Hi Grandma!
I’m having a great time so far!  I started my drive on Saturday after Zibby’s company party.  We had a good time at the party.  It was at Shaw’s Crab Shack in Schaumburg, and they had quite the brunch buffet with every meat you can imagine, a few different kinds of potato, some seafood, an omelette bar, plus a sushi table, a dessert table, and a few others I didn’t even get to see.  I think it’s nice that the employees all get together and celebrate a successful year, socialize a little, and hear about the engagements, marriages, births and deaths their families have had. It’s really a great family-oriented business.
I hit the road around 3pm, and pointed the car west.  I’ve done the drive before, so it’s nice to see the familiar places along the way.  I had the back of my car setup with a sleeping bag and air mattress, and planned on driving a few hours then finishing up on Sunday.  I never really got tired, though, so I kept driving.  I pulled over around 1 or 2am and slept a couple hours, but I woke up and was refreshed, so I got going again.  I got into Denver around 7am, and decided to drive up the mountain and do a little snowboarding.  I rode for a few hours, then my friend Joey came and met me and we rode together for the rest of the day.  We were going to grab dinner with his wife, but I ran to the hotel to clean up first, and that’s when the tiredness hit me!  I called and asked them if we could get a raincheck for another night and they of course understood.
I slept like a rock and woke up refreshed on Monday morning.  They predicted strong winds, but I know how these things go.  I got up early and hit the slopes before the crowds got there or the wind picked up.  I got in a few runs then they started shutting down the lifts as the winds blew through.  Some of the lifts stayed open, and the tourists all migrated over to those, so the lines were a mile long and wrapping around the backside.  I could have stayed and gotten in some more runs, but the long lines, the strong wind, and the snow blowing everywhere, it’s just not as fun.  I decided to call it for the day and got some organizing done back at the hotel.  I wanted to sort out the stuff in my car, but I needed to find a garage to keep the wind and blowing snow out of there.  Nobody seemed to know where I could find a parking garage or any shelter, so I didn’t think I was going to be able to sort that out until I had better weather.  I got an idea as I was driving around, though – I pulled into a parking garage for a commercial building that was marked “Permit parking only.  Violators will be towed!”  I figured I’m only going to be here for 10 minutes and if someone comes in and needs their spot, I can move my car right away.  I got the car reorganized and lucky for me, nobody came and bothered me.  I drove over to Breckenridge and met Joey for lunch, then we walked around town a little and caught up on our lives over the last few years since we’ve seen each other.  I went back to the hotel and got another good nights sleep.
Wednesday morning, I got up early and was waiting at the lifts when they opened.  It was bright and sunny, with calm winds and just looked stunning!  It was colder than it had been for the past couple days, but I didn’t care!  With beautiful skies and crisp snow, I was read to shred that mountain all day!  The first few runs were peaceful and filled me with joy.  On the first run, I think I saw 5 other people on the whole way down, and it’s a very long run!  On a weekend day, late morning, you might see 1,000 or more people in the same distance.  It was serene and magical!  More people showed up as the day went on, but it never got very crowded.  Joey showed up around 11 and we went and rode some of the more challenging slopes on the north peak and back bowl.  These are the areas that you have to take a couple lifts and ride down a few slopes to get to, so they’re a lot less crowded than the front of the mountain.  We had a great time, got to see some areas I haven’t been to before, and stopped every couple runs to drink some water and catch our breath.  It’s important to drink enough water up in the mountains.  A lot of people come from their homes at a lower altitude and don’t realize they’re dehydrated until it’s too late. They spend the first few days of their vacation with altitude sickness, with headaches and nausea and very tired.  I learned about it years ago, so I never have much of a problem when I come out. I drink a lot of water on the drive out, and keep a Camelbak backpack over my shoulders all the time with a bladder of water and a straw that I can suck on whenever I stop for a break.  I end up having to pee more than I normally would, but I never get the nausea or headaches, and I have energy all day. 

We stopped riding around 2 or 3, I said goodbye to Joey, then headed down the mountain to have dinner with my friends Jesse and Karla and their kids.  Jesse is a chef, so dinner with them is always an experience. Their kids in in preschool and first grade, and are just the most adorable, well behaved, and happy kids I think I’ve ever seen.  I spent some time chasing and tickling the kids, we talked about silly things over dinner, then they got to bed and the adults sat up and talked for a few more hours before I had to get going and let them get some sleep so they could get up and work today.  I went and found a hotel nearby, and again had a great shower and restful sleep.  Jesse and Karla offered to let me stay with them, but I’m allergic to cats and thought it was worth the cost of a hotel to wake up and be able to breathe today.
I slept in this morning, then went and had breakfast at Denny’s.  I always forget that everything on their menu is glazed, or breaded, or saturated with butter.  I’m trying to eat healthy, but I don’t think I did that great of a job this morning.  I had an omelette with sausage, cheese, and veggies, but the pancakes and hash browns found their way down my throat too. Haha. Stuffed full, I rolled out of the restaurant and headed back over to Jesse and Karla to hang out with Jesse for a while.  While he was doing some chores around the house, I thought it was a great time to send off an email to you and let you know how my trip was going so far.
I hope you’re having a good week! I’m going to sign off and go help Jesse with some Christmas lights, then head out for dinner with some other friends on the north side of Denver.