Tuesday, that means music practice this afternoon. Music practice means I better clean the house a little bit. But first, more coffee!
Darryl -- I've been meaning to ask you, have you or any members of your ski club ever taken Amtrak to Winter Park from Osceola, IA?
I did that a couple times in the '90s and it worked out so slick. Free parking at the depot, train seats recline and you go through the boring scenery during the night, then get stunning scenery the rest of the way from morning on. It was pretty affordable, too, and most lodging places have their own shuttle vehicles so no need to rent a car.
Post by Cosmic Wonder on Nov 9, 2021 10:28:23 GMT -5
I’m up. It’s 5:00 am here, still dark out. Yesterday was a looooong day. First, I get anxious when I travel, so I only got about three hours sleep the night before. I thought I could sleep on the plane, but that did not happen. But we got here safe and sound, and our friends picked us up at the airport, and we made the trip from Lihue to Princeville/ Hanalei with no issues. Because of Covid we have cancelled three other Hawaii trips, so this is the first time we have been back since 2018. I had forgotten how lush Kauai was. The drive up to the N Shore is gorgeous, passing trees, canyons, oceans…I tried to stay awake to acclimate to the local time, but by 7:30 last night I was toast and went to bed. Managed to sleep until 4:30 and feel pretty good now. The Kona coffee our friends left us helps. 😀
So far, aside from a noisy rooster or three, I appear to be the only one up this early. So I’m sipping coffee and typing on my iPad. There is a little beach just N of Kapaa that had some nice looking smallish waves yesterday. Im going to see about heading there this am for some Matt surfing. The air temp was 80 here yesterday, 😀
Mike
Last Edit: Nov 9, 2021 10:30:02 GMT -5 by Cosmic Wonder
“One way, or another, this darkness got to give.” Robert Hunter…New Speedway Boogie
I’m up. It’s 5:00 am here, still dark out. Yesterday was a looooong day. First, I get anxious when I travel, so I only got about three hours sleep the night before. I thought I could sleep on the plane, but that did not happen. But we got here safe and sound, and our friends picked us up at the airport, and we made the trip from Lihue to Princeville/ Hanalei with no issues. Because of Covid we have cancelled three other Hawaii trips, so this is the first time we have been back since 2018. I had forgotten how lush Kauai was. The drive up to the N Shore is gorgeous, passing trees, canyons, oceans…I tried to stay awake to acclimate to the local time, but by 7:30 last night I was toast and went to bed. Managed to sleep until 4:30 and feel pretty good now. The Kona coffee our friends left us helps. 😀
So far, aside from a noisy rooster or three, I appear to be the only one up this early. So I’m sipping coffee and typing on my iPad. There is a little beach just N of Kapaa that had some nice looking smallish waves yesterday. Im going to see about heading there this am for some Matt surfing. The air temp was 80 here yesterday, 😀
Thank God for antibiotics. Had my prostate procedure yesterday. You’re asleep for it (anesthesia). So it’s easy. But afterwards I started getting chills. Sure sign of fever. So much do that I was sleeping on the couch wearing a coat, wool socks, a ski cap, and gloves and my teeth were still chattering. But I’ve got a scrip for 2 antibiotics and by evening they kicked in and I’m much more relaxed. I still sleep/nap a lot. But I feel pretty good.
Biopsy comes back on Thursday. We’ll see what’s up then.
Last Edit: Nov 9, 2021 11:00:49 GMT -5 by Marshall
"Stories are all the human race has got, Dave. You just got to find the one you like and stay with it."
Tuesday, that means music practice this afternoon. Music practice means I better clean the house a little bit. But first, more coffee!
Darryl -- I've been meaning to ask you, have you or any members of your ski club ever taken Amtrak to Winter Park from Osceola, IA?
I did that a couple times in the '90s and it worked out so slick. Free parking at the depot, train seats recline and you go through the boring scenery during the night, then get stunning scenery the rest of the way from morning on. It was pretty affordable, too, and most lodging places have their own shuttle vehicles so no need to rent a car.
Bill, the ski club has taken Amtrak to Winter Park, but it been quite a few years ago. They caught the train in Mt Pleasant, which is the closest place to catch it from Cedar Rapids.
It's a good deal, if you like Winter Park, but most ski club members wouldn't rate it very high. I've skied WP a number of times and I remember there is a spot up on the mountain where you can see the west portal of the train tunnel, where it come into WP.
Bill, the ski club has taken Amtrak to Winter Park, but it been quite a few years ago. They caught the train in Mt Pleasant, which is the closest place to catch it from Cedar Rapids.
It's a good deal, if you like Winter Park, but most ski club members wouldn't rate it very high. I've skied WP a number of times and I remember there is a spot up on the mountain where you can see the west portal of the train tunnel, where it comes into WP.
Yeah, certainly was not my favorite Colorado ski area, but a pretty convenient and affordable way to hit the Rockies from MN or IA, I thought. Of course, you've got to hope and pray that you're not surrounded on the train by Chicago drunks.
Good morning all of you. This Soundhole website has been very different. It's very altered the world. Enjoy your day.
my weird syntax.....
