70 and Snowboarding

I'm silly. I jump and hop around like a kid on Christmas morning when my friends and I pulled up to Keystone for the first day of snowboarding this season. The sun was shining, there were skis leaning against cars and people enjoying a Coors before hitting the slopes. After I put on my new boots and had my board out - I just smiled. God has blessed me. He has been leading me along on a journey far from one I was imagining throughout college. But here I am in Denver, Colorado. I wanted to be here for college, didn't happen. It was #1 on my preferences for cities with Teach for America. I was in Phoenix for two years. Now - here I am. And I'll be snowboarding until I am 70.
The mountains are luminous as you drive west on the 70 and they just keep multiplying. The best part is as you hug the mountainside, around a bend is another set of large, snow-capped peaks. I always look out for the mountain goats and am hoping to see a mountain lion at least once.
The snow was there and 10% of the mountain was open for us early-bird skiers and boarders.

From Denver Fall09

Did I mention it was 70 degrees in Denver the day before heading to the mountains to snowboard? Love it.

Here is how the ski vacations of the past have panned out for me...
Day 1 - stare wildly at the mountains and comment every 5 minutes on how amazingly beautiful it is and that I want to live here.
Days of snowboarding - wake up early for breakfast and coffee. Be on the slopes for the first run of the day and hit the fresh pow-pow before another board slices through. Sometimes, I'll pause at the top of a run to take a big, deep breath and a photo. I'll take a quick 15 minute break to eat and have a Gatorade. Back out to the slopes for Round 2.
Oh, you know where I am going with this one. The last run of the day. Let me tell you. My thighs are shaking, maybe even burning a little bit. I'm not sure I can make it. Then, I just look around me and feel that open air liberty that rushes around as you fly down the slopes. I've already hit a few jumps on the sides, fallen when I try to get more air than the last time and I've even gone through some moguls. Those moguls take a lot of concentration. They are a blast!
All that goes through my mind as I take my time - and allow the adrenaline to race through my legs -
At the bottom of the hill, I can't wait to be back at the top again tomorrow.

From Denver Fall09

Now - I can do that each weekend. What!? You mean I don't have to be so sore that I can't get out of bed the next morning as early as the first day? I can take a long break to enjoy a beer at the summit! Now - I get to drive 90 minutes to be at the parking lot of Keystone or Breck. Sometimes, we'll venture out to Vail.

I'll venture.

From Denver Fall09

It's another venture on the open road, and this season, the road is white, powdery and fills me with adrenaline and sheer joy!