Day 60: Colorado and stuff

I wake up at about 8:30. I have been sleeping so badly for the last few weeks! Therefore, waking up at 8:30 is not that hard. I just have to not go back into my not so restful sleep. Since my plan is to run out to the ski hill for an hour before we have to check out, this is not that hard. I find skiing much more exciting than sleeping horribly. Tough choice there, I know

I start wandering around the room and making noise. I try to be quiet but as usual, I fail miserably. I wake up Diana and Ashlynne before I finally leave at about 9. I run out to the lift. I gotta make the most of this hour!  I run around the hill like a crazy person trying to get to the very top. On my way, I see snowcats working to groom the trails. I manage to make first tracks on a few runs. Ooooo, pretty! Fresh corduroy with nothing by my beautiful tracks in it. :D  The only thing better is fresh powder with nothing in but my track in it...

Snowcats at work! Ya see my shadow on the lift? :)

Look at my beautiful first tracks! :D

I make it most of the way to peak 8, which has been my goal to make it to for the last few days, before I realize that the snow up top is pretty bad. And it is pushing 10. If I want to shower, I need to get back soon. On the second to last lift that would take me to the top, I closely inspect the snow. It is looking pretty crusty up here. Hmmm, super steep crusty snow runs or showering.... I pick the showering and give up on my goal of making it to the top of peak 8. I am pretty close anyway. I made it to the top of peak 9 yesterday anyway... It is not like I have not conquered this ski area sufficiently....

As I go down the crusty snow, I am reassured that I made the right choice. In a few hours, I am sure this snow will be lovely. However, the top is a little wind blown so there are bare spots and this snow is not so awesome. I manage to get some decent skiing in in just an hour!

I make it back to the room and hop in the shower. I have 45 minutes to shower, pack, and eat before we have to check out. I take a super fast shower. It is easier to take showers quickly when I am not half asleep I find. Skiing definitely woke me up. I get out and start throwing all of my stuff into its appropriate bag. I sooo should have done this last night! Oh well. Too late now.

They had made some breakfast and coffee while I was skiing so I heat it up and try to eat/drink it while getting ready. Ahh!! Too many things to do! I take a load down to my truck. There is no way I can carry my ski gear and my suitcase down at the same time. Ok, that is better!

I get back to the room and we finish packing. Diana leaves to check us out. She comes back and we carry the stuff to the truck and load it up. We bring some of the left over food from the grocery store with us; the cooking oil, the bread crumbs, and a huge bag of left over spaghetti. Off we go!

We have had all of our days beautifully planned. And even better, it had been pretty easy to get everyone to agree on a plan for the entire trip. Impressive. We have no plan for today. With the exception of check out of the hotel so we don't get charged another $200 for a night and get them to their flight on time. Goal one is now done!

We end up wandering around the ski town for a while. I go in all of the souvenir and ski gear shops possible. I end up finding some pretty cool stuff and buying it. Ugh, no more spending money!!! I run down the sidewalk like a landshark at one point. We had watched a ridiculous youtube video last night about landsharks and are really quite amused by them. Ashlynne follows me down the road and Diana pretends that she does not know us. After a few hours of wandering, we are all tired of trying to not spend money and decide to head back to Denver.

Funny shirt I found.

We get in the truck which is parallel parked. There is no one in front of me. Some lady steps off the sidewalk and walks in the empty spot, staring at my truck the entire way. Ummm, am I parked badly or have I done something wrong?  Apparently not. She finally turns and walks across the street. I guess my truck and sweet Alaskan T Rex license plate are just that cool. 

We drive along the road. It is pretty!  30 miles into the drive, I conclude I am hungry. I pull over at a scenic pull out and we have a lovely lunch of spaghetti out of a bag. No utensils or plates.We have a single slice of cheese to split amongst us all to flavor the plain spaghetti. I make a spaghetti and cheese taco with my 1/3 of a slice of cheese. I believe the term "classy as fuck" may apply to this meal. When we are done with lunch, we get back on our way to Denver.

We get in to town a little after 3 and head to Claire's house again so they can say good bye and I can get my weather stripping. She has a test tomorrow so we don't stay too long.  She does notice my super awesome goggle tan while we are getting the weather stripping out of my truck. Yesss!!! Now I am a real skier! She gives us directions the the airport that will allow me to avoid rush hour and tells us places to get food near by.

We head off to get some food. We hang out until it is time to head to the airport. I warn them that I make saying goodbye as awkward as possible. Well, Diana is used to this by now. Ashlynne, not so much.

We get to the airport without major mishap, with the exception of missing the first sign telling me what terminal they are in. Luckily, they have more signs with this information. They are just 8 miles down the road when you are starting to panic that you missed your one and only chance to know which airlines are at which terminals. I get them to the right terminal, unload, and say goodbye. It is almost not awkward. I am almost getting good at saying goodbye.

I set my GPS for my coworker Jason's house. He is about half an hour away. I am feeling something weird. I have been saying a lot of hellos and goodbyes lately. There has not been any continuity either. As in usually if I say goodbye it is to just one person and everyone and thing around me stays the same. If that makes any sense. It is just weird. I see someone I haven't seen in a while, remember how much fun we have and how much I miss them, and then leave. I then meet another person I have not seen in a while and repeat the process. I think it is starting to get exhausting. No more saying goodbye! The next person I see is stuck with me. Forever. Ok, not practical I guess.

As I drive, Hanna texts me. It is kind of rush hour so I just call her. Ugh, I suck at talking on the phone! We talk for a bit and then Diana calls me. I hope she didn't miss the flight or something. I talk to her. No, they made it ok but we forgot to pay each other. They owe me for gas and I owe her for hotels. I figure out a really confusing way to make it all work out that involves the sending of only one check and not 3 through the mail. It all makes sense. Kind of.

At this point, I am nearing Jason's. I want to bring him some beer to thank him for letting me stay so I enter the name of a liquor store he had said is close to his house. My GPS ends up sending me on a 7 mile wild goose chase to a place that does not exist. Daniellll, I have been really nice to you! What is your deal??? I finally find the right place, minutes from his place. I find some good looking beer and head off. Hmmm, is my truck making funny noises again or is it road noise? Maybe I will just get it looked at tomorrow so I will stop freaking out and going crazy.

I make it to the general gated community which he lives in and call for more specific instructions. I find his apartment and drag all my bags up the stairs. I knock on the door of the apartment number that I think he said is his. Oh good, it is him!  Hellooo!!! Here, I brought you some beer!!! Um, only 5 are for you though. Sorry, it looks good and as I recall you have good taste in beer so one is for me. He takes the beer and offers me some anyway. Yay!

We talk for a while and look at his car racing videos and talk about snowboarding and fun stuff before he heads to bed. I get a text from Diana and one from Ashlynne. They have landed and made it back safely!  And I get pictures of both of them running around the airport like landsharks. Yess!!!!!  I get on my computer and turn my truck into a landshark because it is clearly not cool and awesome enough already! Because I am cool like that!

My truck issss a landshark!

I am now rather tired and hoping that I will sleep well tonight! I could sure use it.