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Winter Park, CO On Sunday, March 7, twelve enthusiastic skiers left Jacksonville for the heights of Winter Park. We met up with a family of 5 from Memphis (formerly from Jacksonville) in the Denver airport, where our only delay was waiting for the TRIP LEADER’s ski gear to make it up top from the depths of the baggage handling system. The delay was minor, and we set out under blue skies for Winter Park, only a short bus ride away. At the grocery/wine stop, we picked up platters of subs, provided by the club and enough libation and good spirits to carry us on to Winter Park, where we arrived about 7:30 p.m. and checked into the beautiful, ski-in/ski-out, Zephyr Mountain Lodge condos. Once basic unpacking was done, those needing to rent skis went ‘round the corner (literally) to handle that, and we all went to bed dreaming of snow. We weren’t disappointed, as we had several new inches almost every day, with 8” one morning. The snow wasn’t non-stop, however, and we had numerous hours of sunshine. The snow gods thought snowing at night was mostly the way to go. Conditions were good for all levels of skiers, and we had all levels on the trip, from never-ever and “haven’t done that in 13 years”, to several who had been on skis almost since birth! Day one saw the beginners taking lessons and the rest of us hitting the GORGEOUS, tree-lined trails. Winter Park truly is a beautiful place to ski….wide open bowls, tree-lined runs, lots of long green runs (or short, if you want them). Even “greenies” can enjoy runs from the top, flanked by snow-laden trees, while experts tackle Mary Jane’s bumps. Monday night, we all had a fabulous dinner at Hernando’s Hideaway. Great décor, incredible salads, pizza and Italian ice cream, good service, and fabulous company! Tuesday night, after another great ski day, some intrepid members took the condo’s wonderful free shuttle (just reserve your spot and go anywhere) to town to the tubing hill. I guess they didn’t get enough vertical on the slopes and had to add to their total. Wednesday, après ski, we celebrated Whitey’s birthday by tipping a few at Cheeky Monk’s, the local Belgium brew pub just across the square from the Zephyr. Thursday evening, after enjoying the 8” of new snow, we gathered all our leftovers and met for one last meal. Some of our members have really good taste, based on the food they brought! We piled back on the bus for one last ride with our chatty driver (he NEVER ran out of stories) and, under brilliant Rocky Mountain skies, headed for home. Jacksonville
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