We are back in Steamboat.  We left Mobile on 16 January.  A cold front and ice storm had just swept much of the country.  We stopped in Shreveport, LA for  the night, and found it shrouded in ice.  Nothing moved.  It took considerable searching to find an open place to eat.  Careful ice-driving got us to our lodgings for the night, and onward the next morning.  Most of the city was still barricaded in, awaiting the warming sun to banish the unfamiliar glaze.

We stayed in Denver the second night, then onward to Steamboat (a three hour drive).  The snow covering is very good here.  We’ve been hitting the slopes on our skis, and I also snowboard.  I’ve also stepped out on the mountain in snowshoes.  “Isn’t it awfully cold?”  Well, the temps are low (single digits at night, highs in the 20’s and 30’s).  That sounds uncomfortable, but it is not.  The air is thinner (7000’ altitude) so it doesn’t take the heat from you as quickly.  Also, the air is dryer, which likewise doesn’t pull heat from you.  Also, you dress for the temperatures.  Heavy coats, hats, and gloves are standard.  If you are going to be outside for any extended period of time, thermal underwear or lined pants are just standard.  You can always dress for the cold, but there is a limit to how much you can undress for the hot.

I could try to describe it here, but pictures are better.

We are here in time for the Steamboat Winter Carnival.  It happens every year, for the last 111!  It started as a means of beating back the mid-winter doldrums, but has morphed into a grand celebration and a celebration of the ranching traditions of Steamboat and the long history of excellent winter sports.  It is also a fund raiser for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, which supports the development of youth winter sports athletes.  There are formal sports competitions which are part of it, but the real fun takes place on the streets of Steamboat Springs.  I captured some shots of the horse drawn ski shalom and the “donkey jump”, but I missed the shovel race (yes, the athlete rides a shovel, pulled by a horse), and the 5 person ski race (5 people on one pair of custom skis).  This town definitely has character.

I’ve never had the chance to ski so many days in a single year.  My skiing has markedly improved, and I received some excellent input from a couple of friends who were formerly ski instructors here.  I’m never going to be competitive at any of these winter sports, but I feel pretty good about my skill level.  Of course, the weather was perfect, with many blue-sky and sunshine ski days.  It actually feels pretty warm when the sun is shining down upon you as you ride the lift up, or ride the moguls down.  Snow coverage was also excellent; so far, Steamboat has had the most snow fall this season of any Colorado resort.  Sure, the resorts in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains have had more, but they are all closed due to the roads!  Steamboat is currently at 330 inches.  That’s 28 feet of snow.

This is the view of fireworks over the lower mountain, from our condo balcony.

While Nate, Amber and Dave were in town, we all went to an escape room in downtown Steamboat.  What fun!  The time limit was an hour.  We were done in 36 minutes.  It was amazing to watch as everyone contributed to the solution.  It’s a shame that we never put that creative brain trust to work on something profitable!

We left Steamboat on 29 July.  As we were preparing to return home, we were informed that Linda’s dad had been diagnosed with a low heart rate (30 bpm).  By the time we returned to Mobile, he had a pacemaker installed.  He is doing fine, and we have been able to help him return to his residence.  It has been a blessing that our retirement has allowed us to be where we needed to be during some challenging situations.  However, I am now hoping for a break from those type of situations.

We are in Alabama until 15 March, then we are going to Disney World!