Sun
Valley trip participants, please send any pics you have to the
Webmaster
Our
intrepid leader, Patti Lucarz, led a group of 24 on a
most excellent adventure to the wilds of Idaho during
the last week of January. Actually with our group the
leading was more like herding cats, but still she
managed to get us all to Sun Valley intact.
Unfortunately, we didn't all leave intact. The list of
injuries included: Roger Lewis, bruised hip; Carlyn
Yancey, bum knee; Roger Miller, back spasms; and Bob
Hamilton, shoulder impairment. The last words heard
from Bob as he skied into the half pipe to crash and
burn were, "I can do this!"
Mike
Paulus complained about having to nurse his injured
condo mates, and assured us that "a good trip leader"
would have placed him with healthy people.
I think
that I may have missed an injury or two. If so, then I
apologize to those whose pain I have forgotten.
Darrell
Yoder did manage a world class slide (all the way down
one slope, across a cat walk, and half way down the next
slope), but escaped unscathed. Witnesses were said to
have cheered wildly!
On
Sunday evening there was a "Welcome to Sun Valley"
dinner. Although there was some initial confusion about
the timing of the event due to Patti forgetting which
day of the week she was actually living in, eventually
everyone showed up. It was a boisterous affair with TVs
blaring the NFL playoff game in two rooms, great
stories, and great food. Highlights included Patti's
homemade chili, potato soup, and scrumptious desserts,
and of course, adult beverages. The next day our
neighbors told us that they were tempted to crash the
party because it sounded like we were having so much
fun.
The
weather was perfect in Sun Valley (except for that one
day everybody got lost in the snow and fog), and the
scenery was spectacular. In fact Larry Storthz was
actually heard saying that he liked Sun Valley better
than Aspen. Something none of us would have thought
possible.
Cynthia
Haas also managed to get lost, but she was on snow shoes
rather than skis at the time. Luckily she was able to
find her way back to the Nordic Center Lodge before a
search party had to be organized.
After
Carlyn injured her knee she threw in with a couple of
the women from the "wild girls condo" (Rosemary Robinson
and Ann Neeley) for a road trip to Jackson, Wyoming.
They were in search of real cowboys (unlike the phoney
ones in Ketchum, Idaho). All they came back with,
however, were tee shirts from the Silver Dollar Saloon.
Lynn
Presher did manage to catch the eye of one of the local
musicians, but she made me promise not to mention this.
So, don't let on that you heard it from me.
Mid week
Karen Hagge, Jeanette Krohn, Larry and Darrell took a
sleigh ride for a delicious dinner at the historic Trail
Creek Cabin. They raved about the experience so much
that many of us emulated them on Friday evening. The
group included Mary Moore, Mike Graves, Paul Cochran,
Rod and Linda Frisbee, Philip Bryant, John Richardson,
Patti, Lynn, Rosemary, Cynthia, Ann, Carlyn, and yours
truly. It was a crystal clear night with a full "blue"
moon which shone off the surrounding snow covered peaks
- a beautiful and relaxing time. And, the gourmet meal
was fabulous.
Sadly
the next morning was Saturday, and time to leave the
serenity of the Valley of the Sun, and return to
reality. The most exciting part of the journey home was
watching Dave Bentley being escorted off the plane in
Denver by flight attendants. Actually he voluntarily
gave up his seat on an overbooked flight; but it sounds
much more interesting the way I put it - don't you
think?
We
arrived in post ice storm Little Rock on Saturday
night. Howard Greene and I went to his car in the
Peanut Lot, only to discover it covered in a couple of
inches of ice and snow. Of course we had no ice
scraper. After a half hour of creative uses of credit
cards and cuss words, we finally were (slowly) underway.
Of
course my discription does not do justice to the amazing
scenery in the mountains of Idaho, nor the tremendous
fun we all had there. Hopefully some of these photos
will give you a better idea of our good fortune.
Your
Reporter, Joe Sarlo
Mary
Moore's Oscar winning film, "Sun Valley Sleigh
Ride", gives Steven Spielberg a run for his money.
Check
back soon for more pictures as they are sent in by trip
participants.
