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45F_Xwfo2gxvI_3_3HlXy18aeT3zbI37K3-JDrzBZNM0N5GnlWpvGBSNsiva9S7wjBBGEQbE18IMS7lIDCewqyIV2hRFDLlyZ6l3SnYpD3oSCmpprUFh8l2nozGV3zcvLFt3-/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45F_Xwfo2gxvI_3_3HlXy18aeT3zbI37K3-JDrzBZNM0N5GnlWpvGBSNsiva9S7wjBBGEQbE18IMS7lIDCewqyIV2hRFDLlyZ6l3SnYpD3oSCmpprUFh8l2nozGV3zcvLFt3-/s320/UPS+12-20-10+036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFlc2wRedi5n1klnv4QMzmLX1hoDhcsHC2BD6NnRc0V7_p75t5zcYUaMXZHz-lUUOFoON1_NYvZX0fp_mNn-uH_27Uthipx4MgJd7V-tEhONa0_TJrerLZGGCxTUq28vsX-ne/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFlc2wRedi5n1klnv4QMzmLX1hoDhcsHC2BD6NnRc0V7_p75t5zcYUaMXZHz-lUUOFoON1_NYvZX0fp_mNn-uH_27Uthipx4MgJd7V-tEhONa0_TJrerLZGGCxTUq28vsX-ne/s320/UPS+12-20-10+037.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoPDKrYVCuRujga643Hj1qg1WHiACbfcabPwJeFsYBoYGMzp3wODZVbA0r9os-eWv7QyuFiS64cOBtZFOGNiEDC8q08TbgDK6tMskgCz64KA3hxl9OyGUu0ycfBNjtIgRc4ur/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoPDKrYVCuRujga643Hj1qg1WHiACbfcabPwJeFsYBoYGMzp3wODZVbA0r9os-eWv7QyuFiS64cOBtZFOGNiEDC8q08TbgDK6tMskgCz64KA3hxl9OyGUu0ycfBNjtIgRc4ur/s320/UPS+12-20-10+038.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEft9qLUwS_slDuHWEJwzHoeKaUJiFWCYvn0iBkYyDjCzQH4ndw06fYq4oQdI5u8okeOlSnqSP-8WxxKUMONGctG5i5sbsNjGAQ-_38ue7piENY0UzVcocFfuye-zef7wMcxqa/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEft9qLUwS_slDuHWEJwzHoeKaUJiFWCYvn0iBkYyDjCzQH4ndw06fYq4oQdI5u8okeOlSnqSP-8WxxKUMONGctG5i5sbsNjGAQ-_38ue7piENY0UzVcocFfuye-zef7wMcxqa/s320/UPS+12-20-10+040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveCsSnf6cHVgjPiDpRKnl1qFAZs5Aifvr4c6gY7XNXQQfzaot0fSlsUSrO7gfI84Pe4V1-4kxSSPNZZAHXCFCPfa6BZcd9YQEbaKhp3dvr4OUBWmDDZH2vK3jCK6hPvB2Wcw4/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveCsSnf6cHVgjPiDpRKnl1qFAZs5Aifvr4c6gY7XNXQQfzaot0fSlsUSrO7gfI84Pe4V1-4kxSSPNZZAHXCFCPfa6BZcd9YQEbaKhp3dvr4OUBWmDDZH2vK3jCK6hPvB2Wcw4/s320/UPS+12-20-10+049.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>This is the Steinmark by Marriott. You ride a tram to get there</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vu3FQDtUhYi8RN8EuFd4FdOHJEdn4o-JKBQZb084Mnyiiz082V2Tghm5dHsdjodn98XsZnanEu1TvvzxfHxljkn4vJ1bXWYVv2iESyGRJIFwaQ2QT_oL9dSuXzaz1yxWQB6u/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vu3FQDtUhYi8RN8EuFd4FdOHJEdn4o-JKBQZb084Mnyiiz082V2Tghm5dHsdjodn98XsZnanEu1TvvzxfHxljkn4vJ1bXWYVv2iESyGRJIFwaQ2QT_oL9dSuXzaz1yxWQB6u/s320/UPS+12-20-10+050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-lhEeOyu3IX7K1WuyaK_HjXOwXMNxNGxRa9y9kq-70KhQBhTwhD46GNzrJHW3KwlPf4BeU5-hyYlV2IXD0VPJ-OEwKB0MDOeGOTy3S6pa1VYzEKld5SsMnnwQLPw0N5oGRRT/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-lhEeOyu3IX7K1WuyaK_HjXOwXMNxNGxRa9y9kq-70KhQBhTwhD46GNzrJHW3KwlPf4BeU5-hyYlV2IXD0VPJ-OEwKB0MDOeGOTy3S6pa1VYzEKld5SsMnnwQLPw0N5oGRRT/s320/UPS+12-20-10+048.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJochDCDDh2oms5jZE-4bcgEeJ3_simubWL09Meyec5ezKFyUD4Wgd_3mkkhTZB2Vw_D1xQZyNr24lBN1WlRZVRBbMicNyMCAlAfelU7wb0Ohya4P92Pl7nE27cgdSPY6NNGvW/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJochDCDDh2oms5jZE-4bcgEeJ3_simubWL09Meyec5ezKFyUD4Wgd_3mkkhTZB2Vw_D1xQZyNr24lBN1WlRZVRBbMicNyMCAlAfelU7wb0Ohya4P92Pl7nE27cgdSPY6NNGvW/s320/UPS+12-20-10+046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"<i>Come ski with me"</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-19270217069819494822011-02-23T18:55:00.006-05:002011-02-23T19:23:00.933-05:00Solitude, Utah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I spent four days skiing in Utah this month and am happy to report that everywhere I skied was excellent. First, I skied <a href="http://www.skisolitude.com/">Solitude</a>. Located in Big Cottonwood canyon, this is a very nice family resort with a family vibe. Unfortunately, a couple of the lifts were down due to a power failure, but there were still many runs to chose from. Although it was a nice place with great skiing, I don't think I will go back. Don't get me wrong, but the scenery, although very pretty, was not as spectacular as the other places that I visited. I don't want to unfairly bash the place, it had good skiing, but if you are going all the way to Utah there are better places.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4j444FYk3yluVJuYagPyxKP_SSEm6pYY_IrRsAGcs4w6dHqrvM5EJINPPmiv6xl6hH3EgCg-bNKKZRE0a3WB9oyxj15elFocsRWfTKswVHXD520NrQdjkqGjSL280jmF91BJ/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4j444FYk3yluVJuYagPyxKP_SSEm6pYY_IrRsAGcs4w6dHqrvM5EJINPPmiv6xl6hH3EgCg-bNKKZRE0a3WB9oyxj15elFocsRWfTKswVHXD520NrQdjkqGjSL280jmF91BJ/s400/UPS+12-20-10+001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Impressive marker at the entrance to the resort</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FmBgSs1cMZAjslL7cFTci47CIXThcoIvsjbjXYFDnGOyE4GDVdlquy9I2l8YGSC8-IvUSK83omauKI_fhdTnLjj9gWIKjMVq0XoUS7bgnI4HrgllgF6CMO3kcazAuLDV6Bli/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FmBgSs1cMZAjslL7cFTci47CIXThcoIvsjbjXYFDnGOyE4GDVdlquy9I2l8YGSC8-IvUSK83omauKI_fhdTnLjj9gWIKjMVq0XoUS7bgnI4HrgllgF6CMO3kcazAuLDV6Bli/s400/UPS+12-20-10+020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This is the view of the lodge from the mountain side</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2fo7DmHtvU9oQbG8wO_QZDsQgGW2KAF2NqBnRBcqmZSCo7BXAUc_rr3PlTGaetRXubdu-CWtN0ec24GoVL2HbFx9U9gWIbRbmJr68gXuXMITeT6mC6i4k8K5dgyeesUIZR6V/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2fo7DmHtvU9oQbG8wO_QZDsQgGW2KAF2NqBnRBcqmZSCo7BXAUc_rr3PlTGaetRXubdu-CWtN0ec24GoVL2HbFx9U9gWIbRbmJr68gXuXMITeT6mC6i4k8K5dgyeesUIZR6V/s400/UPS+12-20-10+003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDbW1NJAP8BBHyxxPlvQNlbK5IP4tkmvFARuPhlX6xnrtLcuA69f-KDzAKdG7QFi8usAp7VR5pYm0BUGpTgF5bcjNuknOqEGx-BSszvdrLvslDbSN1DLT8Mq9mpuvmWWw-rlo/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDbW1NJAP8BBHyxxPlvQNlbK5IP4tkmvFARuPhlX6xnrtLcuA69f-KDzAKdG7QFi8usAp7VR5pYm0BUGpTgF5bcjNuknOqEGx-BSszvdrLvslDbSN1DLT8Mq9mpuvmWWw-rlo/s400/UPS+12-20-10+009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c1hbo9-LCe2ieZoudGwqscizzbyrALZqAmfBfRwZgbSn46sWBbQLlre4mkE-FtPB8fyYt-tQ5dyZ8PHUa6c0eC6BjbFSvXGWh9fz_g_NMVpTkvN7QkyYuhTqJQaYYpjG6R5j/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c1hbo9-LCe2ieZoudGwqscizzbyrALZqAmfBfRwZgbSn46sWBbQLlre4mkE-FtPB8fyYt-tQ5dyZ8PHUa6c0eC6BjbFSvXGWh9fz_g_NMVpTkvN7QkyYuhTqJQaYYpjG6R5j/s400/UPS+12-20-10+012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCstAzmB5nbn30fL8GFDmdqpd4OlmPASdsPV8rulUgcgYWSx7pi-JmrIeDV6iUXM9SXSFvGKGmm7a_IvjOoz_T_xeg7ijU3clEH5h_tM3krtvuXjHEbpV356C8y-zxTBCYiItT/s1600/UPS+12-20-10+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCstAzmB5nbn30fL8GFDmdqpd4OlmPASdsPV8rulUgcgYWSx7pi-JmrIeDV6iUXM9SXSFvGKGmm7a_IvjOoz_T_xeg7ijU3clEH5h_tM3krtvuXjHEbpV356C8y-zxTBCYiItT/s400/UPS+12-20-10+018.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6U4fUyOd_CHRxdMcwLGKNNuH0T1_J2i7NASOl9sd1jWdBfy160FVgAwi8Ow6RS6_5XsR7MSPuv6WSLuibosbNAlFMUqXdn9eS-U1EsX5uDwPJuOdnbAo8UGSH6KGTwVm9stC/s1600/Solitude_Trail_Map_08-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6U4fUyOd_CHRxdMcwLGKNNuH0T1_J2i7NASOl9sd1jWdBfy160FVgAwi8Ow6RS6_5XsR7MSPuv6WSLuibosbNAlFMUqXdn9eS-U1EsX5uDwPJuOdnbAo8UGSH6KGTwVm9stC/s400/Solitude_Trail_Map_08-09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Solitude trail map</i></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-8602057412500377442011-01-19T09:55:00.002-05:002011-01-19T09:59:14.770-05:00Smuggler's Notch Vermont<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I happened to have an opportunity to do some work in Vermont this week and of course had to get a little skiing in. I chose <a href="http://www.smuggs.com/">Smuggler's Notch</a> and let me tell you right now that it was an excellent choice! Nestled in the Green Mountains, the resort stretches over three mountains, with the center mountain, Madonna, being the tallest. It was an incredible morning! Bright, sunny, but brutally cold at -15 degrees. Thank God it was not windy as well.It had been snowing steadily for the entire week before I arrived and I was delighted to find tons of fresh powder awaiting me. I was expecting icy conditions comparable to Whiteface, but was ecstatic to find conditions that were reminiscent of mountains out west. This resort was rated 9th best in the East by Ski magazine, but I was told by the locals that the skiing is every bit as good as <a href="http://www.stowe.com/">Stowe</a> nearby, which was ranked 3rd, right behind Whiteface. Granted, they have slow lifts, no gondola, and the shopping, on-mountain food, après-ski vibe may not be as good, but they sure delivered the goods as far as snow, terrain variety,challenge, and scenic beauty.I highly recommend this place to skiers and riders of all abilities, as the three mountains have something to offer for everyone. It is also ranked 1st in the East for family programs.Highly recommended to all skiers and riders who have a chance to travel there! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BhyL2lI-Tzk96bnU_f49vtDYxhw4vSo4Z271sWnU8Ni-5qUYU5ZAeeKhtUKJJHKo5rw5f8rs62HGZLaU57BRAN7Q-t77NqY3INsziV5FcPX17EDCv6iuUxLt6Wgu0SaVq9i3/s1600/P1020104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BhyL2lI-Tzk96bnU_f49vtDYxhw4vSo4Z271sWnU8Ni-5qUYU5ZAeeKhtUKJJHKo5rw5f8rs62HGZLaU57BRAN7Q-t77NqY3INsziV5FcPX17EDCv6iuUxLt6Wgu0SaVq9i3/s320/P1020104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The mountains were encased in arctic -like cold </i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIUOdkgvMB35frGr3mwrS3svtyD_g2yBSpKGFpkehU7XB13385FJCX2kEPIDKFV9e5hM6Jyj22t8q_6SOGHnOFDiwZumBqed8iaxqm2q4piieX3DTg8nc2NO2GJBnzRaTBM33/s1600/P1020102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIUOdkgvMB35frGr3mwrS3svtyD_g2yBSpKGFpkehU7XB13385FJCX2kEPIDKFV9e5hM6Jyj22t8q_6SOGHnOFDiwZumBqed8iaxqm2q4piieX3DTg8nc2NO2GJBnzRaTBM33/s320/P1020102.