'Tis the Season

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone this fine year. Ours was family-filled, food-enriched, and driving-heavy. I hope that this nice break finds everyone safe, healthy, and ready for a new year!

A Winter Wonderland

Snowy Helmet, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Somehow, we end up scheduling our first snowboarding trip of the year as our big trip of the year. Three years ago, it was Whistler. Two years ago, it was Park City. This last year, we spent a couple weekends in Mammoth the first month out. This year, we started out with another big mountain, this time in the Colorado Rockies at the finest of resorts, Vail.

First off, I have to say that Vail is a great place for skiing. There are plenty of wide open runs, moguls, catwalks, lots of ways for skiers to enjoy themselves. Snowboarding is another matter altogether. The catwalks are so numerous that slagging through the flatlands is exhausting. The moguls are well constructed and maintained, but that just means snowboardings have to battle their way through the two-foot high bumps in a frustrating matter. After a first day spent dragging our boards behind us and hiking all over the mountain, we vowed to spend our second day on some runs more favorable to our limited skills.

After a night walking the Vail Village and partaking in an excellent dinner (in which I was served lamb bacon! bacon!), we crashed out and dreamt of the smooth snow that would await us the next day.

We were not disappointed.

The snow was smooth, dry, and buttery. I always say that each trip is another opportunity to improve and I think that we all experienced a bit on this trip. While Vail is a great resort and I enjoyed myself immensely, maybe the next time we're in Colorado we'll try another mountain to mix things up a bit.

Next up, perhaps a trip to Mammoth is in order...

Oh, and more pictures can be found here.

Dining Out

It's been pretty quiet around here, and I'm lacking with the updates since things have been in hyperdrive prior to our trip to the mountains, all I have to say for now is Happiness is Skin Cracklins and an Avocado Shake. 

Tasty.

Christmas in the Kingdom

Xmas Cheer, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

After over a year of absence, Grace and I returned to Disneyland. This wasn't just any time of year though, this is the Holiday season at Disneyland. I don't believe any other park does atmosphere this well, well aside from Knott's Scary Farm, but there's a palatable buzz in the air when you first set foot inside their gates. Obviously Main Street is lined with decorations, but it really is more than just holly and ivy, it's the staff dressed in Christmas colors, the non-generic, Disney-specific music, the cast of characters decked out in Christmas sweaters, and even the general aroma of the place. Just imagining the amount of work involved with decking the halls of the Magic Kingdom is staggering.

It was with much excitement though that we made it. After a full breakfast at the Original Pancake House we trolled a few blocks south and west to our destination. Lo and Behold, it wasn't that crowded at all. Which is quite a surprise given the holiday hype that abounds in their marketing. Yes, it abounds. There's a general Christmas assault on billboards, commercials, everywhere. What's more amazing is that the feeling comes off as sincere once you step inside. People are somehow friendlier and more helpful than usual. In a way, it's strange, but appealing.

We did manage to hit the new Finding Nemo submarine overhaul, which was a pretty cool integration with new technology and old, the revised Pirates of the Caribbean (now with more Johnny Depp), and the Jack Skellington infused Haunted Mansion. Space Mountain was lacking the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but was again as awesome as usual. Is it nostalgia that makes Disneyland this fun, or is it really that entertaining?

Nevertheless, it did inject me with a scant bit more Christmas spirit and did remind me that I do enjoy going there every now and then. Will I regain Annual Pass status? Who knows? What I do know is I will always be back.

If anything, I'm going back for a turkey leg and fries. Yee-haw.