Spring Break Pt. 1

There is so much to tell about Spring Break this year.  A delightful adventure away from the village into Anchorage and then away to Girdwood.  Alyeska Ski Resort to be exact is where we stayed.  The district had a ploy.  Don't get me wrong, I lept at the chance.  They fly me out and back to a stunning resort and mountain in exchange for a few days of my spring break doing a literacy conference.  I'm game!

So, off I went.  Ski resort, ok.  Last time I was at one of these, it was as a chaperone at Bogus Basin.  The kids remember fondly how stupid I looked trying to learn how to snowboard.  I remember, not so fondly, how I felt after learning how to snowboard.  Several falls, cartwheels, somersaults, flips, and broken bindings left me fit for hot cocoa and pain killers.  This time, I was going to learn how to ski.  We'll get to that in a later posting.

For now, here's some pictures of the resort and the surroundings.  It snowed almost the entire time I was there.  Our bear friend here got several inches in the course of this morning.  He was right out the window as you start to look up the mountain.  There was so much fog and snow that you can barely make out the base in the background.

This second picture was how we were greeted as we came up to the front of the hotel.  A flaming globe at night.  Warming the hands as you waited outside for a cab or your car is an option.  The inside windbreak was another one too, but this one looks much cooler!

My room was on the 4th floor.  Since it was on the 4th floor, there was a roof that was right at my level and they had snow piled along that walkway/roof area.  It was a bit weird but so much snow that I could barely see out my window!  The other problem with that, they had to come by and blow the snow in case of an emergency as well.  This man thought it was pretty funny that I thought it was cool enough to take his picture while he was working.  He was clearing about a foot of snow though!

This last picture is of the resort from the gondola.  Mom took this one while I was out skiing and she rode to the top with a friend of mine.  Oh yes, Mom....that's right, she came to visit me!  That was the other perk of getting to be in Anchorage over spring break.  A visit from family and a WONDERFUL time with Mom exploring not only Alyeska but Anchorage as well.

More to come!