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A bright, bright, bright, sunshiny day! </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVfKEOr62ykcrPwmn70q3YiN5XTOW2j-PTfVEJir2hK5MgZrcbL0Tee0ojG0RRy8p3ijfVB12PW9XUMJOiWmMUaN0NCGzEOd6w62xpbYKPYhbwb2oOACWv7shJhg1rPESCX4s/s1600/P1020103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVfKEOr62ykcrPwmn70q3YiN5XTOW2j-PTfVEJir2hK5MgZrcbL0Tee0ojG0RRy8p3ijfVB12PW9XUMJOiWmMUaN0NCGzEOd6w62xpbYKPYhbwb2oOACWv7shJhg1rPESCX4s/s320/P1020103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Upper Exhibition lift on Sterling mountain</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucmjp2xizzRTMc4jSmuy-5DC9b5qOXOVR3mpwt5Ki3FXNRI595JUMDbgF0O8aG9Z6QKA1NidbdIhJc0xlejnkejTjE0Ww3uPBNhsbbPPAIPxoNbb3DkwFaCemgM5vrjcHdAbm/s1600/P1020105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucmjp2xizzRTMc4jSmuy-5DC9b5qOXOVR3mpwt5Ki3FXNRI595JUMDbgF0O8aG9Z6QKA1NidbdIhJc0xlejnkejTjE0Ww3uPBNhsbbPPAIPxoNbb3DkwFaCemgM5vrjcHdAbm/s320/P1020105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Madonna Lift </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1onOwfYASFNHUd6a-uAdQG0ZVmL_177nXQqBshcsuIZ7g6ckZHT33qVmYJezvnSA8D9eozqFKdqsS9-ivzRCklJu5IL8Ii9BROC9f7tbEegH6aVorHi-YWZEhjFCx_IpDkapD/s1600/P1020107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1onOwfYASFNHUd6a-uAdQG0ZVmL_177nXQqBshcsuIZ7g6ckZHT33qVmYJezvnSA8D9eozqFKdqsS9-ivzRCklJu5IL8Ii9BROC9f7tbEegH6aVorHi-YWZEhjFCx_IpDkapD/s320/P1020107.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Summit of Madonna </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfZ9RINCme7IqfZ8DXuqr_LhdbxBYhdpj1Cy9FeIyuZcpsBY6UJR9xkq4BA_1hXcewjWEmAXQ3sGu-sGL3CnZMjNE97HwhbPz0cjhuoRUOf3et_1Cq45H8KElobxHwONw7ARf/s1600/P1020109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfZ9RINCme7IqfZ8DXuqr_LhdbxBYhdpj1Cy9FeIyuZcpsBY6UJR9xkq4BA_1hXcewjWEmAXQ3sGu-sGL3CnZMjNE97HwhbPz0cjhuoRUOf3et_1Cq45H8KElobxHwONw7ARf/s320/P1020109.JPG" width="288" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Upper Chilicoot blue run </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizo0ATUFdq5N1LOVNMpD7aX60aaS_r1zW95qci6XS__tnydWawqDdo7Jl-198mYokUMiw-9KnYzAl88H7QrwTg7JMNmN431Xci69fvCl0iE5faWEcq5YE5OL5eYMXVoNsT-3IZ/s1600/P1020113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizo0ATUFdq5N1LOVNMpD7aX60aaS_r1zW95qci6XS__tnydWawqDdo7Jl-198mYokUMiw-9KnYzAl88H7QrwTg7JMNmN431Xci69fvCl0iE5faWEcq5YE5OL5eYMXVoNsT-3IZ/s320/P1020113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqG_HL1gAkjRX0KUO37js2zxNe8jN9a6VNDCFvx6ULGa6Aa3gXoLaMbY89h7sqX5Lwo25VqJ3tTYpsEO9qlr4ZS9YfjRS5kiROEZf90R9bDf8ZUhMe1Ru0Ar927godYH0uZDFr/s1600/P1020120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqG_HL1gAkjRX0KUO37js2zxNe8jN9a6VNDCFvx6ULGa6Aa3gXoLaMbY89h7sqX5Lwo25VqJ3tTYpsEO9qlr4ZS9YfjRS5kiROEZf90R9bDf8ZUhMe1Ru0Ar927godYH0uZDFr/s320/P1020120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Cccccccccooooolllllldddddd! </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMxx74tkreLLUMtF7pbMvULbk_pDyaXWT8wAOPV2D1p_vCxyA-80t5EWoVh5g_HYeHvWayorGb9d6dXwleEYEhVxnWENHqX1086AtQ9baLtBVj16p6yhspZl64lLIBxAFyD9Y/s1600/P1020121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMxx74tkreLLUMtF7pbMvULbk_pDyaXWT8wAOPV2D1p_vCxyA-80t5EWoVh5g_HYeHvWayorGb9d6dXwleEYEhVxnWENHqX1086AtQ9baLtBVj16p6yhspZl64lLIBxAFyD9Y/s320/P1020121.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Madonna summit </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nqsd66qvmIaH9xQESePICspQS-Cfs36h3wbEnddAAxFX1WP9q-pSo53vZzx0XgDWubVXfZYZOzwU8Q2Q-vS43p_ZyzkllEjlai8jgEbciKhqsSDWIVB14YHVobKrfPbBw93W/s1600/P1020122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nqsd66qvmIaH9xQESePICspQS-Cfs36h3wbEnddAAxFX1WP9q-pSo53vZzx0XgDWubVXfZYZOzwU8Q2Q-vS43p_ZyzkllEjlai8jgEbciKhqsSDWIVB14YHVobKrfPbBw93W/s320/P1020122.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Skiing in a...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxMhtgT35iE8qQVY5VkpWH5lABR7i99tFyrMM6zswevirRP49R79cFiuYzxMcxDfTFnSp29KrMBucTk-k1EAzohkMxa5GaFA-DNVzPNJaBrC5KLBjl4jB1hA7_GaBTN2mrqJH/s1600/P1020123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxMhtgT35iE8qQVY5VkpWH5lABR7i99tFyrMM6zswevirRP49R79cFiuYzxMcxDfTFnSp29KrMBucTk-k1EAzohkMxa5GaFA-DNVzPNJaBrC5KLBjl4jB1hA7_GaBTN2mrqJH/s320/P1020123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...winter wonderland!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.smuggs.com/usr_images/winter/ski-ride/mountains/trailmap_201011small.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Trail Map</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-4686722443249578442010-12-24T13:00:00.003-05:002010-12-24T13:55:19.294-05:00Whiteface, Lk. Placid, NY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here it is, ski season 2010-2011. I had some work to do in New York and in between I got some skiing in. First I skied at <a href="http://timsblogfest.blogspot.com/2009/02/bristol-mountain-ny.html">Bristol Mountain</a>, south of Rochester, and then pressed on northeast to the #1 ski destination in the eastern US, <a href="http://www.whiteface.com/">Whiteface</a>. Let me first start out by telling you that this place is not for beginners. It's a tough, challenging mountain. Grooming is basically nonexistent and it lives up to it's nickname "Iceface", as there is a lot of ice on the runs from the freeze/thaw cycle. It is also windy and very cold. But to those of us who are good skiers in decent condition, it puts our skills to the test in an invigorating, exciting way. The nearby town of Lake Placid is a true mountain ski town nestled along the shore of Mirror Lake (which I thought was a little odd, because Lake Placid is a couple of miles away from the town). I only had a day to spend there, But there is lots to see and do and if I ever get up that way again I'd like to spend at least a week touring all of the Olympic attractions like the ski jumping complex, the bobsled and skeleton run over activities. On the way up, I drove the back way through the 6 million acre <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 3px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 3px;">Adirondack Park, past beautiful mountains, lakes, and trout streams, all encased in arctic like cold. Driving was treacherous as it was snowing in sheets earlier in the day and was still coming down (though not quite as hard) as I made my way north. On the way back I drove down I-87 near the Vermont border and past Lake Champlain and Fort Ticonderoga. All in all I put 1600 miles on the Ford. </span> <i> </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGs1ho9Lo_IwhRW5_0RZG_4TXasBE4MR3z4PnaWYinA-RNcoGB9Jp4sOrGH6A7PQ9-8Y6p4JsbOQel9DZjalbFQ-qqZZ6Y1GAd6BPIleUiUxqNcgzGM8UtlPjhHzYWL4Ur2s8/s1600/P1020021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGs1ho9Lo_IwhRW5_0RZG_4TXasBE4MR3z4PnaWYinA-RNcoGB9Jp4sOrGH6A7PQ9-8Y6p4JsbOQel9DZjalbFQ-qqZZ6Y1GAd6BPIleUiUxqNcgzGM8UtlPjhHzYWL4Ur2s8/s320/P1020021.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a river near the base of Whiteface. The scenic beauty of the place is astounding</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uVYM-k4It8OYXPTu93VOxumbQ2ipH4c_FSl6_V2QurGVpQnfnTCdIkQr677Bu-l7aADFYJgVjAHZCoucWoEtTrN4kuRfmztD8ZmJv36MeP2Em40sM3io58RW4j9re-V6LfYp/s1600/P1020039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uVYM-k4It8OYXPTu93VOxumbQ2ipH4c_FSl6_V2QurGVpQnfnTCdIkQr677Bu-l7aADFYJgVjAHZCoucWoEtTrN4kuRfmztD8ZmJv36MeP2Em40sM3io58RW4j9re-V6LfYp/s320/P1020039.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main street of Lake Placid on the night I arrived. Man it was coming down that night!</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HAdR1PD7tSfhJc-3BoJNhkheIEm2CUNfiI3nwyfJSjtZ6J6qvaJXltOUw2xh_iT8nVgg9m3YzqZVkqME4K9mQfXGZrZhM5VRtxKxtJiqW7g-gu6L9BRRwSi7ljaet83qFJ4W/s1600/P1020041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HAdR1PD7tSfhJc-3BoJNhkheIEm2CUNfiI3nwyfJSjtZ6J6qvaJXltOUw2xh_iT8nVgg9m3YzqZVkqME4K9mQfXGZrZhM5VRtxKxtJiqW7g-gu6L9BRRwSi7ljaet83qFJ4W/s320/P1020041.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Dancing Bear has $2 draft beers during happy hour, so you probably guessed where I was.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V8bfH_tg3vjAEaRdMD09jhmLcroPm9taW3dUsULJbuntzgumwKnnO2qTFpx44upKmxB6PKKoImtC3xuwi16_8WJ1-0ipjRDhHfIVNPWkxDCUpUA3FTj2I4Y_58jGHHTyBQSs/s1600/P1020057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V8bfH_tg3vjAEaRdMD09jhmLcroPm9taW3dUsULJbuntzgumwKnnO2qTFpx44upKmxB6PKKoImtC3xuwi16_8WJ1-0ipjRDhHfIVNPWkxDCUpUA3FTj2I4Y_58jGHHTyBQSs/s320/P1020057.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Northwoods Hotel.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOuEyOZBZ44wrZ-taDQzcEhRCSbNNKqV7eq5H2D0k3UdaqdT1eTHMTtGySUiKDZiIC_z7_G9Cy-moXeL2F2k2q2JdpTZNK7hv-OniNffme9ew0CXr7N0iu9EK-Y7Zm-0uwla-/s1600/P1020065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOuEyOZBZ44wrZ-taDQzcEhRCSbNNKqV7eq5H2D0k3UdaqdT1eTHMTtGySUiKDZiIC_z7_G9Cy-moXeL2F2k2q2JdpTZNK7hv-OniNffme9ew0CXr7N0iu9EK-Y7Zm-0uwla-/s320/P1020065.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whiteface mountain.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquTuvSll8gdtZSiFvF5zKQOMzGt_VpBCpBhSUpKOARoIL6YUf6J0XodJYJ3pXyhCK0S6TjJuxstgi2yfEt8-fvT_neZJHtRLeWbq0ctiiSXseMSRTvnp9Eb4m0vRhtMSOLBAz/s1600/P1020068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquTuvSll8gdtZSiFvF5zKQOMzGt_VpBCpBhSUpKOARoIL6YUf6J0XodJYJ3pXyhCK0S6TjJuxstgi2yfEt8-fvT_neZJHtRLeWbq0ctiiSXseMSRTvnp9Eb4m0vRhtMSOLBAz/s320/P1020068.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the top of the Cloudsplitter gondola, which takes you up 2,400 vertical feet in less than 15 minutes. There are three peaks to Whiteface. Little Whiteface peak (here) Whiteface summit (pictured) and Lookout mountain. </span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1Xuts7ioNqdZK7NWXZApNT2SrXe06fa-bjNkQizZtoxwABKnMvnFc82P5LDkBtKXOrk1yitps17gHI0z_6EHKdy1o74lh1RGdgm6w97fsJt0_xNim5aU1uqnfJiDjATzwOax/s1600/P1020071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1Xuts7ioNqdZK7NWXZApNT2SrXe06fa-bjNkQizZtoxwABKnMvnFc82P5LDkBtKXOrk1yitps17gHI0z_6EHKdy1o74lh1RGdgm6w97fsJt0_xNim5aU1uqnfJiDjATzwOax/s320/P1020071.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a blue run called Excelsior. Takes almost a half hour to get to the bottom.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyE2IC_YIsLl9xOVdZ-EIpWQYuFommmadJ4lhZlKb-UU0sW6Dmqcs-AtT1rn2AhP1ROf9IQHNt8mXL4p9k-7k4qFqg75hApELeZImSY3CIIJugA8sclVspeNZg_BOFZShQfNK9/s1600/P1020074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyE2IC_YIsLl9xOVdZ-EIpWQYuFommmadJ4lhZlKb-UU0sW6Dmqcs-AtT1rn2AhP1ROf9IQHNt8mXL4p9k-7k4qFqg75hApELeZImSY3CIIJugA8sclVspeNZg_BOFZShQfNK9/s320/P1020074.