Anna's Awesome Adventures!!!: Colorado Ski Trip -- Day 3

Today we woke up a bit before 7:00 a.m., had breakfast (plain oatmeal with fruit, a piece of cinnamon-raisin bread, orange juice), loaded everything up since we were checking out of our room in Ridgway, and were skiing at Telluride and by 9:20. We were incredibly blessed with yet another perfectly clear, sunny, wind-free, day...temperatures even a bit warmer than yesterday. We even saw some mountains in Utah far off in the distance! Once again, it was crowded but we did a better job of staying higher up on the mountain and had just a handful (out of necessity) of longer lift lines to wait in. We found some more great lines with soft, sweet moguls in Revelation Bowl, and also cruised some nice double-blues and blacks with great, steep pitches. I know I've said it before, but it is really nice to confidently and strongly ski this sort of terrain. It makes everything so much more fun and enjoyable.

Lunch was at Gorrono Ranch Restaurant -- a yummy bread bowl of chili/macaroni and cheese and some hot chocolate. We quit skiing around 3:40 so we had time to load up, go down to the town of Telluride to take some pictures (and for Matthew to get some new hiking boots we found last night), and head for Carbondale, Colorado, just after 4:30. The drive was incredibly desolate as we wound through national forests, past a coal mine, through tiny mountain towns, and over a pass. Even though it was in complete darkness, I loved the drive: seeing the Big Dipper and thousands of other stars, gazing at the silhouettes of soaring mountain peaks, and wondering about the lone houses and the lives of the people who live in them.

Just a few minutes before 8:00, we arrived at White House Pizza in Carbondale for dinner. My dad and I split the individual (8-inch) Get Your Goat (goat cheese, onions, olives, pears, and Alfredo sauce) and White Way (chicken, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, smoked provolone, and Alfredo sauce) pizzas, which were delicious and unique in their flavor combinations. Then we drove another mile to the Comfort Inn & Suites, where we are spending the night. They offer free hot chocolate, white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies, and fruit 24/7, so it's a pretty great hotel in my book! Now it's time for bed before another great day of skiing tomorrow.