My job brings me to some of the strangest places a New Englander would think of to ski. Last year it brought me to Michigan. This year my ski adventures took me on a loop from Western PA, down through Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia and back up to PA yet again.
I was impressed with several of the areas, in spite of their smaller (than New England) verticals. I hit a week where ski areas benefitted from a few snowstorms. Seven Springs off the Donegal exit of the Penna. Turnpike cracked me up because they ran a continuous recorded message to move the lil high school kids along at the top of the high-speed six-pack lift, "Please clear the area... etc etc". I felt like I was back at Pittsburgh International carrying a million bags into the terminal.
I was also fascinated at how many big hotels can exist in one little town (Somerset PA), and how relatively cheap they are compared to here in New England. Yeah, I travel a lot, can you tell?
West Virginia was interesting, probably the best skiing in the trip (esp. Timberline Four Seasons and Snowshoe) and WV and VA provided me with some of the most demanding drives ever through the Monongahela National Forest and the George Washington National Forest.
I also discovered that southern phenomenon for the first time, the Waffle House. I popped my grits cherry, baby.
Skiing Wintergreen and Massanutten on Sunday gave me my first sunburn of '04. I really wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to get to Wintergreen but being the occasional dumbass failed to realize it was closed in winter. Bah.
By the way, never stay at the Days Inn in Staunton, VA. If someone killed you there, they wouldnt find the body for days. Plus they had the lamest continental breakfast spread I've ever seen.
And oh yeah, the Pats won
I was impressed with several of the areas, in spite of their smaller (than New England) verticals. I hit a week where ski areas benefitted from a few snowstorms. Seven Springs off the Donegal exit of the Penna. Turnpike cracked me up because they ran a continuous recorded message to move the lil high school kids along at the top of the high-speed six-pack lift, "Please clear the area... etc etc". I felt like I was back at Pittsburgh International carrying a million bags into the terminal.
I was also fascinated at how many big hotels can exist in one little town (Somerset PA), and how relatively cheap they are compared to here in New England. Yeah, I travel a lot, can you tell?
West Virginia was interesting, probably the best skiing in the trip (esp. Timberline Four Seasons and Snowshoe) and WV and VA provided me with some of the most demanding drives ever through the Monongahela National Forest and the George Washington National Forest.
I also discovered that southern phenomenon for the first time, the Waffle House. I popped my grits cherry, baby.
Skiing Wintergreen and Massanutten on Sunday gave me my first sunburn of '04. I really wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to get to Wintergreen but being the occasional dumbass failed to realize it was closed in winter. Bah.
By the way, never stay at the Days Inn in Staunton, VA. If someone killed you there, they wouldnt find the body for days. Plus they had the lamest continental breakfast spread I've ever seen.
And oh yeah, the Pats won
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nordicgoddess:
I think that album cover is amazing. You have very good taste! I think if you were to really go for it the tatoo would look awesome between and a little above the shoulder blades about four inches or so in diameter.. The sun and moon! You must be a very balanced guy.
kaitee:
Celine Dion, Mariah Carey (pre "hip-hop"), Bryan Adams, lots of random country, and I swear sometimes she plays Michael Bolton. Funny thing is, she only plays them when she thinks I'm not around - when she KNOWS I'm here she'll usually play something still pretty bad, along the lines of 3 Doors Down or something..I do my best to ignore her though.. 