Getting started

Over the past few years, my job has required me to travel. Not a big deal, except the places that I end up rarely are the meccas of culture or history. Just wide spots in the road that need a bit of my attention so I can get a paycheck twice a month. Recently, the travel of two weeks a month has grown into more of a Monday through Friday minimum with me trying to make it home on Friday night. Laundry just seems to go from the suitcase to the washer and dryer only to end up right where it started.

As the new year begins, I thought it may be better suited to see these weekly jaunts over the country as a bit more than a chore. Why not chronicle these trips so others may see a small glimpse into a part of America they may have otherwise not known to even exist. The new year brought me to visit West Virginia and enjoy some skiing with my friends. Good ole Snowshoe did not disappoint despite so many people enjoying its trails. I had never been to Snowshoe, but everyone kept telling me how much better it was than Winterplace or the other ski places I had been to in North Carolina. Growing up in Florida, snow was a fantasy let alone the idea of skiing on it. The only skiing I had learned was on water. Still, I want to get better and the only way to improve is with practice. Snowshoe was packed with families ringing in the new year and tons of college kids breaking in their new snowboards. The snowboarder mentality is something I was not used to. I don't want to fall or run into any other people while on the slopes. Snowboarders, at least the couple that ran into me, do not have this outlook. They have the carefree attitude of a young person without any responsibility. Luckily, nobody got hurt that I saw, but I could see real potential for damage with these kids flying down the mountain seemingly out of control. Odds are not in their favor if a younger kid crosses their path when the trails cross.

We stayed in the Mountain Lodge which was perfect. It is right on one of the lifts so we just had to walk outside and ski away. Once you park the car, there was no need to get back in it until we left. Restaurants, shopping, and sundries were all within walking distance so we stayed within the resort for the most part. We did pile into the car to take a trip a bit down the mountain to the other property Silver Creek. Big difference in that they had night skiing and the amount of people during the day was a fraction of Snowshoe. The best part is the lift tickets cover both places so it's a win - win situation. I preferred being at Silver Creek just because there was more room to ski and there was no waiting in lift lines. On more than one occasion we had to wait at least 30 minutes in the lift lines at Snowshoe. Never more than a 5 minute wait on the lifts at Silver Creek. We did not have to drive there since they have a shuttle between properties. But since the lifts close around 5 at Snowshoe, it would have been hard to get back to our room from the shuttle stops.

Overall, I had a great time and look forward to going back. Right now I need to start packing for my 3 day trip down to Central Florida. Hold off on the comments about how lucky it is to travel to Florida. Where I am headed is full of retirees and swamps. What a paradise!