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLY8XadIdfEYInhtDs4g6yQ8QmpqFOcG5OObBjRjO7eaNCZygKXt8SOujzDm6WQTMVzBcyVRpBgNPLldNIdG04BMyJuFEerBtX3UlL1zhjerHA6LmOkcSF9B2iH-349VbhVBs2/s1600/P1020075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLY8XadIdfEYInhtDs4g6yQ8QmpqFOcG5OObBjRjO7eaNCZygKXt8SOujzDm6WQTMVzBcyVRpBgNPLldNIdG04BMyJuFEerBtX3UlL1zhjerHA6LmOkcSF9B2iH-349VbhVBs2/s320/P1020075.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lookut mountain</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDsOFZ-r_Pfap8H12tMpZyR2XBd92uCIiErwUSXm7c4R2R7zLHrF39-5Nmue7BrEh7RkZMlBzFnHomqqIuurImCLKkwvSfKyDyffh_gtGWSPZHd3oFbrpGSRBUO1JOcDtAzDf/s1600/P1020076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDsOFZ-r_Pfap8H12tMpZyR2XBd92uCIiErwUSXm7c4R2R7zLHrF39-5Nmue7BrEh7RkZMlBzFnHomqqIuurImCLKkwvSfKyDyffh_gtGWSPZHd3oFbrpGSRBUO1JOcDtAzDf/s320/P1020076.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4L43atwfbPnBINovvVB_Lxg9LIFnM4HJ_Mp-fZxhWbZ5qr6QxoxFrmwtUHhcmcmZEu6EKdOwgxoQBhYWnkqidnM_NSTchDmDyjh9T_CNuPM83U1ZQ3rna-sFUlpDHjKmQkkj1/s1600/P1020079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4L43atwfbPnBINovvVB_Lxg9LIFnM4HJ_Mp-fZxhWbZ5qr6QxoxFrmwtUHhcmcmZEu6EKdOwgxoQBhYWnkqidnM_NSTchDmDyjh9T_CNuPM83U1ZQ3rna-sFUlpDHjKmQkkj1/s320/P1020079.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYpc8FeG-7duwvWGhm2EJtOBVNgdJr3c05T2vgMXMCy1j6e6KfmnLCDh1Axry78iv5bBZNA9ZcJI4kUF5zXQOhG2RUDok9AiBaoiWta6fDehyUQv5Mg2_WMMX8Hl91WYMAEqn/s1600/P1020081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYpc8FeG-7duwvWGhm2EJtOBVNgdJr3c05T2vgMXMCy1j6e6KfmnLCDh1Axry78iv5bBZNA9ZcJI4kUF5zXQOhG2RUDok9AiBaoiWta6fDehyUQv5Mg2_WMMX8Hl91WYMAEqn/s320/P1020081.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lake Placid and Mirror Lake 10 miles away.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQCh11CkKqsBTwmJDGmVrBeePZ2FoaUJhHtoiDxhmpPWapNvlH8ExhTEnCMfmuCbPzw6NsRqAU8dhbfs5Ssy1tVajrQCU8ZsVeYokv0Fkjjz6BHycEO2gh7BB3Hvll8PyRat7/s1600/P1020084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQCh11CkKqsBTwmJDGmVrBeePZ2FoaUJhHtoiDxhmpPWapNvlH8ExhTEnCMfmuCbPzw6NsRqAU8dhbfs5Ssy1tVajrQCU8ZsVeYokv0Fkjjz6BHycEO2gh7BB3Hvll8PyRat7/s320/P1020084.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1600 miles of winter dirt!</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all a most awesome adventure.</span></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-73762359175413457872010-11-08T13:03:00.002-05:002010-12-05T10:59:07.516-05:00Number 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXKgYVV3EzvbSCsNdhkii-jmVLJ9aIputISrNcEgGKgNwTfcdoFkYvkkdpObgeGLIsa04aeEBJ5DsbP4V6iv0rzcNmweD5GM2A0Gv6SSCPUNkxsq-hNEcEoolaQcj95uh3yoq/s1600/number8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXKgYVV3EzvbSCsNdhkii-jmVLJ9aIputISrNcEgGKgNwTfcdoFkYvkkdpObgeGLIsa04aeEBJ5DsbP4V6iv0rzcNmweD5GM2A0Gv6SSCPUNkxsq-hNEcEoolaQcj95uh3yoq/s320/number8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is a drawing that I did last night on my Intuous 4 Wacom tablet. It is from a photo of my son, Derek. He was on the JV football team this season and was presented two awards at the banquet yesterday. Ironman ( never missed a weightroom conditioning practice, field practice, or game) and the KLAA scholar athlete award ( have at least a 3.3 GPA) Mom and Dad are awful proud of our Number 8.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-27402134739910668872010-06-20T12:01:00.000-05:002010-06-20T12:01:34.202-05:00Father's Day<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Here it is again, Father's Day! All that I can say is that being a father of two wonderful kids is without a doubt the most important thing that I have done with my life, and the one thing that has given me the greatest joy and sense of pride. It is also a time to remember my father, Neil Gasco. Dad passed away far too soon at the age of 56 back in 1993. I don't think that a single day has gone by that he has not been in my thoughts, and I still miss him very, very much. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3zK1OXWA6Whf2NfNIQqxoALz7w3-_cV-kct94jOR8KoboZYAHJ-MH5LADGIMU6rmsQ7Wmfhhf4JODEeH4Uhaq3fnj_I64on_-UWCknuQ0ND1pDEZkea0bpGgZsZE_MgoOFub/s1600/Neil+and+Tim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3zK1OXWA6Whf2NfNIQqxoALz7w3-_cV-kct94jOR8KoboZYAHJ-MH5LADGIMU6rmsQ7Wmfhhf4JODEeH4Uhaq3fnj_I64on_-UWCknuQ0ND1pDEZkea0bpGgZsZE_MgoOFub/s320/Neil+and+Tim.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><em>This picture was taken somewhere around 1969 or 1970. Little Timmy and Dad at the Horace Rackham Fountain located in the Detroit Zoo. It's a family tradition for Dad and the kids to gather here from time to time for a picture. I am looking forward to it being a "Grandpa, Dad, and the kids" picture in the future.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFFsQ2b4roNkZSZPwHHUlPyhu1BssQHIrW1ZKBOqanodaGqeKRtw9vgQ24ocOLrO1KKUAtF_Yr6yJY-lb1a_Fxv1hhQpqX_VCQFyQDfjJ9I_6K2dhqxU82mALLZmptgZU-jSo/s1600/Tim+Meredith+and+Derek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFFsQ2b4roNkZSZPwHHUlPyhu1BssQHIrW1ZKBOqanodaGqeKRtw9vgQ24ocOLrO1KKUAtF_Yr6yJY-lb1a_Fxv1hhQpqX_VCQFyQDfjJ9I_6K2dhqxU82mALLZmptgZU-jSo/s320/Tim+Meredith+and+Derek.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><em>Following this tradition, This picture is of Dad (grown up Tim) Meredith, and Derek. I think it was 1997.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7AcTHzwRf2Movz_CamPxyKt0FRXPC4cfIbyGUujNqnFYn137X2VNvcksgW1385fnbAMhbsU02CPLB_El1m5s_sxR2c4uXmOnInQ4tWaOBr1w_-Md9FLlDtyaenUSM72jNRv6/s1600/Bearfountain+close+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7AcTHzwRf2Movz_CamPxyKt0FRXPC4cfIbyGUujNqnFYn137X2VNvcksgW1385fnbAMhbsU02CPLB_El1m5s_sxR2c4uXmOnInQ4tWaOBr1w_-Md9FLlDtyaenUSM72jNRv6/s320/Bearfountain+close+up.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This more recent picture was taken three years ago. Meredith was 16 (she will be 20 in November) and Derek is not yet a teenager at age twelve. He has shot up and is now thinner than a rail. It is striking how quickly they both have changed in such a small amount of time.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">So here's to wishing us Dad's a happy Father's Day! And thanks to all of the kids who make us so proud and provide us with such wonderful memories.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">"Let me tell you a secret about a father's love, </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">A secret that my daddy said was just between us." </div><div style="text-align: center;">I said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen." </div><div style="text-align: center;">-Aaron Barker</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-79369865875192219142010-05-24T10:51:00.001-05:002011-02-21T11:25:37.139-05:00Aquaman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXmwTlOm5KcJMfDsFwUx55c9LFejWzq1nYBLBEU2ocwJtWVDrLz6-av53jTH2YAHoSrcRm5FOE8ja66SF42O7zlM7ltfbQ5PiczI-2wpruBVE8cG3eZWd09qrfoqMtE8MqKN6/s1600/32478_390675684191_43256084191_3761369_7062703_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXmwTlOm5KcJMfDsFwUx55c9LFejWzq1nYBLBEU2ocwJtWVDrLz6-av53jTH2YAHoSrcRm5FOE8ja66SF42O7zlM7ltfbQ5PiczI-2wpruBVE8cG3eZWd09qrfoqMtE8MqKN6/s640/32478_390675684191_43256084191_3761369_7062703_n.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Taken from the <a href="http://www.aquamanshrine.com/">Aquaman Shrine</a></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-21399253302115637132010-04-10T12:25:00.007-05:002010-04-10T16:10:32.235-05:00Park City Utah<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Derek and I went to Salt Lake City Utah during his spring break from high school to get in a little skiing. Although we had originally planned to ski <a href="http://www.alta.com/">Alta</a> and <a href="http://www.snowbird.com/index.html">Snowbird</a> , Mother Nature threw us a curve ball and we wound up skiing for two days at the <a href="http://www.parkcitymountain.com/winter">Park City Mountain Resort</a> in Park City Utah, about a half hour drive through Parley's Canyon. Alta and Snowbird are in the Little Cottonwood Canyon, and wouldn't you know it, the night we arrived it snowed over two feet and the canyon was closed for two days. Totally cut off from any road traffic at all due to avalanche danger. Because of several other SNAFU's regarding rental cars, lift ticket refunds and what not, Tuesday morning was spent on the telephone rearranging itineraries, and replacing goggles that were scratched up beyond use by Delta Airlines baggage handlers (I'm really starting to not like Delta). </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">So we decided that we'd take a drive and see the Great Salt Lake. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">In Prehistoric times, it was what we call Lake Bonneville today. It had a surface area of nearly 20,000 square miles, a depth of over 1,000 feet, and was comparable in many respects to the Lake Michigan of today. It was formed 32,000 years ago. Because of long term flooding, seepage weakened the lava dam and caused the release of 1,200 cubic miles of water, causing the lake to lose 351 feet of its depth and shrinking the size of the lake by over 60% to its current size, which fluctuates between 1,700 to 3,300 square miles, depending on the drought conditions in the area. The salinity is much higher than the oceans, but the lake is not barren. It supports brine shrimp, which in turn provide food for migratory waterfowl. However, some of these waterfowl cannot be hunted as there is also the highest ever recorded level of methyl-mercury, 25 nanograms per millileter. This is 25 times higher than the waters of the Florida everglades. There is an interesting story about a Chilean Pink Flamingo "Pink Floyd" who escaped from the Tracy Aviary in 1987 and liked living on the brine shrimp so much that he made his home at the Great Salt Lake until 2005. Looking at this liquid desert, it made me shudder to think what could happen to our lakes in Michigan if some natural and/or man made catastrophe like this were to happen.