Ski Vacation in Whitefish, MT

We traded our timeshare via RCI to Crestwood in Whitefish, MT for the week of January 9th - 16th, 2009. This is the second ski vacation we've taken using our timeshare. The first was in January of 2005 at Steamboat Springs, CO. We had invited others to come along since we have a 2 BR condo, but we were by ourselves.

We flew Delta Airlines via Salt Lake City to the Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, MT. After a small struggle to not pay $125 to ship the skis (skis and boots count as only one piece of luggage!), we had a smooth flight with the exception that I had forgotten my book on the headboard of my bed! Luckily, I had packed Slan and Slan Hunter, which I polished off Slan from the 1940's on the way up. We checked in, where we were able to get $50/day lift tickets to Whitefish Resort, formerly Big Mountain. We also got 3 Nora Roberts books for Rasila and the Yahtzee game to play from the office. After a quick trip to the grocery store, we were ready for the week!

We skied Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Rasila got tired early Sunday and Rodney skied with a local named Greg from Kalispell in the afternoon and got some tips. It snowed about an inch (2.5 cm) on Saturday night of heavy, wet snow. We drove to the mountain every day but Saturday. I was worried it might be busy, so we took the Snow Bus from a parking lot around the corner. It was not crowded, so we drove ourselves every other day. We loved the food at Hellroaring Saloon and Eatery, and also took a free mountain tour Wednesday with a guide at 10:30 AM.

We met a couple, Rick and Sam, from Great Falls, MT in the hot tub Monday night and somehow talked them into joining us for snowshoeing in Glacier National Park on Tuesday. We rented snowshoes at Tamarack Ski Rentals for only $10 and drove over to walk the Apgar Lookout road. It was only 2 miles from the parking lot to the lookout, but we only made it probably a little over half way before turning back. It was kind of soft, melting snow and breaking a trail (there were only cross country ski tracks) was hard work! We still took almost 3 hours to go probably 2.5 miles. We rewarded our workout with a Famous Dave's BBQ "Trash Can Lid". It was devoured!

Rasila fell on "Over the Hill Gang" on Wednesday and sprained her knee, so Rodney skied by himself on Thursday. Even though it was not crowded, we only saw Rick and Sam once in the 3 days we skied in common. We did see them in the hot tub every night though! We also went and saw Marley and Me at the local theater Sunday night and ate out at MacKenzie River Pizza one night. We had tried to go to a Sushi place recommended by Rasila's father, but it was closed the night we went out to eat.

Whitefish was great and we'd like to return!

Christmas in Wyoming and New Year's in Utah

This was the year to spend Christmas with Rodney's family, so we flew to Salt Lake City on the Tuesday before and then drove with Rodney's brother Roger and his wife, Julia to Riverton, Wyoming on the the 24th. It was a relatively nice day with temperatures varying from the 20s F (-5 C) to the 40s F (+5 C). South Pass had its usual wind, but at least it wasn't blowing so much snow you couldn't see the highway. Rodney's brother Bob had car trouble and didn't make it until Sunday.

Rodney's Dad had made his usual spectacular cinnamon rolls and they were available for breakfast every day we were in Riverton (6 breakfasts). We entered right into the games, playing Mexican Train Dominos, Rummikub, Sequence, Cribbage, and Mille Bourne over the days.

Christmas was fun and we had a traditional turkey dinner. The day after Christmas, it snowed about 2-3" (5-8 cm). It had not snowed in Riverton since October 11! Rodney helped his Dad clear the snow from the walks for them and the neighbor on either side, so Ziwi would be able to walk to "take care of business."

Rodney's brother, Bob, and Bob's significant other, Jo, made it on Sunday and we had a mini Christmas that day. On Monday, we swam in the high school pool, since the exercise bike had become boring with the treadmill out of action. Monday it was in the 50s F (15+ C)! It was never that warm when Rodney was growing up. The coldest we saw was about -5 F (-20 C), so it wasn't bad at all (those temperatures were always just before dawn, which was 7:45 AM or so).

We went with Bob, Jo, Roger, and Julia to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at the classic Acme Theater in Riverton.

We drove back to Salt Lake City on Tuesday and skiied Alta Ski Resort on Wednesday and Friday, and Snowbird Ski Resort on Thursday. I still had a card from last year, so I was able to save $5 on the first day at Alta, and the Lift House sells discount tickets, so we got a chairs only ticket for $54 for Snowbird. We spent New Year's eve staying up all the way to Midnight EST, which was 10 PM local time. What party animals!

It started raining Friday night in SLC while we watched Utah beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. That turned to snow, which was so slick Rodney fell while taking Ziwi out to pee before bed. He said "Darn, I wish I hadn't done that." or words like that only with 4 letters each. Saturday, we loaded up and Roger and Julia dropped us off at a madhouse SLC Airport, but we had 2 hours and 45 minutes before our flight. We arrived home about noon Saturday, which allowed us to watch the San Diego - Indianapolis game that night.

Vegas for Dave and Karin's 20th Anniversary Dec 5-8th, 2008

Well, I was waiting for Karin to send pictures because I forgot my camera, but I made another trip, so I'll have to add them later, if ever.


My friends Dave and Karin celebrate their anniversary in Vegas every year, and we have joined them twice before. This one was special since it was their 20th. We made plans in March for this trip! We stayed at Sunset Station Casino in Henderson. We had been there before. It is a great place to spend something like this because they have many restaurants, a bowling alley, a cinema, and a Starbucks! We drove up Friday, leaving about 10 AM, and, after a pit stop at The Mad Greek for a strawberry shake, arriving about 3 PM.


We immediately joined the crowd for some bowling. They wouldn't let Rasila have the bumpers up since she weighs more than 80 pounds, so we had to make due. Her best game was about 81 and I bowled a 139. I would have bowled better, but while I ran to make a bet on the University of Buffalo int the MAC Championship, they bowled a frame for me. We then had dinner at the seafood restaurant, where I had the Shrimp Etuoffee. We had a 3 liter bottle of wine to share. Later that night, while Rasila and I were cashing chips, we heard someone say, "Where did you get that?" Followed by, "The group next to us drank it, so I took it when they left!" Yes, they had taken the bottle and were walking around with it for some reason. Rasila and I did well gambling that night, winning the football bet and a couple hundred in blackjack.


We woke the next morning and went to breakfast after coffee and a newspaper and the gym. We then dropped by the "Party Room," where Dave and Karin had set up a suite for all to meet in 3 times a day. We could have had breakfast there with all the muffins they bought at Costco! I ducked out to make a parley bet on the Big 12 Championship, SEC Championship and USC-UCLA game. I also bet on the "Over" for the Big 12 Championship, since Missouri and Oklahoma both had high scoring offenses. It was 79 points! We ended up spending all afternoon in the room, drinking Yuengling and watching football. I lost my parley, but won the over bet.


Dave and Karin had a room rented for the celebration and they did their usual wonderful job of decorating and the food was excellent as well as the dancing! We spent some time on the craps tables and video poker, where I gave back some of the money we had won the previous night, but had a good time.


Sunday, most people left. We had a breakfast in the buffet with Suzanne and Joe, then I made a parley bet on the NFL games, New Orleans-Atlanta, Chicago-Jacksonville, and Denver-Kansas City. We then went to the party room and watched the games while trying to finish up the perishables and help pack up the room. When Dave decided to drive back with Karin that night, Rasila and I ate at the Italian Restaruant and then went to sleep early to drive home.


On the way home, we stopped at the Barstow Outlet Mall, and bought most of our Christmas presents.


It was a gerat trip and next year, I'm taking my camera!