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Published: April 6th 2010
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Would Steve McQueen approve?
Clothes by Phenix. Savoir-Faire
all my own. I’m sitting at my keyboard exhausted from all the fun we had. It is Sunday night and we have to go back to work tomorrow, but I will be smiling. Who wouldn’t be smiling? We just finished a fab stretch of skiing at one of the world’s best ski mountains.
In my previous post I mentioned that we had been miserably sick. We recuperated just in time for Spring Break. The first weekend of our vacation was a three day skiapalooza. The weather was perfect; it ranged from partly sunny to full blown blue skies and sunshine.
I also commented previously that our friend Dan is one of the fast guys on the mountain. In addition, he is an excellent teacher/coach as well. He can analyze your skiing and make the appropriate observations ranging from subtle nuances to more general suggestions. During our first three days of skiing he was in training for the upcoming USSA National Masters ski races that were held in Sun Valley. Those first three days were spent following him around the mountain as he broke in a new pair of super giant slalom skis. All I can say is that speed becomes at some point somewhat
Just another day
In ski paradise! relative and just damned exhilarating! Beth and I each discovered a new gear in which to shift into…whoo hoo!!
One of the interesting things about the ski scene at Sun Valley is that there is a strong race culture in the community. The town race league is filled with very talented racers. Some are ex-collegiate racers, some ex-Olympians or those who had/have been good enough for the Olympic development teams. In other words, there are lots of very fast men and women on the mountain.
Should you ski here, one of the first things you’ll notice is that the culture is about giant slalom/super giant slalom type high speed turns. Everyone appears to be in search of the “perfect turn.” And so it is with us. We come to Sun Valley to step into our GS skis and work on the elusive high speed perfect arc. What better place than Sun Valley with its impeccably groomed runs? They are made for this kind of skiing.
We then returned home happily exhausted to check up on the homestead and to rest up. We didn’t take much of a break as we ran up to our local ski area (Bogus Basin) a
Johnny Ray & Dan
Blue skies, magnificent scenery, skiing with the fast guys
did I leave out anything? day later to get in some more skiing. That day was also gloriously bright blue; how lucky was that? We then returned to Sun Valley and again had glorious weather.
On this trip one of my goals was to take our afternoon meal at the historic Roundhouse mountain restaurant. This place dates back to the beginning of Sun Valley. It was built in 1939 and was the first mountain lodge. It has a small cafeteria, an outdoor deck, and a white linen restaurant. We took our lunch in the restaurant. I had a cup of soup that was excellent (can’t remember now what it was) and then a very good duck breast salad and Beth had a spinach salad; we were both supremely pleased with our meals. I have skied there for a number of years and have never eaten in there. Why? Shrug…no explanation. I was glad we did that. Just so you know Sun Valley will be running the gondola during the summer in the evenings for fine dining in the Roundhouse restaurant. We plan on doing that.
Unfortunately it we needed to get back home to take care of a few more tasks. Have you ever noticed
I feel the need
The need for speed! that life is filled with annoying chores? True story…we headed back home because there were numerous items that had to be completed or taken care of. Plus we had to spend a couple of days getting the lesson plans done so we would be ready when it was time to go back to school. It is what it is.
Then we headed back to Sun Valley for some more skiing to rejuvenate/pummel ourselves, which we did in short order. While we there, the National Masters ski races were being held. We watched our friend race as well as other races. It was also fun to watch some of the racers free skiing to warm up. These are definitely some of the best amateur skiers in the country. By the way, there were some 80 years olds competing and they were great skiers. I hope to be alive and skiing when I’m that age.
Since our vacation was nearing an end, we went out to celebrate our good fortune. We went to a new restaurant in Ketchum. Sego is located on 131 Washington Ave. The interior is a very cool modern with lots of open area. I immediately liked the booth
Life is too short
To eat bad food or drink bad wine! we were seated at. Most booths are uncomfortable in that they are not ergonomic and just not comfortable to sit in.
The menu is not extensive - this is a good sign since it is my belief that a large menu just means that there are a lot of choices, none of which are made particularly well. So, we started with appetizers of Elk Carpaccio and an order of Clam Steamers. Both were excellent.
For main entrees, Dan had Braised Pork Cheeks, Beth and I had the fresh hand rolled pasta with slow cooked pork shoulder. It was super-delicious. This is the best pasta we’ve had since our last trip to Italy.
Everything went swimmingly well; my only comment would be that the wait staff needs a different uniform as well as more training. I told our waitress that the “plaid shirts and worn jeans look” immediately brought two words to mind - Kurt Cobain, in other words, dead. The lumberjack/grunge look is…well…grungy and out of place with the ambiance and décor. It is though the place is trying to be “hip.” My advice is that “hip” is authentic when it happens naturally. It is or is not. Period. But
Speed Demon
Ignoring the Slow Skiing sign and blowing by the food is excellent and I approve of the wine list so we will return.
This vacation was a rousing success, we’re back to work and now the countdown begins for the summer break. We are headed to… tah dah…Ireland!!! This is a last minute decision as we were originally headed to Spain and Montenegro. It turned out that getting a flight out of Madrid to Montenegro was either too expensive or a pain in the neck. We then tried routing out of Ireland for a cheaper fare and just for fun I searched for a self catering place. I found a place in the tiny village of Cooraclare, County Clare. The owner will let us have it for 600 euro for 15 days. We will fly into Shannon, rent a car, and explore the west end of Ireland. My goal is to end up in some countryside pub with only locals for company, traditional music being played, learn some Irish drinking songs, get rousingly buzzed and learn to dance some Irish jigs. After that we take a train to Dublin for a couple of days and then head back to Shannon and head back home just in time for
Mathematical skiing
Parallel arcs in Hyperbolic Geometry
check out the path of my turns camping and flyfishing. How about that?
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