California Snowboarding

Part I: The Snowboarding. Oh Boy. I showed up late, around 1AM and the only person awake was some guy waving to me from the jacuzzi. Rich introduces himself as the Snowboarding Chiropractor and gives me a quick run-down of house procedures before launching into a rant about how lame the rest of the house members are for not staying up and having a beer or some tequila on Friday night. I get my stuff into the house (I got my own room - YAY!) and decide to join him to learn about the ski club and what I should expect for the duration.

Lake Tahoe has about 10 ski areas within striking distance of the 'Apres Ski Club' Ski Lodge in Kings Beach.

I turn in around 2AM and feel reasonably rested when Rich barges into my room at 9:20. We're on the snow at Northstar by 10 AM and hit the slopes hard until 3:30 PM.




Part II: The food. Oh Boy. Kings Beach, where the Ski Lodge in located, is a town two miles from the California/Nevada Border. You drive around a bend in the road where you see the border, it's marked by the start of 10,000 neon signs for the Casinos. It was recommended that we go to the Casino for the 'Prime Rib Special' Gambling is an activity I find about as enjoyable as burning $20 bills with a bic lighter. Thank goodness the casino owners find it profitable to reel in the gambling addicts with cheap, good food and drink. This restaurant, the casino and the whole town had a 70's kitch feel about it. However, as long as they keep serving up those meals at those prices, I'll tolerate the pervasive tackiness until I get fed and then get back to the neon-free, flashy-light-free California side of the border.

Rich Mark, Marks girlfriend and I went to the 'Biltmore Casino' and sat down for Dinner in their smoke-free restaurant. Rich and I each had the Prime Rib Special, Mark and his girlfriend each had the steak and shrimp special. The tab was 11.90 for BOTH prime rib dinners. $5.95 each, it was very good quality, huge quantity and I was so happy. Big Prime Rib, Baked Potato, Salad, veggies. I've found paradise for folks like me who have big appetites.

I totally ran out of steam at the end of dinner and I knew I wasn't heading out for any partying after we got back to the house. We returned, I was down at 10 PM and didn't get up til 8AM Sunday. The days snowboarding had me beat.

Sunday morning the Casino-subsidized feast continued. I went for a walk to the lakeshore, then hopped in the truck and drove straight back to the Casino. I walked right past all the noisy slot machines to get the $2.50 breakfast special with a $1.50 pot of coffee. $4 total for all huge plate of eggs, ham, hash browns, toast and coffee...I could get used to this.

One nice hospitality touch they have here - the first thing the servers give everyone, every time without asking...a big glass of icewater. The dry climate here does a number on you without you realizing it.

March 17th; Sonoma County Day Trip

Melissa and Chet visited three vinyards and saw a lot of pretty countryside in Sonoma County, California.





We went to the Benzinger Vinyard first. Their tour came recommended from my friend Jeff who used to live in San Francisco. After that we went to the 'Imagery' Vinyard which was having quite a party. It was St. Pattys Day Afterall. This was the place where I felt like I had stepped into the movie 'Sideways'.





The best part of the day came, however, at the Gloria Ferrer Chapmagne Caves. THey had a great patio overlooking 1,000's of acres of vinyards. Check out the Panoramic shots...









PHOTO ALBUM:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=97676798403.672160386403.1174607163708&page=1

First Impressions of San Francisco

March 10th; week one.






Well, I'm an official state resident of California: I got the Cali License Plates on my truck. Somehow I passed the driving test, (got them fooled, heh, heh, heh, heh!!).

One observation about this place...how unremarkable a lot of things are. I was told by many to expect a freakshow with the people here. Not so...none of the stereotypres people warned me about are very accurate. SF is politically left of Boston, but not by much. There are no fewer Hybrid Cars here vs. Massachusetts, there are slightly more gas-guzzling F-150s and other big trucks like mine out here, most with bigger tires than what I got. There ARE a lot of lesbians in my neighborhood, (I've found out that the Sunday Night screenings of 'The 'L' Word' at the Wild SIde West Bar a block from my house is THE event to be at around here. However, aside from that the gay culture isn't in your face, mostly what I see are down-to-earth California people who are laid back & nice to talk to.


The Wild Side West has a great beer Garden and a friendly crowd. I think I'll be taking friends there when I have visitors from the East Coast.

Cross-Country Drive; Day Six: SLC, UT to San Francisco, CA

Day 6: Salt Lake City, UT to San Francisco, CA; 737 miles












Ben and I lounged around his kitchen for a while longer than I should have. It was nice to not rush out the door first thing to get behind the wheel for another marathon session behind the wheel.

I was actually anticipating this stretch of the drive more than any other. It's not jsut becuase i would be at my destination at the end of the day, but I heard so much about driving across the emptyness of Nevada.

I headed out of SLC on Rt. 80, due west. I was back on hte original road that Google said I should be on.

Something I never saw in my month in SLC back in 2002, surprisingly, was the Great Salt Lake itself. The city largely turned its back on the lake and it's too salty to have a lot of recreational activity like pleasure boats, jet-skis or any activity involving people.



I top off the gas tank in one of those Hollywood classic desolate-gas station in the middle-of-nowhere spots.


Nevada turns out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the entire trip. All I had ever seen before of Nevada was Las Vegas, Lake Mead and the area in between. That was super-arid desert. Northern Nevada, along Route 80, was rich in steppe vegetation, scrub trees, tall grasses and many, many scenic mountain views.

What was also surprising was that even though the desert expanse was indeed vast, the towns that I passed by did have wholly-developed economies, office towers, car dealerships, housings tracts, high schools, railroad yards, factories, farms, everything a self-sustaining economy needs.



Around mid-afternoon I had to stop for gas and lunch. My truck was once-again completely grubby after the Utah snowstorms, so I got some of the most expensive gas I've ever seen and a $7 'touchless' automatic car wash that did a good job on my truck.

That done, I looked at my options for lunch. There were some fast-food joints that weren't too appealing, and of course, being Nevada, there was the Casino Restaurant. If it was anything like Vegas, the food would be good, big portions and cheap.



I walked into the Casino through to the restaurant and saw the rejects who would net be permitted into Vegas Casinos: desperate looking people chain-smoking cigarettes, gazing absently into video poker screens. Since I don't gamble, because it holds no thrill for me, I was saddened to see these people, viewing their situation objectively.

As predicted, the Casino delivered a huge sandwich and a great salad bar. The staff was nice, but many had a look of 'I wish life had lead me somewhere else than here'



I plowed on from this not-as-good-as Vegas town onto Reno. From there it should be about three hours to San Francisco. I'm excited to pass through the Lake Tahoe Region; it'll be my new stomping-ground for snowboarding.



Around 5:30PM I cross into California. Talk about a HUGE weight lifted off of me. I go screaming through the mini-vegas that is Reno and catch glimpses of some ski slopes in the Lake Tahoe region.



Another precarious stretch of driving commences in California: a rapid, twisty descent at 75 miles per hour on Route 80 from the state border down into Sacramento. This is a descent of 5,000 feet within 30 minutes at 75+ MPH. These long stretches of 6%, 8%, 9%+ grade descents call for down shifting instead of burning ones brakepads. The engine isn't entirely happy revving to 4000 RPM to manage the trucks speed.



I chase a sunset into the ocean as i cruise into Sacramento. Once there, I see my first-ever California Traffic Jam. It's only a delay of 15 or 20 minutes, but it is still annoying. It's evening now and I'm tired. Almost there.

Around 8PM I'm getting into the San Francisco metro area.

At 8:15 I hit the tolls for the Bay Bridge (not the Golden Gate Bridge, that is different) and cruise right up to 4005 Folsom Street.

Elaine, the owner of the house and my landlord, comes out to greet me. I've never been so happy to see someone I've never met before. It's 8:30 and I'm in San Francisco.

We discover my truck to too long to fit in the garage. I'm too tired to deal with anything, however. I bring in the bedding and other essentials and get to bed nice and early on Saturday night in the City.

Cross-Country Drive; Day Five: Snowboarding in Utah

Day 5: Solitude Ski Resort, BigCottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake City, UT; 20 miles

It's snowing on Friday morning. This promises to be a great powder-day at the mountains.

I take off around 8:30 and get to Solutude right around 9:00 AM. This is the one time this season I'll pay full price for a lift ticket. $63. I get out there for a few runs and it can only be described as perfect. It's still overcast and snowing hard, but I'm knee-deep in 'hero powder' where I can do no wrong on the slopes: tackling the steepest terrain, no matter how aggressive I get, i instantly get back under control with the flick of my hips or ankles.

I got about 5 runs in before I had to take a break. The clouds start to pass and the sun comes out. The one unfortunate thing was this mornings weather was SO intense, they had to shut down little Cottonwood Canyon. This diverted all the Snowbird and Alta skiers to Solitude and Brighton. It was a crowded day for Solitude. At least, that's what all the locals were complaining about. i couldn't care less. it was a perfect day for someone used to Eastern conditions and Eastern Crowds.

Around 2:30 I called it quits. I was tired. My legs were shot from all the deep powder. It felt Great.



I ran some errands back in SLC and met up with Ben after he got out of work. We went to a club just outside of the downtown area and saw a cool Reggae band.


We had to stop for late-night drive-through Burritos on the way home, they were great. It was better than most of the food I had when I lived here in 2002.

We got back late and I needed some rest for the long drive to San Francisco on Saturday.

Cross-Country Drive; Day Four: CO and UT

Day 4: Burlington, CO to Salt Lake City, UT; 698 miles




Colorado is flat. Eastern Colorado, that is. It looks exactly like Western Kansas. That should come as no surprise, really, but it's only now that I'm realizing the entire eastern half of this state is completely ignored in favor of the scenic western half, where all the excitement is.

