What a long strange trip

Winter.  It is a season of monochrome landscapes and muscular skies.  The tempests rage unchecked, strange energies unleashed.  (Yesterday, in Massachusetts, we had rain, snow, thunder, blinding snow squalls, and sun.)

This is not complaint.  This is only a recitation of experience, and a recognition of some of the best skiing I could imagine.  It always comes encumbered with strings.  This is not complaint.

Our plane took off from Denver to Aspen last week.  The approach to the airport was through clouds and snow.  I understood that it was a missed approach when the plane began to ascend.  "Well, folks" our pilot informed, "we got to 1200 feet of the runway, with no visibility, so we are headed back to Denver."

Storms were forecast for the next 36 hours.  A rapid and serendipitous alliance with the husband and wife in the seats behind us got all of us a car and driver to Snowmass. 

United Airlines was worse than worthless.  No voucher for alternative transportation.  Empty promises of future flights were voiced.  (No flights got into Aspen until 48 hours later.)   We asked that our luggage come off the plane.  Despite knowing WHERE it was and WHERE it should go (a carousel at the airport like any other flight? No.) United lost our bags forever.  We found them after the second trip back to the airport because our seat mates had spotted the bags and called to alert us.  The United Airlines website still has no idea where the luggage is.

I never say anything like, "How can this get WORSE?".  I do not tempt the gods.  This is not complaint.

We had wonderful camaraderie during the drive to the hotel.  I was reminded, yet again, of the importance of networks and alliances. 

There were powder days.  Epic powder, past mid-shin, pushed up over our knees as we whooped down the mountain.  I yipped in glee.  My howls were echoed by others who understood and joined in voice.

Bluebird days, swooping down exquisite,  pillowed surfaces.  One recognizes the grace of being alive and surefooted.

The snow changes from cloud to cloud, breeze to wind.  Cold, grey, tiny slivers pierce our cheeks on the lift, merciless winds driving them deeper, harder.  I bow my chin to protect exposed skin.

Gentle, soft, drifting flakes, eddying on the capricious wind, swirling and laughing along with us.  Branches hold heavier loads than are possible, then release the snow with soft *thops* as wind and gravity play amongst them.  I tried to capture pictures of this.  I could not.

I brought five WIPs.  Airplane knitting, conference knitting, apres-ski knitting, and still, I brought too many.  I made lots of progress on many things, and have no FOs. 

The colorwork required too much dexterity from muscles that had grown weary in other pursuits.  The Chevron scarf was on a needle too small, and needs to be frogged.

The Whippletree Yarn Shop in Woodstock, VT had mill-spun llama yarn two years ago.  Mr. Etherknitter chose his colors:  cafe au lait, and cappuchino.  I swatched multiple stitch patterns (five?).  They all dealt poorly with switching colors.  Ruth suggested mistake rib, and it was magic.  I started with 19 rows, and am increasing each band by 2 additional rows.  It is a soft, sumptuous bit of knitting.

It is a coincidence that this project also came from the Whippletree Shop.  It is Green Mountain Spinnery's Ivy Hat pattern from 1982.  Classic Elite Renaissance, two inches of ribbing then folded up for a total of four inches, cable pattern x remaining yarn plus 13 decrease rows.  I'm already beginning to sweat the yarn remaining. 

The Noro sock is at the heelflap stage.  I switched from 1's back to 0's, and can barely see the fluffy stitches on tiny needles.  This was not good conference knitting.  I opted to not attempt bringing metal dpns onto the plane.  It isn't even good car knitting at this point.

The flights home were effortless and smooth. 

Comments

[Carrie]

You have summed up my entire United experience.
It sounds like the rest of the trip was magical, though.

[margene]

The weather was much the same in Utah last week. Because you had so many projects on hand there was alway something, of some sort, to knit, right? Thank goodness for new friends...they made your trip more enjoyable for many, many reasons!
Your pictures are magnificent.

[Carole]

I'm glad you were able to reach your destination safely and so happy to hear that the snow was to your liking!