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVWOm6QBHpj39M0OOvGbuw8M7D113bzOagYEKCxlPDKPOceuwfYbFtVVhN20qYgeIwUeksvNMOapDtmkzjCHMOQt3CS-fArDt9dBMEyTG2oq71f-_U5PAPWAapF24VZVQ1rIN/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVWOm6QBHpj39M0OOvGbuw8M7D113bzOagYEKCxlPDKPOceuwfYbFtVVhN20qYgeIwUeksvNMOapDtmkzjCHMOQt3CS-fArDt9dBMEyTG2oq71f-_U5PAPWAapF24VZVQ1rIN/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+001.jpg" wt="true" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is the Eastern shore. To the right are the Promontory Mountains. This is a penninsula jutting out from the north shore. It looks like the Forbidden Zone from "Planet of the Apes".</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">On Wednesday, Little Cottonwood Canyon was still closed, so we decided to ski in Park City. Park City has three excellent Resorts. <a href="http://www.deervalley.com/">Deer Valley</a> , which was voted the best resort in North America by Ski Magazine, the <a href="http://www.thecanyons.com/">Canyons</a> which is Utah's largest resort, and our choice, Park City Mountain resort, rated #4 in North America. First thing that I learned is do not buy your lift ticket at the resort. Go to any ski shop in Salt Lake City and you can get a better deal. We paid $64 each for a one day lift ticket, but if you buy it at the resort they are $86. You can probably also find a good deal if you go to the front desk of your hotel. We stayed at the Little America and found that it was very nice. About $100 a night, tax included. It's centrally located and many restaurants are within walking distance. Originally I had not planned on renting a car as there is a bus that will take you to Alta or Snowbird right from the hotel, but the hotel concierge recommended a car as it's much easier than taking the bus with all your gear. Also, there is not a bus to the Park City resorts. It's only 30-45 minutes to any of the resorts so you have much more freedom to try different places. Derek liked Park City so much that we decided to go back a second day. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmhllphgPAyDWjZyMML9_JqGDfHFDsHPRNLW8lWoL2E3okDj6z6bVPGiCMYKdPgRp15AcSx78ZYwKCfJq_KsxxsrxP6ST67oTs9aqH25qwjUAZazI6Dn-jgfwW52S3z3C3__E/s400/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+049a.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Wasatch Mountains may not be as high as the Rockies, but the snow is excellent and the views? Well I'll let you be the judge.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2cvjjcgGC2w9UQzb3WexmycxPHFCY-ur_0zDWHj1NCM_am-GV1cC_TQkwl91PpvQCv_sD0Gdn5IlNJHG1LoqtNi4fv6XbmHQJMAvSBKMAwOl-3N7u0z9JQcYax_40mWHrk-Y/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2cvjjcgGC2w9UQzb3WexmycxPHFCY-ur_0zDWHj1NCM_am-GV1cC_TQkwl91PpvQCv_sD0Gdn5IlNJHG1LoqtNi4fv6XbmHQJMAvSBKMAwOl-3N7u0z9JQcYax_40mWHrk-Y/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+038.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Little G. Kickin' it old school at 11,000 feet.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIf6djNtggur1hJnFjc-jeCs6YMNbBPvoko9T0iTsHdkh8yg3p_98miBmCRhzp8oVOu0zb_C8KWfLTLSlYTfwRwv_SXUcK2IbxvIMmO1CTDq8HroEBKueJruhOgdwfDfJw5JS/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+030a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIf6djNtggur1hJnFjc-jeCs6YMNbBPvoko9T0iTsHdkh8yg3p_98miBmCRhzp8oVOu0zb_C8KWfLTLSlYTfwRwv_SXUcK2IbxvIMmO1CTDq8HroEBKueJruhOgdwfDfJw5JS/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+030a.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This was taken at the top of the run "Georgeann". It's about 3,000 vertical feet above the resort. I estimate it to be 7.5 miles or so to ski to the bottom. It took about 15 minutes to ski to the bottom.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3DXVGxDKRQY04weFaDNWWY3d7pDGKdI24LQpw4CHS1JjqBvToW6liCpck5OKM6YEN-ZaqPwHpn4FxYrfYyDwPWWILQRZAP1aPWJxglKYPr-OfkWooEKxzwE_zEEfYSxWoHTp/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3DXVGxDKRQY04weFaDNWWY3d7pDGKdI24LQpw4CHS1JjqBvToW6liCpck5OKM6YEN-ZaqPwHpn4FxYrfYyDwPWWILQRZAP1aPWJxglKYPr-OfkWooEKxzwE_zEEfYSxWoHTp/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3DXVGxDKRQY04weFaDNWWY3d7pDGKdI24LQpw4CHS1JjqBvToW6liCpck5OKM6YEN-ZaqPwHpn4FxYrfYyDwPWWILQRZAP1aPWJxglKYPr-OfkWooEKxzwE_zEEfYSxWoHTp/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+110.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The view from Georgeann.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmAA5LfRORI2lGAlLBxKnWDMto9Z0LcFVQuBvcxK7MWEMuDlyxGjVFRQuStbB3DKDScGrK3uCVC4wZQSZ5QTBRm_ahuxX234ZpySCDHg3yLxqEX8elpgj2oUjMlVg3OfA0pn3/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmAA5LfRORI2lGAlLBxKnWDMto9Z0LcFVQuBvcxK7MWEMuDlyxGjVFRQuStbB3DKDScGrK3uCVC4wZQSZ5QTBRm_ahuxX234ZpySCDHg3yLxqEX8elpgj2oUjMlVg3OfA0pn3/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+127.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Way down there to the right is Park City. Zoom in to get a good look.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbmD8WEre9L7Xw-UTtSYy7TI3eyNGE8ggtSqNd1R6lujCYzy6qtJdwoesh8uyyK0eKMFRLtvrE0io73v-qiudaZu5-k4C7RaM2A6lhRd4t5g7desB670q4Kq6tbaJuj5tRuqa/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbmD8WEre9L7Xw-UTtSYy7TI3eyNGE8ggtSqNd1R6lujCYzy6qtJdwoesh8uyyK0eKMFRLtvrE0io73v-qiudaZu5-k4C7RaM2A6lhRd4t5g7desB670q4Kq6tbaJuj5tRuqa/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+042.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The beginning of Georgeann. It veers to the left through those evergreens.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTeCNJUfblfqF7rYJ9D9c6h3ayMsFNAYmCixLrrbCT-db6v9RQCYx3cgdsk6Z1ARtOMDZvEwiPINs_ojwjryEexNfgu_7e9G8YGoW1AJKduHhkBJUWmhVwY5VsSkblsXPVNFu/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTeCNJUfblfqF7rYJ9D9c6h3ayMsFNAYmCixLrrbCT-db6v9RQCYx3cgdsk6Z1ARtOMDZvEwiPINs_ojwjryEexNfgu_7e9G8YGoW1AJKduHhkBJUWmhVwY5VsSkblsXPVNFu/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+140.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Derek skis in front of me.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmCvqTGQC4woL9sh3Mk-C__a8mkaFMW6umqi_oeiwZ-5M2BMhNNjD_tjbrUUETg8Um-bnMMDVGlY8C426_SXW109tE_oaTPeGdAYbkHLo_o71WpeycMLf6mo3IuuhAAgo4kAW/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmCvqTGQC4woL9sh3Mk-C__a8mkaFMW6umqi_oeiwZ-5M2BMhNNjD_tjbrUUETg8Um-bnMMDVGlY8C426_SXW109tE_oaTPeGdAYbkHLo_o71WpeycMLf6mo3IuuhAAgo4kAW/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+168.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Great Salt Lake from the air.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjViD81cjRxVf6sVANZvHIiKwUfLNiXE8HJNH97vfzRhz1m0TMOhHYFXNhlMfoFhFE71nAQbDs-WOArucH4Zq1NVt8J9GeRdLwRQWXbUsbYmui9RJS6IMseXhQa1B-hxW_tbS/s1600/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+178a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjViD81cjRxVf6sVANZvHIiKwUfLNiXE8HJNH97vfzRhz1m0TMOhHYFXNhlMfoFhFE71nAQbDs-WOArucH4Zq1NVt8J9GeRdLwRQWXbUsbYmui9RJS6IMseXhQa1B-hxW_tbS/s320/Salt+Lake+Park+City+4-2010+178a.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Wasatch range.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">All that I can tell you is that my time there was way too short. I'm going back and skiing as many of the resorts as possible. And I'm taking some powder skiing lessons, too. If you think you're a good skier, come out here and take the Pepsi challenge. Believe me, there is no better skiing anywhere. </div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-33586849629990816162010-03-08T08:55:00.000-05:002010-03-08T08:55:08.356-05:00Shanty Creek/Schuss Mountain and Frankenmuth, MI<div align="center"></div><div align="center" class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The weather is turning warm and soon skiing will be through until after Thanksgiving. This is "Ski Mardi Gras" time in Northern Michigan. People dress up in crazy costumes, consume mass quantities of beer and try to ski across a 40 feet (best guess) rectangular pool of green water. Bright and sunny, nearly 50 degrees, and with snow soft and slushy, Derek and I headed north to get in one last trip before it's all over in Michigan and to test out our skis and polish up our technique before a planned trip to Utah on Easter Break (spring break for those of you who prefer to be politically correct).</div><div align="center" class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXwFYpo0J7C2DHiS8xs6fGevjslfCcKMyWfLFmgkGD8wSW0Br8LSz1rSJiIIJ9ypxvVzDLMs66N1mgiLELqY3GLpA3m8JvEpFsXwhdEPOvkyrFKDEch0K99eqzl6YokAoYmIE/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXwFYpo0J7C2DHiS8xs6fGevjslfCcKMyWfLFmgkGD8wSW0Br8LSz1rSJiIIJ9ypxvVzDLMs66N1mgiLELqY3GLpA3m8JvEpFsXwhdEPOvkyrFKDEch0K99eqzl6YokAoYmIE/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+014.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Luigi and Mario of "Super Mario Bros." skiied across the water without wiping out. Not one drop of water! most others were not so fortunate...</em></div><div align="center" class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoRHGEbY2QVmqBdEai9fXrDVROs5PGu9dtRTpELZuRqc6mv9yFjM0fB-BNVLmKbbDhnMp-3YgUIq5pr1mWkzw_O_stdccLmBbl94h3BRU1PEdZ7gcol2lU-UY2XbJVsQcRQlq/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoRHGEbY2QVmqBdEai9fXrDVROs5PGu9dtRTpELZuRqc6mv9yFjM0fB-BNVLmKbbDhnMp-3YgUIq5pr1mWkzw_O_stdccLmBbl94h3BRU1PEdZ7gcol2lU-UY2XbJVsQcRQlq/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+007.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The party animals in the lift behind us were having a great time! Note the case of beer on the lap of L'il Abner. Just police up your empty cans guys.</em></div><div align="center" class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12uJ4IPHAM5CuYnkZZ1t2zgGtWijfmLZN4xgaN5WRtOA94jgMntPXiATvHsIIFnObm2ATWwoSFlMOq_4lgiTiuUJX-jJ_xfGRQ_tOaqh5JL5C5qeeD2BTf6DqdwBXIm6KxscA/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12uJ4IPHAM5CuYnkZZ1t2zgGtWijfmLZN4xgaN5WRtOA94jgMntPXiATvHsIIFnObm2ATWwoSFlMOq_4lgiTiuUJX-jJ_xfGRQ_tOaqh5JL5C5qeeD2BTf6DqdwBXIm6KxscA/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+004.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Spectators for the Submarine Races. Derek and I mostly watched from the lift. Better vantage point.</em></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmh_EfVhb8L0h9DcI0BMO73k4gJlOaaEB67hY2TFhfOnSIml3c1AC2HxBDgjUGuzp4yOc4ec_zre2nmSmZY0iMHvY41CMR3ZYGA-JAgoHBnVRaF8KwOBGlLer3xdBl-AsZPzQ/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmh_EfVhb8L0h9DcI0BMO73k4gJlOaaEB67hY2TFhfOnSIml3c1AC2HxBDgjUGuzp4yOc4ec_zre2nmSmZY0iMHvY41CMR3ZYGA-JAgoHBnVRaF8KwOBGlLer3xdBl-AsZPzQ/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+030.