Fabruary Ski Trip

The school overnight ski trip did not get the required 7 kids so it was a bust. Not too much of a surprise as it is a long weekend and lots of kids extend the long weekend to make it almost a week and venture off to holiday destinations. So I decided to take Emmerson for an overnight up to Wisconsin. Devil's Head and Cascade are about 20 minutes apart and about 3 hours north so the plan was to ski one each day and get a hotel in the general vicinity of the resorts. Unfortunately, I had to get a hotel right smack in the middle of Chicago ski land at the last minute on a holiday weekend so not much available. I ended up going by cost and booked an old school 70ish looking motel which was very close to the ski places. Then I read the reviews .... ouch. So I was definitely a bit concerned until I did a reality check and did a little trip down memory lane to all the absolute dives I have stayed at in my earlier years out and about. We skied at Devil's Head first and it was fine but not all that challenging for me skiing so I switched over to my snowboard and finally got up the kahones to hit the jumps in the terrain park which felt good to do. Then to the hotel. It definitely needed a makeover but the room was absolutely fine and I am glad I ignored the reviews and stuck with it as the price and location were great. The next day we skied Cascade and it snowed all day which made for some nice conditions. Emmerson had never skied while snowing and she of course got a kick out of it. Unfortunately, she was feeling a bit under the weather so we left around 3 which was good as the drive home was quite epically unpleasant - about 5 hours of a 3 hour trip.

6 a.m. departure on a Saturday morning and Emmerson's response to such ridiculousness. 

Obligatory selfie at Devil's Head. Nice sunny day. 

One the way from Devil's Head to Portage, WI where the hotel was, the route was quite rural. On one county road I spotted this fellow who was scratching himself on a tree. Emmerson and I both agreed he was adorable so I did a U-turn so we could go and have a closer loot at him. Immediately after I pulled over to say hi, he grumpfed and headed off to protect the herd off in the background. They were Scottish Highland cattle. 

Off to the herd. 

Safe and sound. 

One of my favorite things about hotel living, especially if it is a one night stand and not a whole lot else to do is getting take out and eating in the room with some quality hotel cable. I always like to indulge and encourage others to get whatever they fancy - get stuff you would not typically consider.  So Emmerson went for it and got KFC and ate it in bed. 

Lonely bowl of KFC mashed potatoes .... 

Outside the hotel - it was snowing a lot harder than it looked thus the squinting. 

Emmerson is getting pretty good for the amount of times she has been skiing. She is a speed demon but stays in control and turns well. 

Obligatory selfie at Cascade. 

Lunch at Cascade. They have some nice lodges up near the top of the "mountain" which are nice - not quite as chaotic as the base and a bit of a view and such. Emmerson just wanted a quick something and went for the hot dog. Interesting that all the ingredients were printed in your face on the bag - might be a Wisconsin thing. Anyway, she got her money's worth with all those ingredients - more bang for the buck! Good choice, Emmerson!