[Caroline M]

Concentrate on the positives - hurrah for snow and successful skiing. You don't know that I have one of your photos as the background on my computer (V is for vertical from last year) and it is just possible that you've come up with its replacement.

[Marcia Cooke]

I'm SO glad that you got to enjoy those ski conditions! The photos are wonderful. I only had something close to that experience once in my brief time skiing, and I'm sure it was not so good: Stratton in a snowstorm. You take what you can get! Loved your "B", too, by the way, although it never showed up on my bloglines.

[Danielle]

I'm so glad you enjoyed your ski trip. Cold is not for everyone, but you remind me that it's not all bad! (I type this as I sit wrapped in a wool scarf AND a wool shawl.)

[Catherine]

Yup, they've been saying on the Denver news for the last couple of weeks, the skiing is phenomenal. IF you can get there.

[kmkat]

Exquisite descriptions. Thank you.

[naomi]

I'm sorry the transportation there was so unpleasant, but those snow pictures are making me envious.

[Lucia]

As a kid I was dissuaded from skiing on the grounds that 1) it was too rich for our blood 2) I was not gifted with grace. Both were true, and at least one is still true, and very rarely does a writer make me want to trade the vicarious experience for the real one. This is one of those rarities.

[Cheryl]

But what beautiful pictures! The air looks so sharp and clear.

[PumpkinMama]

Sounds like everything else made up for the crappy travel. You almost make me want to ski....almost.

[Chris]

The image of you whooping and yipping and swooshing through all that lovely powder snow scenery makes me wish I could handle the cold. And makes me grin for you.

[Anne]

I'm not a skier, but I loved your description of going down the mountain. I can see why you love it so.

Glad you are back home safely.

[Kathy]

Welcome home! Vail is glorious and easier to get too (I understand the minor detail that the conference is in Aspen, though).

I always overpack knitting. Without fail.

[Kathy]

To get "to" -- oops.

[Manise]

Thank God the skiing made up for bad airline treatment. Pretty WIP's. Looking forward to the FO's.

[Beth S.]

How awful that they lost your bags, deposited you back where you started from, and offered nothing in the way of compensation! But I think that is par for the (miserable) course these days. I'm just glad to hear that the skiing afterwards was eminently satisfactory. ;-)

And I love that second picture. There is almost a spooky air about it.

[claudia]

Thanks for the bluebird ski day pictures. I haven't yet been this year....which is quite sad.

[julia fc]

and you so love to fly.

love the hat.

[caroline]

Glad you got to the powder! I was driving through that same blizzard going from southern Utah to Steamboat whilst you were trying to fly in to Aspen. Can only imagine what going over Vail Pass was like for you, heh. But migod, what skiing! I'd never before skied powder. now am spoiled for life. Thanks for sharing the amazing pictures...

[Sylvia]

My in-laws are in the million-mile level or whatever it is with United, simply because it was *the* airline for international business travel for a long, long time. FIL's comments about United's ability to get a person from Point A to Point B are scathing. At least your pilot didn't try to land in zero visibility...

Love the mistake rib scarf, perfect for Mr. E., and the lengthening of the bands is a great idea.

[June]

Same thing happened to my family in the summer of '01. First, mechanical problems - not confidence inspiring to see two guys crawling into the engine while it is parked at the gate. Then we took off, only to turn around and come back. Delay after delay after delay - and it was 11 PM, no replacement flight in sight. My father managed to get us a hotel voucher only after he launched into an apoplectic rage (complete with pulsing forehead veins) in front of the customer service rep. We ended up buying tickets to be driven to Aspen in a commuter van the next day.

Oh, and I wrote a letter to United after our vacation ended. I got a response maybe 8 months later - a few months after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 - and the letter essentially said something like, "We have bigger problems to deal with right now, sorry we made you lose 2 days of your vacation, thanks for being a loyal customer and don't forget to book with United when you plan your next trip!"

At least your skiing was good! :)

[Teyani]

what incredible skiing that must have been. Your photos are fabulous.
What a journey you had! May your life continue to be filled with such grand seredipity as those flight friends and luggage found.
The scarf is stunning, and so is the hat :-)

[Romi]

:sigh: Soooooo pretty.