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I think the Ol' Man wore him out!</em></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">On the way home we made a quick detour to Frankenmuth, a German themed town near Bay City.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGgpcFj3Xv30_CS1jqd3VGLNtdt0CIbOQ1fBJs8cFe6Z_2I48-Egi0bmfUgIvIiU2rQPYlSNVYlJQHht_wyaQQqn7jnjCGCtezsxPv9HzEMqE8TXXEyc6zTwiSwagzs88nrTQ/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGgpcFj3Xv30_CS1jqd3VGLNtdt0CIbOQ1fBJs8cFe6Z_2I48-Egi0bmfUgIvIiU2rQPYlSNVYlJQHht_wyaQQqn7jnjCGCtezsxPv9HzEMqE8TXXEyc6zTwiSwagzs88nrTQ/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+040.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is the "Silent Night Church", an exact replica of the one near Salsburg, Austria, where "Stille Nacht, Hieliga Nacht" was first performed. One of the conditions for getting permission from the original was that this never be used for an actual service. As you walk up to it you are greeted with the hymn gently wafting through the air...</em></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixI2PS8DuFymqqBcMcYRj1TIPz2DdlN8ORn6up6xSlVDri-QsClqVoQcD38XbtdBHuElYuZHIcR0YHpdfi7gBBu495JXCOZDMAydz8GosmJi1ldDHBAO9_7LlzA898vAI6-9aD/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixI2PS8DuFymqqBcMcYRj1TIPz2DdlN8ORn6up6xSlVDri-QsClqVoQcD38XbtdBHuElYuZHIcR0YHpdfi7gBBu495JXCOZDMAydz8GosmJi1ldDHBAO9_7LlzA898vAI6-9aD/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+071.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCYaEYhJABe3kU8K_QKNF-bB710OXtYRTtPTOwF7A3eDAnd8kE29deujpJs50m7t8DmZMXpB1qtafWHn1mHMM93k8JO9dayXJNKPs9l6nMcjxyffpcTvz3sq1TGX4rJW7oGCU/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCYaEYhJABe3kU8K_QKNF-bB710OXtYRTtPTOwF7A3eDAnd8kE29deujpJs50m7t8DmZMXpB1qtafWHn1mHMM93k8JO9dayXJNKPs9l6nMcjxyffpcTvz3sq1TGX4rJW7oGCU/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+052.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1WHVADcBVhp2Y-ZMY_nFDYCpKfvYVkD38oUms4yn9iJKwsgm6zAfI-G2eey9_26Ing6IdKxOBjVSC8st-0ZvmoT_onWSfBosm_izQvsLNjUlJxPh3DkWyK596UKmel1W1YwA/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1WHVADcBVhp2Y-ZMY_nFDYCpKfvYVkD38oUms4yn9iJKwsgm6zAfI-G2eey9_26Ing6IdKxOBjVSC8st-0ZvmoT_onWSfBosm_izQvsLNjUlJxPh3DkWyK596UKmel1W1YwA/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+074.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>As you leave, you walk away very moved and in a peaceful state. </em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbdIxrJcYBEr41oEvQ8k2UlYmgnTnESn2xtAQ_GdkMb_-Cq_b-HDSVsDIhhz-zrQouZgt8PPy15E8KdcaQwr9j9W_4T-D-hTBtfbfivaT5xfwD_Mnjra6akGA1I28yBUNak7V/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbdIxrJcYBEr41oEvQ8k2UlYmgnTnESn2xtAQ_GdkMb_-Cq_b-HDSVsDIhhz-zrQouZgt8PPy15E8KdcaQwr9j9W_4T-D-hTBtfbfivaT5xfwD_Mnjra6akGA1I28yBUNak7V/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+083.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is the covered bridge (Zwiebrucken) on the grounds of the Bavarian Inn. It spans the Cass River.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhNa_lvdFa-X3B2Yl65huSbcDUhNpoh67DZXaXHcedoOtReOK5DTveg1Awfy-gErFBn9shMzXKV5UBrjpEiDHKg5_7VKtr4vLu1fLVuqz0Xn4NtI-ZIJ-UmCmBYYUaelHIy6Z/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhNa_lvdFa-X3B2Yl65huSbcDUhNpoh67DZXaXHcedoOtReOK5DTveg1Awfy-gErFBn9shMzXKV5UBrjpEiDHKg5_7VKtr4vLu1fLVuqz0Xn4NtI-ZIJ-UmCmBYYUaelHIy6Z/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+086.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is the Bavarian Inn. They are world famous the their German Cuisine and the famous "Frankenmuth Chicken" dinners. I must say that they are excellent! The Glockenspiel in the bell tower has dozens of bells and plays the "Pied Piper of Hamilen". It is quite impressive.</em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSp4sCrkBlaWFS38kLL7OelExnhzErNCH9Xih65_D3wesbVqdKJQxPi2MfLuCC0UnSBcBEvEMdFKBUfH6ZKW7XfpW9c4bnVqn6Zi36-Wa2nfTxJUQUvDUHshsj4mOD6f0zKYJW/s1600-h/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSp4sCrkBlaWFS38kLL7OelExnhzErNCH9Xih65_D3wesbVqdKJQxPi2MfLuCC0UnSBcBEvEMdFKBUfH6ZKW7XfpW9c4bnVqn6Zi36-Wa2nfTxJUQUvDUHshsj4mOD6f0zKYJW/s320/Shanty+Creek-Frankenmuth+089.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is Zehnder's. They have equally good chicken dinners and are friendly rivals with the Bavarian Inn across the street.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-28119551239813375332010-02-24T21:30:00.004-05:002010-02-25T08:58:58.195-05:00Atlanta Aquarium<div style="text-align: center;">I was just down in Atlanta for a company function and along with being able to have dinner and a few drinks with my old friend, artist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Theakston">Greg Theakston</a> who just moved down there from the Big Apple. That was really fun, waxing nostalgic about being comics fans in the 70's and discussing the people and events of the time as well as just catching up with each other since the last time we saw each other over thrity years ago. He even gave me a painting that he owed me for some printing work that my parents did for him long ago. Greg did a lot of paperback book covers and had quite a run doing TV Guide covers in the 80's (Brian Kieth said he had the only artist that he wanted to paint him and he did 3 "Hardcastle and McCormick" covers). He is also well </div><div style="text-align: center;">known for being an expert on the life of stripper <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bettie_Page">Bettie Page</a> , and years ago published a magazine called "The Bettie Pages" which re-introduced Bettie to a whole new generation of fans. He actually was a consultant on the film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notorious_Bettie_Page">"The notorious Bettie Page"</a> . We promised each other that we wouldn't wait another thirty years before having dinner together again.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8i71BTPo3n5cOLIkNZJY5JYmeuXvOTHo_7lRFD5iJTySqm9GrJQ7EnswnB6YnYRZcDdxdO0N5KonRN1-zuHd6qL_62TPqQHmOKhJ0mc2xPLN2shaMZQ-itOQh0bQscNkN9yK/s1600-h/Earth+factor+X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8i71BTPo3n5cOLIkNZJY5JYmeuXvOTHo_7lRFD5iJTySqm9GrJQ7EnswnB6YnYRZcDdxdO0N5KonRN1-zuHd6qL_62TPqQHmOKhJ0mc2xPLN2shaMZQ-itOQh0bQscNkN9yK/s320/Earth+factor+X.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is the book cover of the painting that Greg gave me. It was done in 1978. The painting is square shaped an does not have any lettering. It's a mixed media oil (the portraits) and acrylic (the spaceship and robot). I think I'm going to try to find an old copy of the book to display with it.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The second highlight of my trip was a dinner sponsered by my company at the Atlanta Aquarium. It was really nice. They hired the entire Aquarium after closing time and served cocktails and gave us a guided tour with volunteers explaining all of the exhibits before we retired to the lavish dining area facing the 6 million gallon tank containing two whale sharks that were both well over 25 feet long. To say that they were magnificent would be an understatement. Here we are, sipping drinks while these huge fish several times larger than us are gently gliding by us on the other side of the glass! It was amazing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZsTjqJ8z4NPfE1OXzo1B4HMf317_rNJwCN9M6SCthDY1fjXHxT2pGhbq4CK2PiDIo0CppAKcKX11ec6IuG9MRMsCD-oh6BrkKBLH4sTLp2UlRWpkwG0_D9NN3Zyc_9DWQWWD/s1600-h/Atlanta+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZsTjqJ8z4NPfE1OXzo1B4HMf317_rNJwCN9M6SCthDY1fjXHxT2pGhbq4CK2PiDIo0CppAKcKX11ec6IuG9MRMsCD-oh6BrkKBLH4sTLp2UlRWpkwG0_D9NN3Zyc_9DWQWWD/s320/Atlanta+025.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is an Australian Sea Dragon. Much like a seahorse, but very wraithlike. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4J542jxtFv9skHoZ0hxbg2lTI-wzjpFR-7MVdA-VsyPts8yUbvd9UIodtob4FkTziwAEUlgfP1-cm2pYEmt7UhXL-5Al9SmbdCbpsLIXW-VCqVbclfYMtDOhEndkg2fra-MtN/s1600-h/Atlanta+077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4J542jxtFv9skHoZ0hxbg2lTI-wzjpFR-7MVdA-VsyPts8yUbvd9UIodtob4FkTziwAEUlgfP1-cm2pYEmt7UhXL-5Al9SmbdCbpsLIXW-VCqVbclfYMtDOhEndkg2fra-MtN/s320/Atlanta+077.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I don't recall the name of this frog, only that it it's poison is very lethal.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9DCKDxE5qve62mFO7ROrf5adTkdqe1cb8TR8HoBxQ7vGAN_fBAEr9jk9gii0oLsUb5THU8gKJ4hGceZ1O9kAQ4NyQYPk58qSBOYqJwQpAfrevtZHCgwN503vG_PwxBL5wvZx/s1600-h/Atlanta+111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9DCKDxE5qve62mFO7ROrf5adTkdqe1cb8TR8HoBxQ7vGAN_fBAEr9jk9gii0oLsUb5THU8gKJ4hGceZ1O9kAQ4NyQYPk58qSBOYqJwQpAfrevtZHCgwN503vG_PwxBL5wvZx/s320/Atlanta+111.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You could actually pet the rays and hammerheads! (no thanks!)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tHF8_sKMy5r6C56fH2o8dw5B_mnDNCWWCBc_5qVRmNLOVcHg7vqZwuQTAy52jJravGtCTaaHKGQti_1-5CjrcwAza3fCyxDKdRQJpj6LekQeBK7IJPm4sEKeg8J2VM-Vc8AI/s1600-h/Atlanta+159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tHF8_sKMy5r6C56fH2o8dw5B_mnDNCWWCBc_5qVRmNLOVcHg7vqZwuQTAy52jJravGtCTaaHKGQti_1-5CjrcwAza3fCyxDKdRQJpj6LekQeBK7IJPm4sEKeg8J2VM-Vc8AI/s320/Atlanta+159.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This ray has a wingspan of 10-12 feet.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmK3JWlsYLpSC-5stb_adARuQdspRlGlNce6-O88glkfZyeJsw6d6am58pc_kY_m8SPVdsCZeBx7Zvnydwga5QuxDOuZLuJgu0aq-u4tIJbZRtNNjt7jrjyJ8Y6XQcdhY4GpLD/s1600-h/Atlanta+176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmK3JWlsYLpSC-5stb_adARuQdspRlGlNce6-O88glkfZyeJsw6d6am58pc_kY_m8SPVdsCZeBx7Zvnydwga5QuxDOuZLuJgu0aq-u4tIJbZRtNNjt7jrjyJ8Y6XQcdhY4GpLD/s320/Atlanta+176.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This whale shark's tail is at least 5-6 feet high and there it is, right in front of me.