We look at the outside clues that people show and make up stories. The stories are just stories. Interconnected. Making up stories is what human beings do. But, if we are wise, we can slow down, remember stories and learn.
I have been coughing a lot. So yesterday I had my nostrils cleaned and I obtained a negative Covid-19 result. Now I am ready for a day among co-workers.
Bill, the ski club has taken Amtrak to Winter Park, but it been quite a few years ago. They caught the train in Mt Pleasant, which is the closest place to catch it from Cedar Rapids.
It's a good deal, if you like Winter Park, but most ski club members wouldn't rate it very high. I've skied WP a number of times and I remember there is a spot up on the mountain where you can see the west portal of the train tunnel, where it comes into WP.
Yeah, certainly was not my favorite Colorado ski area, but a pretty convenient and affordable way to hit the Rockies from MN or IA, I thought. Of course, you've got to hope and pray that you're not surrounded on the train by Chicago drunks.
Another big determinant in where people ski nowadays is the ski passes. I buy a Vail Epic pass that is good for all Vail owned resorts, which is most of Summit County CO. This year I plan to ski Beaver Creek, Vail and Breckinridge, using my Vail Pass. Winter Park is on the group of ski resorts that use Ikon passes. So if I want to ski there too, I need a different pass, which gets expensive.
Tuesday, that means music practice this afternoon. Music practice means I better clean the house a little bit. But first, more coffee!
Darryl -- I've been meaning to ask you, have you or any members of your ski club ever taken Amtrak to Winter Park from Osceola, IA?
I did that a couple times in the '90s and it worked out so slick. Free parking at the depot, train seats recline and you go through the boring scenery during the night, then get stunning scenery the rest of the way from morning on. It was pretty affordable, too, and most lodging places have their own shuttle vehicles so no need to rent a car.
What you ought to do, Bill, is catch AMTRAK in “The Cities” and take it Vancouver. You can ski there and visit the Waughs at the same time. Beautiful trip, beautiful slopes, good friends,… can’t go wrong.
What you ought to do, Bill, is catch AMTRAK in “The Cities” and take it Vancouver. You can ski there and visit the Waughs at the same time. Beautiful trip, beautiful slopes, good friends,… can’t go wrong.
Well, that would be a nice trip, I'm sure, but I've stopped skiing -- just too much risk associated with my neck laminectomy and spinal fragility back there.
What you ought to do, Bill, is catch AMTRAK in “The Cities” and take it Vancouver. You can ski there and visit the Waughs at the same time. Beautiful trip, beautiful slopes, good friends,… can’t go wrong.
Well, that would be a nice trip, I'm sure, but I've stopped skiing -- just too much risk associated with my neck laminectomy and spinal fragility back there.
My mistake. I thought you were asking Darryl about AMTRAK because you were thinking about making the trip yourself.
“Life isn't waiting about for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.”
- Saskia Fraser
“I think [life is] more like a bar crawl, where you stumble and swerve from stop to stop. And then end up face down in some random ditch at the end.”
Ahh Winter Park. In college in Denver in the early 60’s we went there quite a bit. There was an iconic ski club for youth in Denver called the Eskimo Ski Club. I think it was founded by a former 10th Mountain Division veteran. The goal was to teach kids how to ski. Parents would drop their kids off at Union Station around 6 or 7 in the morning and take a special train to Winter Park. That train was usually packed.
The train got in about 9 or 9:30 as I recall.
If you got there early on a Saturday and caught the first chair it was usually pretty empty but at the appointed hour you’d be standing on one of the upper runs and see that train come out of the west portal of the Moffat tunnel and disgorge this swarming mass of ants that completely darkened the snow.
After that it was bedlam, especially in the greens and blues.
The other annoying thing I remembered was that it was owned by the city of Denver and no matter what always shut down March 30. Not uncommonly with still 60-70”of base.
“To be Irish is to know that in the end the world will break your heart.”
Speaking of trains the ride up from Denver traversing 28 tunnels through the coal creek switchbacks , the Moffatt tunnel, and Glenwod canyon is a spectacular ride. We did it to Salt Lake when the Denver and Rio Grand Western ran it with the old equipment but I think Amtrak uses the same route.
I wrote a song about that trip and one verse was
Oh the Moffatt Tunnel is long and dark As we emerge into Winter Park The mighty Colorado trickles through the trees As it starts it’s journey down to the sea
Last Edit: Nov 9, 2021 14:55:51 GMT -5 by TKennedy
“To be Irish is to know that in the end the world will break your heart.”
Day two at home, waiting to hear the results of my hemoglobin test from earlier this morning.
I've been going through my instruments and checking the humidity in the cases to prep for winter in the storage area. Lately, I'm thinking it may be time to sell a few. The Eastman Pisano Archtop (and the Eastman 372) really don't get the play time that they should. If anybody is interested, I can start another thread about them.
Winter is coming this Friday for the Iowa landscape according to our weather prognosticators. We shall see.
In Iowa we don't milk our cows, we kill'em and eat'em! “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” ― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul