Fall into Change

 

  This is The Mirror Lake Inn, in Lake Placid, New York. It instantly reminded me of all of the beautiful fall trips I would take into the Adirondacks and Green Mountains of New York and Vermont. The fall colors of the East are beyond words. The many hardwoods each with their own distinctive colors are exceptional. I have missed the falls of the East greatly. In Colorado, the Scrub Oak turn red and the Aspens of course are brilliant gold set against the lovely pines. But nothing compares to the Eastern Fall. Take a ride on the Gondola on Gore Mountain to view fall colors. Ride along the shores of Lake Champlain which is spectacular. Or just take a drive into anywhere Vermont, Rutland, Bennington, any of the Ski Mountains and their awesome Valleys will suffice. Just get out doors and view the colors. At last the fall in the West may be less than average because of a mold on the Aspen's this year that is causing the leaves to drop prematurely.


   My wife, Kathy, was a DJ in Aspen and Carbondale, Colorado for many years and often puts together some great song lists to listen to. This week we were talking about our meeting in Aspen in November at our job we shared that brought us together. I remember being kind of a lonely old ski bum and she being a popular outgoing personality. It seemed unlikely that we would ever be together. I guess the Lord does work in mysterious ways. What I am trying to say is to get out of your comfort zone and to go for whatever your dreams are. I know that I am pursuing mine this year. Look for my collection of short stories on book shelf near you in the coming year.

A couple of songs to sooth your memories:
Don Henley; "Last Worthless Evening"
Billy Joel:"New York State of Mind"

A Walk In The Park

My flights of Fantasy are impossible to control once you let them flow. I started making a mental list of my prerequisites today while I was on Red Mountain in Aspen looking down on Aspen Mountain. I thought of my early years listening to my grandfather talking about Whiteface Mountain in New York State. I started skiing Gore and Whiteface in high school and quickly graduated to Vermont Mountains. Places like Killington, Stowe, Mad River, and Glen Ellen. In the early days it wasn't enough to just ski them. It was a challenge to get a free day pass or figure out a way to ski for free some how. Some of our early trickery was to Ski Glen Ellen early where they would let you take a free run up top to test the conditions. If you wore heavy ski clothes you could take off your coat and tell the lift op that you were too hot and your ticket was on your coat below. They would buy it for a about a half day. Then you could leave and drive to Mad River and buy two $2.50 ride tickets and ski the bumps there. The moguls used to get as big as Volkswagens parked sideways. Voila, a complete day of skiing for chump change. It didn't take much undergraduate work to realize that skiing in the East was a cruel hoax. Time to graduate.
The West, discovered on a ski trip in Fast Eddy's (The Bucklemeister's) Micro bus with the bursting Orange Suns in the window. The trip brought us through Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. It also brought us home with a Van load of Coors Beer. I was hopelessly hooked on deep powder and steep ski runs. So much so that I moved West to pursue my dreams. Life is funny though because I originally was on my way to Big Sky Montana. A ski bum's true ski dream. Except that as I was leaving a gas station wash room in Dillon Colorado I happened upon a friend named Angela. She informed me she lived with Mary and Melissa and they had jobs at Arapahoe Basin and a condominium. It was the late 70's and times were much more free then. A quick overnight visit and I had a season's ski pass and a home with the girls. I had hit the ski lottery. During that season I had the opportunity to get to Big Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. The home of Solitude and Brighton. I would revisit there many times for the grandeur that they were. A ski patrolman friend who had fallen in love with Utah was kind enough to take me under his wing and show me all the powder stashes he knew. Although that Little Cottonwood Canyon is much steeper and grander, Big Cottonwood Canyon had unknown places.
One of these was Honeycomb Canyon. The Powder Stash of all Stashes, I lost my mind (or what little I had left any way.) I was hooked I visited and revisited there as often as I could. Like all great places and most cities the rest of the world discovered it and (my suburbia) stash grew into a popular place.
There are many places that you ski and while you are skiing you realize that you are just a visitor. You can find your way back but it is always just for the moment and then the moment is gone. You change or deep inside it changes you. You touched it, caressed it, put down tracks on it and the wind and snow will fill then in and you were never there. Was it just a dream? A beautiful romantic love affair that only you experienced. How do you share it? Do you speak of it respectfully among friends they way you would of a great lover? Do you go through life never talking about it again? Now that I am older I still have no answers only the fond memory of the freedom and liberty to pursue my dreams.
Honeycomb Canyon, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

It is funny in life that certain songs and lyrics become Anthems to you and when you are young and making life decisions the words almost speak to you. I remember a room mate of mine telling me that if a Played Bob Dylan late at night when I came home after a night out drinking that he would break all of my Dylan Albums. Listening to this song, I was a young college student again struggling with trying to stay in College and get my degree or be free and ski. I stayed and got my education buy flew to the hills as soon as I was able.
"What About Me," Quicksilver Messenger Service