Year: 2014

3rd WUS Beer Mile

February 25, 2014 (Bootsie’s 30th birthday)

Chevy Chase, MD

The 3rd WUS Beer Mile was held in honor of Boots’s 30th birthday.  The National Cathedral cops had kicked WUSsies off the grounds for their Thursday night PUSH group (I think they objected to Tom C’s chains workout).  So we opted for a new locale: my parents’ house in Chevy Chase, which sits nicely on a 0.3 mile loop.

In the winter weather, only of the hardiest of WUSsies came out to play.  Bootsie powered through to a resounding Beer Mile victory.  With Neal and Bobby out of the running, Pat cruised to become the 3rd male champion of the WUS beer mile.  We didn’t have so much in terms of runners, but we had ample photographers, beer-hander-outers, traffic directors, and race timers.

To celebrate, Momma Jill hosted a raging party at casa Nelson, complete with New Haven pizza, Bootsie’s homemade cheesecake, a killer Lion King soundtrack, and a fierce game of pool involving no individuals sober enough to sink any pockets.  At least we weren’t tempted with any of those lethal Cactus Cantina margarita pitchers.

 

 

 

Frisco, CO

February 12 – 16, 2014

You know we had a pretty fine ski trip to Colorado when Aaron and I spent our last hour in the Denver airport searching Frisco condos on Zillow.  No, we can’t really afford a 4th house — we ain’t no Kerry Owens, at least not until ActivTrax hits it big.  But we sure can dream.

Day 1 we joined Aaron’s ski champ mom and her friend Kay at Vail.  The snow conditions in Colorado are phenomenal this year.  Kay was dismayed when I, as an East Coast ice skier who is entirely unfamiliar with powder conditions, spent the first hour of the morning griping about how tough it was to maneuver my skis in the thick snow.  But pretty soon I was lovin’ the soft cushion — and so were my knees~

Day 2 we shuttled over to Frisco to meet up with the FUCers.  Kerry and Doug had their plane delayed by the DC snow storm, but Torstin had made it out, and the four of us hit the slopes.  By Day 3, Aaron and I had decided that we should show Tom some of the trails beyond Soliloquy and dragged him to a part of the mountain with lots of blue trails.  But with the heavy snowfall bumps had popped up everywhere, and Tom got a bit more than he bargained for.  Fortunately Tom was a good sport and all the FUCers survived unscathed.

Doug and Kerry finally arrived in time to join us for breakfast before we had to jet home.  But I’ve got a conference June 1-3 in Fort Collins, so maybe we can all ski together in the spring bikini weather later this spring.   

SnowShoeFest II
Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2014
Canaan Valley, WV

 

Thanks to this year’s ‘winter vortex’ there was plenty of snow at Whitegrass to enjoy for SnowShoeFest II.  Kerry and Doug returned from SSF I to join a slew of SSF newbies: Boots, Torstin, Priya & Greg — ie the ones who managed to escape the Knipling vortex that brought down Tracy and Michele.

 

Those who made it were treated not only to heaps of snow but to sunshine and temps that floated into the 40s.  When we finally rolled out of the Chophouse at around 11am (SSF is a relaxed affair), the sun was full on and folks were shedding layers left and right.  It was the first time in months I’d needed to slather on sunscreen.

 

 

Snowshoes bring out a different side of folks.  TC let me show him how to skip and pony-gallop in the big floppers.  Tom’s got quite the spring when he feels like it.

Aaron gave us quite the tour of Canaan, spiraling around Whitegrass to hit Bald Knob and then scooting over Cabin Mountain Trail to finish through the Sodds and down Timberline’s Salamander.

Boots hung around for a second day and her first time on xc skis.  Bootsies there was a pro!

 

 

Did I thoroughly enjoy these winter outings in the Adirondacks and  Vermont?  Absolutely.  Am I learning to dress properly and not suffer so much in the cold?  Surely.  Do I feel ready now to take on Minnesota?  I wouldn’t push it.