Stories from the Road

Stories from the Road

February 15, 14

Sun Valley Idaho (on route)

The new terminal in the San Diego Airport is wonderful. Creatively designed for comfort and aesthetic appeal, the terminal can compete with any in the country. I am comfortably sitting at gate 49 waiting for my Delta flight, which will take us to Salt Lake City. We will then fly to Haley, Idaho, which is about ten miles from Sun Valley. At one point Bruce Wills and Governor Arnold had homes in Haley, a cowboy town. Sun Valley has always had its share of celebrities, including Ernest Hemingway and John Kerry.

Our travel companion, Dennis Humphrey of Boston, said, “ It’s all about them”, when referring to the airlines, and I can’t disagree with him. Delta charged us for each bag and then changed our flight time from Salt Lake to Idaho. We typically drive to Aspen to ski, and next year we’ll drive there in addition to Montana later in the winter. We have eaten our sandwiches, which I brought from home, and now Vicki and Dennis are searching the M terminal for the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store. At Snowmass we got in the habit of eating a small piece of milk chocolate bark from this store each night as our desert. I told them not to come back, if they didn’t find the prized “bark”.

Though I haven’t had the chance to watch too much of the Olympics, I have been following the results closely. It was great to see the US beat Russia in hockey. When I was in high school, I remember the Russian National Team played Harvard University in an exhibition game. They beat a very good college team 11-1, and I remember our hockey coach, who saw the game, talk about the Russian’s great skating ability and pin point passing. The team was financed by the government and was a group of professionals outfitted in amateur clothing. In later years many of the Russian players jumped to the National Hockey League in the United States.

Nancy Auger’s stepfather recently was involved in a car accident. He broke seven ribs and is a patient at Sharp Hospital. Tom is a very nice guy, and I wish him the best.  Timmie Pollock is doing well with her recovery and is back at work. 

Have a good day.

David

Stories from the Road

February 16, 14

Sun Valley, Idaho

There was a lot of snow on the mountain today and some of our runs were difficult.

We tried to move to groomed runs, and though better, they were crowded with bombers flying around. We were all tired and stopped in the early afternoon.

Lat night we had burgers in a local pub, and there were a group of young women sitting near us. We were tired from a long day of traveling. Some of the women seemed to be “attracting” local men by laughing loudly. We left before we became ugly tourists.

The people here are very friendly. From the bus driver to the ski patrolman who gave us a lot of good information, everyone has been helpful and pleasant. There is a different atmosphere here than at some of the Colorado resorts, which have become international, destination resorts.  Sun Valley seems to be more relaxed and low key than those we have skied along the I-70 corridor.

I will be interested to see how Mikaela Schrffin does this week. She is the favorite to win gold in her event, but the snow has been so strange that it is anyone’s race. A native of Vail, Colorado and Northern New Hampshire, at 18 years of age, Mikaela has brought rock star status to the Olympics for the United States. With Lindsey Vonn out with injuries, Mikaela is America’s most exciting skier.

Have a good evening.

David

Stories from the Road

February 18, 2014

Sun Valley, Idaho

There is a little snow in the parking lot this morning, which means that there will be much more up on the mountain. We are looking to have a good day on the hill.

Dennis continued to feel poorly last night and skipped dinner. Vicki and I cruised some shops and then went to Enoteca, where we had a delicious meal. My pork Osso Buco was excellent as were Vicki’s lamb chops. The cost of the dinner was about half of what it might have cost in Aspen.

The last time I was in Sun Valley we spent time with high school and college friends Chuck and Paige Mercer, who live part of the year here and part in Topsfield, Massachusetts. Chuck sells advertising for a guidebook he publishes, and with his infectious personality is somewhat of a local celebrity. Unfortunately the Mercers are in Topsfield until March.

Steve Holcomb has driven his two-man bobsled, designed by BMW, to a bronze medal. It is the first medal in two men bobsledding the US has won in 52 years. This hero/anti-hero is a fun guy, and it was great to see him win. He will drive the four-man sled next.

Dennis was ready to go today, and we skied some hard runs. In the afternoon the light disappeared, so we stopped early. All in all it was a fun day. There were a lot of young racers under ten years of age on the slopes. It is fun to watch them ski. Balance and speed seem to come first with technique following.

Have a good evening.

David