A girl I used to hang out with met a guy from this area and moved out here to marry him. She said the locals called it 'Coloransas' Flat is where its at.

This picture is my first sighting of the Rocky Mountains. They're really hazy and the mountain range isn't too visible on the video clip.

This feels SO well earned.

Route 70 cuts straight accross downtown Denver. An odd thing you notice, Denver is a big city. When you're approaching it from the East, however, it is a speck of matchsticks backed up against a 1,000 mile long, mile-high wall of rock. It seems so insignificant in relation to the mountains it sides up against.

Once in the city, you have to drive right past a Purina Dog Feed Factory. It stinks and it's right in the middle of the city. I guess the locals are used to it.

Immediately after passing through the city, you're launched straight into the Rockies. The trucks engine starts gunning at 3,500 RPM, already under a lot of weight, already at 5,000 feet of thin altitude and climbing much higher.

As I pass the first few towns, gas is running low and I stop in Idaho Springs. This town had streets made of packed snow. Just how 2-wheel drive cars got around here was unclear to me. The Sinclair gas station (my new favorite gas retailer, like Amerada-Hess back east, Sinclair gets almost zero of their petroleum from the Middle East) The octane ratings were 85, then 89, then 91. I'll have to look into why. My truck needs 87 and I have to get a premium grade here?

I climb higher and higher on route 70. When the road takes a dip, its mile-long stretches of 9%+ degree slopes, windy as anything and covered in snow. Not to mention the occasional, momentary white-outs from snow-squalls and you have Tractor-trailers all around you, grinding along at highway speeds.

The truck has already in 4-Wheel Drive since the gas stop in Idaho Springs. I have to drop into 2nd gear to control my descents on this white-knuckle highway. I haven't been nervous about anything on this trip until now. This was classic 'Double-Diamond" Driving. That I haven't seen it this intense since December of 2003 in NH.

As I grind along, the road heads higher and higher into the mountains. I come across a familiar spot: Vail Pass. The sign reads '10,866 feet altitude' My truck has never been nearly that high before. It's doing well, stretching its legs under the weight, incline, altitude and highway speeds.

After the blizzard at Vail, the first steep descents give way to kinder weather and more shallow grades, coming down the other side of the continental divide.

The slopes give way to very scenic canyons. In fact, it looks like I'm cruising on an interstate laid straight through the Grand Canyon itself. Morning turns into afternoon and I keep sailing past town after town in Western Colorado. Back in Burlington, I got some advice re: importing contraband Beer to Utah. Grand Junction was the best place to stop.

Most folks know that Utah's population is 70%+ Mormon. What you may not know is that the Mormon society has passed a whole collection of State Laws to uphold their fundamentalist lifestyle. This is detailed very effectively in the movie 'SLC Punk' with Ben Affleck.

One particularly annoying law is the practice of watered-down beer. All beer produced or sold in Utah can be no stronger that 3.2% alcohol. The result is a beer that tastes like dish washing detergent has been run through it.

I spoke to my friend Ben over the phone. The plan was to stay at his place in SLC Thursday night, hit the slopes Friday, stay at his place Friday night, and head to San Francisco Saturday morning, to hopefully arrive in San Francisco before I got too tired on Saturday night. My rent: REAL BEER FROM COLORADO. Ben requested
"Anything from New Belgium" These were the makers of Fat Tire. When I finally got to Colorado springs around 3PM, I pulled into the local loquor store and found four varieties of New Belguims products: Fat Tire, the very last of their Winter Ale, Summer Ale and their Wheat Beer. The tally was 6-twelve packs. (three cases or 72 bottles or beer, however you measure it) Ben would be very happy.

Once I hit Colorado, I did make a diversion. I sopped in a town to not only top off the gas tank, but also to de-louse the truck. The truck had become encrusted with an opaque layer of road-crud. Salt, dust, dirt, mud, schmegma, and other assorted grime. It had this ashen-color to it. before I got to SLC, I also went to a car wash in Southeastern Utah. Of course, the temperature was 37 degrees when i was driving through town. When I pulled in and started washing the truck, it magically dropped to 28 degrees, and all the water started freezing into the truck, making a proper wash impossible. I scrub off the ice and get back on the road. On the highway it proptly returns to 37 degrees. That was frustrating. The truck is not 100% clean, but its far better off than before the ice-wash.



It looks like I'm getting into town on schedule. I call ben and he's at the office, after 7PM. Since he can take the train, he doesn't have his SUV with him. I pick him up and we head out to 'The Bayou' for a nice dinner.

Ben has to work on Friday, so I'm going off on my own to Solitude Mountain. Solutude is probably the one Utah mountain I didn't hit in the month I lived in SLC during the 2002 Olympics.