Glen Plake “Down Home” Update II

WOW! Cold and windy when we awake, the modifications for winter that I have done to the rig are working – we’re warm and water’s flowing. It’s 4 hrs to Afton Alps, Minnesota – 10 minutes up the hwy the weather turns again, zero visibility and holiday travelers lock up the Interstate – 50 mph winds 90 degrees to the rigs door makes this the worst drive experience ever in all my years of traveling. We arrive safe but late. Slam the gear on and ski with some of Minnesota’s finest retailers, who have had a busy sale season with all the snow and approaching Christmas. I’ve been to Afton Alps before, it’s one of the larger areas around here with many lifts and a great slope of man made moguls, Kimberly is on and drags everyone to them. Fresh snow has made the short time of skiing great. Although the drive over the last day has left a mark, its great to travel with my wife and her enthusiasm, when I was almost at the end of the rope she rallied my spirits back together and tonight was more obvious than ever.

Some apres ski and we say “Goodbye” it’s 11:30pm cross back over the Mississippi and end up in North Hudson Wisconsin in “Mama Maria’s” parking lot for the night. It had been plowed and looked like a dinner place “should be a good place to camp”. When morning comes there’s a cardboard note on the truck windshield reads “come in for coffee”. Mama’s is open early making pick up Christmas dinners. Staff is all skiers! They set us up for the day and what a day it is to become.

We are headed to “Trollhaugen” Dec 24 It’s a beautiful day clear, calm and snow everywhere. I’ve been second guessing our decision to make the detour to Afton Alps, being at Sundown, