Never a Wasted Weekend

     So I've been getting lazy with my posts lately, as it has once again been nearly two weeks since I last posted.  The first weekend since my last post was epic.  The gang hit up Vail for the first time this season and it was everything we could have hoped for.  Despite the poor driving conditions and traffic, the snowboarding conditions were unbelievable with tons of new powder and enough acreage to avoid it seeming too crowded.  We drove in early Saturday and got in a good days worth of boarding before heading to our hotel in Eagle, where we housed ten people in the confines of a six person room.  Sunday is where the real fun began as we spent the day weaving in and out of trees and fresh powder, boarding predominantly black diamond runs.  Our skills on the mountain have greatly outstripped anything I imagined at the start of the season when I strapped into a snowboard for the first time.
     As if the two days of snowboarding were not adventure enough, the drive home was like nothing we could have ever expected.  We got on the highway at around five o'clock and everything seemed smooth with minimal traffic.  About fifteen miles later we were at a complete standstill, where we stayed for around two hours.  As night began to fall, cars turned off their engines in order to save fuel and we tried to find ways to keep our minds occupied.  People would get out of their cars and go on walks as the snow came down, accumulating around an inch before we finally got moving again.  Little did we know, we were lucky to have left Vail when we did; the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) shut down the highway east-bound from Vail starting at 5:30pm, not re-opening until 1:30am.
     Finally moving again, it was smooth sailing once more until we hit halted traffic at Silverthorne.  We decided this time to get off the interstate to get some dinner.  During this time CDOT closed the highway eastbound from Silverthorne, leaving us unable to get back on the highway.  Not knowing when the highway would be re-opened, we decided to park in a Sports Authority parking lot and take a nap, periodically checking the radio to see if they opened the interstate back up.  After about an hour, we were finally clear to head back into the unknown of I-70.  Apparently the hold-ups and closures came about because there was a 25 car pileup further down the interstate due to icy road conditions.  As we napped, CDOT was able to clear the accidents, plow the road some more, and de-ice the highway enough to allow cars back on the interstate.  When it was all said and done and we had gotten back home, it was 2am, meaning it took us nine hours to get all the way from Vail to Denver, a journey which usually takes two hours or so.  Despite the ordeal, we all deemed the weekend a success and I know I'll be looking forward to boarding at Vail again in the future.

Some photos from the weekend:

     This past week was extremely warm, regularly reaching temperatures in the 50s and 60s.  After a greatly entertaining Friday night out in downtown Denver, we awoke Saturday morning to catch team USA in action against Russia in Olympic hockey group play.  The shootout win by the Americans made for a perfect early morning primer for the even bigger game to follow: Purdue v Indiana basketball.  Purdue unexpectedly crushed the Hoosiers, while I watched with five Indiana grads and one fellow Boilermaker.  The two games had me in good spirits, despite not getting out to enjoy the weather that Saturday.  Sunday however, I knew I had to get out and go for a hike of some sort.  After checking around for a short time online, I found a hike half an hour south of me for which I set my sites.
     I hopped into my car and drove to the Spruce Mountain trailhead.  The trail was not in the best condition at some points, because the wooded areas did not have enough sun to melt the snow over the trail.  Despite this, the 5.5 mile trail was quite satisfying.  There were solid views, good elevation change, and great weather to tie it all together.  Here are some pictures from the hike...