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbQcfbsP3hr5REa2DI60ilo3A959z1sE7_hHBkTvgok3B8ePAhED7_T5BEIeAn9JMek9BfjOYUkyBvyWpGms3QzwoQGyGVPh2zaW-vMgoasGTQeCKHIkzK0dfF4T0xIi_Jkqy/s1600-h/Atlanta+177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbQcfbsP3hr5REa2DI60ilo3A959z1sE7_hHBkTvgok3B8ePAhED7_T5BEIeAn9JMek9BfjOYUkyBvyWpGms3QzwoQGyGVPh2zaW-vMgoasGTQeCKHIkzK0dfF4T0xIi_Jkqy/s320/Atlanta+177.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Truly an amazing creature!</em></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-10888778925319152962010-02-24T20:45:00.001-05:002010-02-25T08:57:23.664-05:00Schuss Mountain, Bellaire, MI<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I did a trip for work up to Traverse City last month and took the weekend and skied Schuss Mountain. Let me tell you that Michigan skiing is nothing like Vermont or out west, but the snow is plentiful, the lift lines are non existant, lift tickets are a steal, and there is a good time to be had by all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUguqGO8-zi_-99mrVnI6EvyUK0lFnKI9BXk890qMNiYfBzu4QwVKI4ZyTaFYLIv4QE_DUm4D0ylblHDPs7zOTxWLQh2OhjWrFCSy0vRg32Q8sfxA1snOx2leAiWM55BBt1zZ/s1600-h/Jan+2010+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUguqGO8-zi_-99mrVnI6EvyUK0lFnKI9BXk890qMNiYfBzu4QwVKI4ZyTaFYLIv4QE_DUm4D0ylblHDPs7zOTxWLQh2OhjWrFCSy0vRg32Q8sfxA1snOx2leAiWM55BBt1zZ/s320/Jan+2010+050.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The lodge is done nicely in Bavarian style much like what you would see in Frankenmuth, MI.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3sjW-DE2LX5xkx5m5Bktuu0ytxeYnXX4vNyiJ5y_WFVxDqnwqFF_yOwWmdQxxujD5EAnnF8y6nWqCRPH5hdC-8xkTtyHnr7Zwfpagp5opNyBdKMrgJ8R2ZMj4H4EmfcUg4rC/s1600-h/Jan+2010+059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3sjW-DE2LX5xkx5m5Bktuu0ytxeYnXX4vNyiJ5y_WFVxDqnwqFF_yOwWmdQxxujD5EAnnF8y6nWqCRPH5hdC-8xkTtyHnr7Zwfpagp5opNyBdKMrgJ8R2ZMj4H4EmfcUg4rC/s320/Jan+2010+059.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>A shot from the bottom of the Yellow Lift. The run to the right is called "Sarijavo". It's steep and tight. a go fast run. I was skiing from the left, building up speed and shooting sideways over to Sarijavo, popping some air and turning a hard right down the run. Lot's of fun!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSaY4_D_zi6RpmWaXDCHXVVO1_2-6IvMqvmR4kleMcpV7X_4tcjad_zJTGZTrgUKOB9VjH7iis5vpPNmaBmhNZCJYC6kn0k4mUyL8YKLp0DGoZyFEjtZkU9vHtN6NW2dVPiPS/s1600-h/Jan+2010+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSaY4_D_zi6RpmWaXDCHXVVO1_2-6IvMqvmR4kleMcpV7X_4tcjad_zJTGZTrgUKOB9VjH7iis5vpPNmaBmhNZCJYC6kn0k4mUyL8YKLp0DGoZyFEjtZkU9vHtN6NW2dVPiPS/s320/Jan+2010+060.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>This is the vista from the top. Very scenic and a wonderful bright shiny day. The best kind of ski day!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQYgzNvxZ1bd2YmnXWSFw4uuop4Z2D1W60Z259AmtwCsM9ENB2Ase-Cl3dgyPlUX44PjpY9DWXWCqZATNcpoqgygePmd2tUeuI6LKGSTY-yNQTZiJfSArW1Ml0KBQ8BkPBGyG/s1600-h/Jan+2010+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQYgzNvxZ1bd2YmnXWSFw4uuop4Z2D1W60Z259AmtwCsM9ENB2Ase-Cl3dgyPlUX44PjpY9DWXWCqZATNcpoqgygePmd2tUeuI6LKGSTY-yNQTZiJfSArW1Ml0KBQ8BkPBGyG/s320/Jan+2010+061.jpg" /></a></div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is "Pink Schussycat" a fast run.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiE_kfDJ1-pSWhKW6IOc-sYrzWPDU11N9TVQP26XTQX8NINPC7acVzc3EroDJZJLKDhFq78WM_FtI7FVFx1FrouktQm9_O7vwQd8SQEIYhIlcXn6LrRDN2w6mOj2xIrvh1cXa/s1600-h/Jan+2010+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiE_kfDJ1-pSWhKW6IOc-sYrzWPDU11N9TVQP26XTQX8NINPC7acVzc3EroDJZJLKDhFq78WM_FtI7FVFx1FrouktQm9_O7vwQd8SQEIYhIlcXn6LrRDN2w6mOj2xIrvh1cXa/s320/Jan+2010+062.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><em>This run is "Suprize" which is that it starts out a little steep but once you round this corner you catch some air and go staright down. A favorite run for me. </em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqPHYT5-dWzloSVIHY8vZ8pzJ5L3vflOhoN_MNoP3UPmmuscZroUpSURs7FaWtg0sqRi5Xa_Yd2eyTageszSV6jp2pzNHHr8ycsYUxz2hl4ZsckXA6ok3J8RtNX8oA_WtPji8/s1600-h/Jan+2010+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqPHYT5-dWzloSVIHY8vZ8pzJ5L3vflOhoN_MNoP3UPmmuscZroUpSURs7FaWtg0sqRi5Xa_Yd2eyTageszSV6jp2pzNHHr8ycsYUxz2hl4ZsckXA6ok3J8RtNX8oA_WtPji8/s320/Jan+2010+053.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><em>Some friendly faces at the Red Lift.</em></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-61853370185872032612010-02-24T20:12:00.004-05:002010-02-25T08:57:55.547-05:00Misc Christmas '09 Pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xBlc98eCXEyL-vizqMhNVHQOP-x8mTgmj6Z263_AvpzgM5tZfl9qRvmQa1TkW0bQeXGYQwpk_dYzFxuEgm4wbBnD1lT_38lEkoc7_m6fCjcXj7MZN68gue6EZ-rWRln4citf/s1600-h/Jan+2010+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xBlc98eCXEyL-vizqMhNVHQOP-x8mTgmj6Z263_AvpzgM5tZfl9qRvmQa1TkW0bQeXGYQwpk_dYzFxuEgm4wbBnD1lT_38lEkoc7_m6fCjcXj7MZN68gue6EZ-rWRln4citf/s320/Jan+2010+008.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4ihnStonf5sNuMLV5eqYMS43e85_-tQ4-XiTCWBfSdxUpy_0prfhiNYuYXBMQeXrQBMIiw50Ftgej1_3FUkF2JOdcoLXmfbil1UoPA3IJ2DsisTAHlIK-8desWmxlCXpNDJc/s1600-h/Jan+2010+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4ihnStonf5sNuMLV5eqYMS43e85_-tQ4-XiTCWBfSdxUpy_0prfhiNYuYXBMQeXrQBMIiw50Ftgej1_3FUkF2JOdcoLXmfbil1UoPA3IJ2DsisTAHlIK-8desWmxlCXpNDJc/s320/Jan+2010+011.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_H5FsguljFaTd6a-LcjPKBxAKKb8ZYRj7_aE01L2QJNuEpIpNRBmfYQE1JyESoTEVy33rJUR-XLnouPWBl7H43ytcfFob2Ee8IS4fBo8tfwHUmZjaODs3qxscIGxlm1VonpV/s1600-h/Jan+2010+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_H5FsguljFaTd6a-LcjPKBxAKKb8ZYRj7_aE01L2QJNuEpIpNRBmfYQE1JyESoTEVy33rJUR-XLnouPWBl7H43ytcfFob2Ee8IS4fBo8tfwHUmZjaODs3qxscIGxlm1VonpV/s320/Jan+2010+027.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cleaning out the digital camera</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-6012377920854383422010-01-21T18:00:00.007-05:002010-01-21T18:06:29.550-05:00Jib Jab skiing!<div style='background-color:#e9e9e9; width: 425px;'><object id='A64060' quality='high' data='http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=9VnLf6RGYgKeOzgn&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=JibJab' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='transparent' height='319' width='425'><param name='wmode' value='transparent'></param><param name='movie' value='http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=9VnLf6RGYgKeOzgn&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=JibJab'></param><param name='scaleMode' value='showAll'></param><param name='quality' value='high'></param><param name='allowNetworking' value='all'></param><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true' /><param name='FlashVars' value='external_make_id=9VnLf6RGYgKeOzgn&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=JibJab'></param><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='always'></param></object><div style='text-align:center; width:435px; margin-top:6px;'>Personalize funny videos and birthday <a href='http://sendables.jibjab.com/ecards'>eCards</a> at JibJab!</div></div><br />
I just found this on Jib Jab. Yes, I really DO ski like this!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-38660440010154963902009-12-30T17:58:00.003-05:002009-12-30T18:06:02.131-05:00Move Your Money<object style="height: 344px; width: 425px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Icqrx0OimSs"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Icqrx0OimSs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></object><br />
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This pretty much hits the nail on the head. If you have an account at Chase, Citrgroup, or any other mega bank, consider going to a local bank. Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-77539370494107017922009-12-25T11:46:00.006-05:002009-12-25T17:49:21.254-05:00Merry Christmas<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Om_i7FbNmn7gAvtlOFEo7537zL1qSLJ9Jrdw22-XabGTwagNn-_m9C080VGuYKsxQb3Pxvu5ENd4nzbx-PBnnZgeroLI3QLsU0NQiab8Ij885PQvh2AIiPxRD2xO3PHFvzrP/s1600-h/Crystal+12-09+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Om_i7FbNmn7gAvtlOFEo7537zL1qSLJ9Jrdw22-XabGTwagNn-_m9C080VGuYKsxQb3Pxvu5ENd4nzbx-PBnnZgeroLI3QLsU0NQiab8Ij885PQvh2AIiPxRD2xO3PHFvzrP/s320/Crystal+12-09+001.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>It's always sunny above the clouds :)</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The last two weeks have been a blur! On the 15th I found myself flying to Wilmington, NC for an emergency service call on a Heater/Cooler via ATL (Hotlanta!). <br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnzTto_rtJiJpNWebnrKWhKjCLE-9EtbCUH_tW0Nipo6IIxNNs9R9KrvHafjfM6BNWP01mEZbIFl2NLEzphdWkhgeLjz-_FVfydpW9hAf0Kf_-bAJaN0h8v3dQAvtTXdyfAVO/s1600-h/Crystal+12-09+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnzTto_rtJiJpNWebnrKWhKjCLE-9EtbCUH_tW0Nipo6IIxNNs9R9KrvHafjfM6BNWP01mEZbIFl2NLEzphdWkhgeLjz-_FVfydpW9hAf0Kf_-bAJaN0h8v3dQAvtTXdyfAVO/s320/Crystal+12-09+003.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The pesky Heater/Cooler</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">70 degrees when I got there. Fixed it and spent the night there, eating the Captain's platter at <a href="http://www.hieronymusseafood.com/index2.htm">Hieronymus Seafood</a> (a must stop meal whenever I'm in town there!)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpg6ewcUJqi9HCX3CDYfiqD-ld9stHz25aa2RSUqMIJYG54CDWurcIOeDrSbK7K2LTMUVIGw7-O5yMK-6L69HWnNhR6LvLI98r74HjXgtWOBuwAX8eVU5g6_MW-x-LWKB7Jg2/s1600-h/hier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpg6ewcUJqi9HCX3CDYfiqD-ld9stHz25aa2RSUqMIJYG54CDWurcIOeDrSbK7K2LTMUVIGw7-O5yMK-6L69HWnNhR6LvLI98r74HjXgtWOBuwAX8eVU5g6_MW-x-LWKB7Jg2/s320/hier.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nothin' fancy, just great food and lots of it. Plus Johnny the bartender is a helluva nice guy!</em><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Flew to Minneapolis on Wednesday (again via ATL). Thursday and Friday were spent installing equipment at a couple of local hospitals, one being directly across the street from where the Vikings play.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Friday evening I flew back to Michigan.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQR1KcstX5QcU49aKHF8x8fAEmRT0SoqThd_FVz_j0hYn4nj6Pvp84_eTYpxNcFiFhvyN3kNWs6HOOzDwX0x8hvixUATaaOWRS4S3E2jnGi7k-xo1ty0x45Y48ZcS-WmaMozN6/s1600-h/Crystal+12-09+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQR1KcstX5QcU49aKHF8x8fAEmRT0SoqThd_FVz_j0hYn4nj6Pvp84_eTYpxNcFiFhvyN3kNWs6HOOzDwX0x8hvixUATaaOWRS4S3E2jnGi7k-xo1ty0x45Y48ZcS-WmaMozN6/s320/Crystal+12-09+007.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Sunset above the clouds is always inspiring</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Saturday was spent driving to Crystal Mountain with my favorite skiing buddy Derek.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMXSpqeRRBUSBgJFtYu4jcVE4y23jXaykRgaIsyHqFnol4JbPKVd1Bqm9XmiRMTtbnHRhpmRTaWNmCb0fz9S31hXFTSRR5jno7ywUQSBIL4wpwyEAZ02aeGVQ7JnLsWt4H9eO/s1600-h/Crystal+12-09+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMXSpqeRRBUSBgJFtYu4jcVE4y23jXaykRgaIsyHqFnol4JbPKVd1Bqm9XmiRMTtbnHRhpmRTaWNmCb0fz9S31hXFTSRR5jno7ywUQSBIL4wpwyEAZ02aeGVQ7JnLsWt4H9eO/s320/Crystal+12-09+023.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The view from above the Buck chairlift at Crystal. Very Christmassy with the lights and snow.</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">We skied there Saturday and Sunday, leaving Monday morning for yet another service call in Petoskey, MI.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusnTvH6A7Q6QjMZ60EwYRqgOOMa6s2q7HacXwVDwxI4Qbh7FUXxjprt8AHqg9o8EJw-noz-daAoQ7PLZeSqi4gqIgFKKAEUCFr1s-FEnEVe5s4h1mzFunqqV-Qs7gUg431vxd/s1600-h/Crystal+12-09+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusnTvH6A7Q6QjMZ60EwYRqgOOMa6s2q7HacXwVDwxI4Qbh7FUXxjprt8AHqg9o8EJw-noz-daAoQ7PLZeSqi4gqIgFKKAEUCFr1s-FEnEVe5s4h1mzFunqqV-Qs7gUg431vxd/s320/Crystal+12-09+053.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Little Traverse bay.</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Worked until about 9:30 Tuesday night while Derek swam at the pool and worked out in the hotel gym. After we checked out Wednesday morning, it was off to Nub's Nob! For four hours of skiing on pristine packed powder in the bright sunshine along the shore of "Michigami" (Ojibwa for the Great Water)<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBy3OS6VG6baiE7DV4gSnaCoKF66lgurp1cNFJb2CJky6OWadKDF3M4WOF_0AvbmMQWO44EIIa3uEtj4Wf5T8YzyLRJAbJAh_r8s0IzrzJH2agwNJt8cUCEVxxzx9iCQWMvpGE/s1600-h/Crystal+12-09+0545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBy3OS6VG6baiE7DV4gSnaCoKF66lgurp1cNFJb2CJky6OWadKDF3M4WOF_0AvbmMQWO44EIIa3uEtj4Wf5T8YzyLRJAbJAh_r8s0IzrzJH2agwNJt8cUCEVxxzx9iCQWMvpGE/s320/Crystal+12-09+0545.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em> Behind us, the bay.</em><br />
</div><br />
<div align="center"><strong>VIDEOS:</strong><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_VcxnF0_gs">Derek tears up Dorie's Bowl at Nub's Nob</a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raH7oGts6fQ">Tim cruises down Sno Pro at Nub's Nob</a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVsoL2L0GHJqAq2nal8wTNEIM4qVGFbF3-9c9oXb5IBCYdFw6IWJhgSvTOgC6spDJx2FOX96JrpDDRd5FAjO48f5ouD1JiMH8iWpCGYIKA-5lczKgwpdK-0Yc0Cy-qARthoSM/s1600-h/Christmas+2009+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVsoL2L0GHJqAq2nal8wTNEIM4qVGFbF3-9c9oXb5IBCYdFw6IWJhgSvTOgC6spDJx2FOX96JrpDDRd5FAjO48f5ouD1JiMH8iWpCGYIKA-5lczKgwpdK-0Yc0Cy-qARthoSM/s320/Christmas+2009+002.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Twenty Fourth Christmas </em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Derek, Chris, Tim, and Meredith</em><br />
</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-51304855247457050832009-11-27T22:15:00.002-05:002009-11-28T00:10:49.398-05:00Freedom<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBAulwzNqFv9nwcWQdZK0B7Exd759MvJmOHqu5GyNp8PdgthiW3edePKwSuYClqmSxvrht3n5f7fuofkw3S7DiDAMsAyBWzD3Bk7AMK1l41GVXMHL2ukgmOgWTF1teMOGsuRi/s1600/gunJPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBAulwzNqFv9nwcWQdZK0B7Exd759MvJmOHqu5GyNp8PdgthiW3edePKwSuYClqmSxvrht3n5f7fuofkw3S7DiDAMsAyBWzD3Bk7AMK1l41GVXMHL2ukgmOgWTF1teMOGsuRi/s320/gunJPG" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I happened across the blog of a certain, 60 year old angry white police officer in California and he said that he was gripping "his freedom". And I thought to myself "this is so sad that certain people are having such a hard time with who the president is now. "I personally think he is superior to his precursor, but history will make the ultimate judgement on that. Like or dislike Obama, really, how much power does he really have? As Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2) said , there is "No fate but what we make".<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'd like to show you all a picture of my freedom:<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIRDt3xoyIFh-EyujDySDFpOVKAVFdPplVi-LOxd8NaC5RWX9cSY2V4SOZC1pBdFejIE18EEHksAZMrPkC0bX8ETqRkyL27tOliSqlIZnkJgNk88FjW6BdHamCb5caCb9GG02/s1600/Crystal+Mountain+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIRDt3xoyIFh-EyujDySDFpOVKAVFdPplVi-LOxd8NaC5RWX9cSY2V4SOZC1pBdFejIE18EEHksAZMrPkC0bX8ETqRkyL27tOliSqlIZnkJgNk88FjW6BdHamCb5caCb9GG02/s320/Crystal+Mountain+053.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Instead of a Smith and Wesson snub nosed .38. mine is a pair of Atomic Metron3 skis.</em><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUKXdXtio8r87O7MrPfXMmyfi5ssdk3ldXGMdX_sKg-wah8xP2ufdkkLtOUDNcfX2u8OsbQN_jXQw6oj2EPbcQI5FSFXAo6IPAl1kwivfpsizFXWNicHAGcfDD7-fgSgyCzbw/s1600/Bristol+mtn+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUKXdXtio8r87O7MrPfXMmyfi5ssdk3ldXGMdX_sKg-wah8xP2ufdkkLtOUDNcfX2u8OsbQN_jXQw6oj2EPbcQI5FSFXAo6IPAl1kwivfpsizFXWNicHAGcfDD7-fgSgyCzbw/s320/Bristol+mtn+046.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>How many magical places that they have transpoted me to. Like this 2.5 mile run in Bristol Mountain, NY.</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxMAEsNQ0te-rOMBbzKU2vpGEL1iIj1_j4U-dp_qyJnVgW7kKIxi8AG4fTlj3OLvRcblVMyuSTLxGYOz4JyniUTHz39M13O86nsLwvysP3W4UZYRRyI3iFIfqP6Ktkb9cncjY/s1600/Denver+5-09+057compress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxMAEsNQ0te-rOMBbzKU2vpGEL1iIj1_j4U-dp_qyJnVgW7kKIxi8AG4fTlj3OLvRcblVMyuSTLxGYOz4JyniUTHz39M13O86nsLwvysP3W4UZYRRyI3iFIfqP6Ktkb9cncjY/s320/Denver+5-09+057compress.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Or to this magical place in Colorado along the Continental Divide...</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_nt0xC22sx1t1RnayrbahcBJVxnAN6prmnHnbYBE_si8fDEQnt2Y6TQcShEhywA4GGENyxkp0ItAVjiOyu00Sh6wXerzO2HI6lhoo4Sl44BFCPq4_xJgaGNgWfSlAY_EUNGM/s1600/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_nt0xC22sx1t1RnayrbahcBJVxnAN6prmnHnbYBE_si8fDEQnt2Y6TQcShEhywA4GGENyxkp0ItAVjiOyu00Sh6wXerzO2HI6lhoo4Sl44BFCPq4_xJgaGNgWfSlAY_EUNGM/s320/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+004.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Or amongst the "Land of the Giants" at Aropahoe Basin...</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXSUXqjO5IevfbkTG6FCLL9rTor09_tlEXmKbJ2IsyZCJ9VV97hsNhEtl3Ew82FcXAxxPxivlB33qxjU31dJcKszma7qeZjZAcTDfs04pVl_Lsgp5O9MdPXHbXAKiiGnndBAo/s1600/Ski+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXSUXqjO5IevfbkTG6FCLL9rTor09_tlEXmKbJ2IsyZCJ9VV97hsNhEtl3Ew82FcXAxxPxivlB33qxjU31dJcKszma7qeZjZAcTDfs04pVl_Lsgp5O9MdPXHbXAKiiGnndBAo/s320/Ski+003.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Or maybe it's just at the local ski hill with my son, who is growing up to be twice the man I ever was, when school was cancelled because it was 25 degrees below zero...</em><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, there are those who will hate and sow discontent. Hopefully, there are many, many more like myself who love and appreciate the wonderful gift that living in this place and time offers us. I have so much to be thankful for in this holiday season. God bless us all!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-15138709298368215882009-11-26T18:00:00.008-05:002009-11-27T11:50:20.558-05:00Buffalo Bill<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">As I returned from skiing in Arapahoe Basin last May, I stopped at Lookout Mountain, the gravesite of Buffalo Bill Cody and his wife Louisa. Like Custer, Cody had a storied life in the Old West, and also like Custer, was adept at promoting his exploits into greater fame and fortune. <br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Cody left home at the tender age of 11, working in Utah and other western territories in various jobs until the outbreak of the Civil War including being a rider in the storied Pony Express. In 1863 he enlisted in the Union Army as a private and was discharged at the end of the war in 1865, After the war Cody held various jobs, among them hunting freelance for the Kansas Pacific Railroad, he killed over 4,800 American Bison in less than a year. He also served as a hunting guide for well heeled tenderfoots from the east and overseas. He also was a freelance scout for the Army, and was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1872 for "gallantry in action" while scout for the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. This medal, along with over 900 others was revoked by Congress in 1917 as not meeting a high enough standard for such as prestigious award. It was re-instated in 1989 (probably more because of Cody's fame than for the actual deeds surrounding his getting it).<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Buffalo Bill's greatest legacy of course was not anything that he accomplished in the Old West, but in keeping alive the image of the Old West with his Wild West Show that toured the country and later the world. Sort of a Western Circus with staged battles between the Indians and the Cavalry, and feats of marksmanship by the likes of Annie Oakley. He also fought for conservation of the near extinct American Bison, Native American rights, and the rights of women.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaijrOyM2Q89UHI3zdHSXWPde9mBh_8j6do4CHF1kBBFEKcwgHtqCU_B8HyfwmX4w5efHW1IPqj7vtC-sVg_xa8co_TB1NQL7zjeAR9n3ZJCKCEosgm7ieJCUI5-kpCw_PUM7/s1600/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaijrOyM2Q89UHI3zdHSXWPde9mBh_8j6do4CHF1kBBFEKcwgHtqCU_B8HyfwmX4w5efHW1IPqj7vtC-sVg_xa8co_TB1NQL7zjeAR9n3ZJCKCEosgm7ieJCUI5-kpCw_PUM7/s320/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+034.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em>This is the view of the Rockies from Lookout Mountain. Only a few hours earlier I was skiing there and now, several thousand feet below it is 80 degrees.</em><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-g1VeyloBS1QD_YIIvtDOurpZZe6zLjTPk399Ct172rgUD3PE4VXp7cGIx3gvYtDeOtoX3A-OOl9-tz7tUkotbqXLDnp7aGGy0iStc6xmMHLjiozS9xLVhrlAACNV-6MTTUF/s1600/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-g1VeyloBS1QD_YIIvtDOurpZZe6zLjTPk399Ct172rgUD3PE4VXp7cGIx3gvYtDeOtoX3A-OOl9-tz7tUkotbqXLDnp7aGGy0iStc6xmMHLjiozS9xLVhrlAACNV-6MTTUF/s320/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+028.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em>To the east, the city of Denver. Possibly my future home someday? </em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgazG0jsT90ZK4Vbj_XEBey-YRzcnf45Be-Qe-1pSKsebbDAclZpym7V4OgPoInbX62Xkiqpm1DUh7yiVJ2MBvT2WmIp7bYUZlTSKTdEtT6CnYxR95cAF-1eHqjTpvUIrToCr/s1600/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgazG0jsT90ZK4Vbj_XEBey-YRzcnf45Be-Qe-1pSKsebbDAclZpym7V4OgPoInbX62Xkiqpm1DUh7yiVJ2MBvT2WmIp7bYUZlTSKTdEtT6CnYxR95cAF-1eHqjTpvUIrToCr/s320/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+031.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em> A plaque with some background information on the site.</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtXhu0BPaxPNZeI-eSY9PchBjhZ2UcE8qrzIEgLW2X3XMmScBFG0A99YAWtj91pmao-vD9bZY4_kEjGsQh2YWbVFGANAJqnwRlbXeIVqo5yupjEmOSoM9cqvCHqOsICMUs4ab/s1600/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtXhu0BPaxPNZeI-eSY9PchBjhZ2UcE8qrzIEgLW2X3XMmScBFG0A99YAWtj91pmao-vD9bZY4_kEjGsQh2YWbVFGANAJqnwRlbXeIVqo5yupjEmOSoM9cqvCHqOsICMUs4ab/s320/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+043.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em> Bill and his wife Louisa at rest. It is an Indian custom to throw coins on the graves.</em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEr8mVl95lUqs6GdvRRZOYIJEH_h9lEb4fw5Gu01fmQ5ncH8z87iPwVHcdZ7my_vY8gh979v4TVEETvc2j60uOql8Y9jNaTWZLs3cSc5YcysOV8Dak94FNeJ6wqJhA6Md5_yKJ/s1600/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEr8mVl95lUqs6GdvRRZOYIJEH_h9lEb4fw5Gu01fmQ5ncH8z87iPwVHcdZ7my_vY8gh979v4TVEETvc2j60uOql8Y9jNaTWZLs3cSc5YcysOV8Dak94FNeJ6wqJhA6Md5_yKJ/s320/Arapahoe+Basin+day+2++5-09+039.jpg" yr="true" /></a><br />
</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-20548056925212218182009-11-16T09:51:00.010-05:002009-11-16T23:04:38.068-05:00General Custer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqTeC6xhrZ71JK0Bcd4Jz1dyN7v7BMo_4_R7CSNIAX_RL7KLeNI7ACfE0KzJOUmPgEbpRrqHnj2NVeXngxIiTXuHZpsbb9Or2D-FBPzssh9rZiC2egnB8fpgHR7jhyQcnewUR/s1600/Misc+Oct+09+pics+170.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404734974884672962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqTeC6xhrZ71JK0Bcd4Jz1dyN7v7BMo_4_R7CSNIAX_RL7KLeNI7ACfE0KzJOUmPgEbpRrqHnj2NVeXngxIiTXuHZpsbb9Or2D-FBPzssh9rZiC2egnB8fpgHR7jhyQcnewUR/s400/Misc+Oct+09+pics+170.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMzw9xwXVTLp9R-PG94Odpxl70oS32ClFzICoKaleExmoawXtomdu9SSPzEj6tIbTRKwHUH_0GixIea3Ra9iQkYSA5ZQ6aDK4ZkpfysRoq5O6uAAR3qRQIYH-Tr2Wydudxi9e/s1600/Misc+Oct+09+pics+169.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404734637549672162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMzw9xwXVTLp9R-PG94Odpxl70oS32ClFzICoKaleExmoawXtomdu9SSPzEj6tIbTRKwHUH_0GixIea3Ra9iQkYSA5ZQ6aDK4ZkpfysRoq5O6uAAR3qRQIYH-Tr2Wydudxi9e/s400/Misc+Oct+09+pics+169.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZm3Rnc1mZnHXRX7_UpOMXgWzP50kMSrEgYlQsdOR90ugQwLzxHlu-fs-Tw5jfI0FLs8tA0GKP1LFB5PzOCZEjiQgoiyatGtR_sKnOllctOWqNe6Y2M24DK-L7syjjZm-ew89/s1600/Misc+Oct+09+pics+171.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404734317721171010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZm3Rnc1mZnHXRX7_UpOMXgWzP50kMSrEgYlQsdOR90ugQwLzxHlu-fs-Tw5jfI0FLs8tA0GKP1LFB5PzOCZEjiQgoiyatGtR_sKnOllctOWqNe6Y2M24DK-L7syjjZm-ew89/s400/Misc+Oct+09+pics+171.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa80adjJwaAyxTH-dFoJimynQhcCUi2vugtXgKqbPqpDWBbt0LyTvy39yYxvi-bnshNbpG1ZZrVb7cBxsieVcX4ctaXS7pf-RmZyAFEFWpiPWk94CbIVVgxkJD9pzRk_WdSi-/s1600/Misc+Oct+09+pics+174.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404733971962073666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa80adjJwaAyxTH-dFoJimynQhcCUi2vugtXgKqbPqpDWBbt0LyTvy39yYxvi-bnshNbpG1ZZrVb7cBxsieVcX4ctaXS7pf-RmZyAFEFWpiPWk94CbIVVgxkJD9pzRk_WdSi-/s400/Misc+Oct+09+pics+174.jpg" /></a><br />Recently I was down in Monroe, MI and took some pics of the statue of Gen. George Armstrong Custer. Custer has long been a hero of mine. His flamboyant style, reckless bravery, and the fact that he hails from my home state are all factors in my admiration of him. Yes, he miscalculated and was killed along with his entire command at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, but was instrumental in the Union victory at Gettysburg.<br />Although he was not a gifted student at West Point, he never the less was appointed to the rank of second lieutenant at the outbreak of the Civil War, and was attached to the Second Cavalry during the Battle of Bull Run. During the Peninsular Campaign, he was reassigned to the 5th Cavalry where he got his first chance to lead four companies of the 4th Michigan Infantry in a successful attack across the Chickahominy River. Although a minor skirmish, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, was made aware of it and personally congratulated Custer. McClellan took a liking to Custer, and he was attached to his staff as an aide-de-camp. Custer then began to network with fellow officers of higher rank and embarked on a campaign to secure higher rank and eventually attained his own command. Although he had a penchant for over elaborate, showy uniforms, Custer won the respect of his men for his willingness to lead his men at the front of cavalry charges, never hanging back to avoid being wounded as other officers did.<br />At 23, Custer was promoted to Brigadier General.<br />Although many feel that Custer was reckless, meticulous planning preceeded each action that he led. As Marguerite Merrington explains in <em>The Custer Story in Letters</em>, "George Custer meticulously scouted every battlefield, gauged the enemie's weak points and strengths, ascertained the best line of attack and only after he was satisfied was the 'Custer Dash' with a Michigan yell focused with complete surprise on the enemy in routing them every time."<br />At Gettysburg, Custer and the first Michigan Cavalry thwarted an attack on the rear of the Union Army led by J.E.B. Stuart, breaking the back of the Confederate assualt.<br />Near the end of the war, Custer blocked the retreat of Robert E. Lee near Appomattox Court House, and received the first flag of truce from the Confederate forces.<br /><br />The facts of the Battle of the Little Big Horn have been widely explored, and yes, Custer recklessly split his forces while facing an enemy that outnumbered him by at least two to one. I have to wonder if in the fog of war Custer's scouts provided him with faulty intellegence. In this day and age it is popular to view Custer's life through the lens of this one engagement without giving him credit for his deeds in the Civil War.<br /><br />In his biography of Custer <em>Son of the Morning Star</em><strong></strong> , Evan Cornell wrote: "These days it is stylish to denigrate the general, whose stock sells for nothing. Nineteenth-century Americans thought differently. At that time he was a cavalier without fear and beyond reproach."Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12226146.post-15642502665464494632009-11-15T12:46:00.005-05:002009-11-16T23:05:10.206-05:00The U S Coast Guard forgotten on Veteran's DayThis is a letter that I emailed to the Detroit Free Press (<a href="mailto:letters@freepress.com">letters@freepress.com</a>) They have seen fit to neither publish or respond.<br /><br />Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 9:22 AM<br /><br /><br />This letter is to inform the Free Press that it neglected to mention the fifth branch of the military on Veteran's Day. That is the United States Coast Guard.<br />The Coast Guard is very active in our state and throughout the Great Lakes Region. Unlike the other branches of the military, the Coast Guard performs a daily role right here in our community by enforcing maritime laws, maintaining the aids to navigation in all coastal waters, preventing smuggling, and engaging in life saving search and rescue missions.<br /><br />Although I have nothing but goodwill and respect for our brothers in the United States Navy, the Coast Guard is a separate branch of the military. You would never dream of lumping in the United States Marine Corps (which actually is under the Department on the Navy, and trains its officers at the United States Naval Academy) as you did in your Sunday editorial chart outlining the deaths in each branch of the military in all of the wars fought by the United States ( in very small print "* Navy totals includes Coast Guard").<br /><br />Every lighthouse, channel buoy and vessel tracking station on the Great Lakes is maintained by the Coast Guard. Icebreakers like the Cutter USCG Mackinaw (which I proudly served on in the 80's) keep the shipping channels open during winter.<br /><br />Let us also not forget that during the botched federal response to hurricane Katrina, the Coast Guard was the only federal government entity that "got it right".<br /><br />"Of the estimated 60,000 people that needed to be rescued from rooftops and flooded homes, Coast Guardsmen saved more than 33,500, including rescuing from peril 24,135 lives and evacuating 9,409 medical patients to safety. The rescue and the response efforts were some of the largest in Coast Guard history, involving units from every district as well as a total of 5,600 Coast Guardsmen" (source: USCG official website).<br /><br />So next Veteran's Day, I humbly ask you not to forget to include Uncle Sam's Can-do Group.<br /><br />Semper Paratus<br /><br />Tim C. Gasco (Coast Guard Petty Officer 1980-1984)Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614691324815885803noreply@blogger.com1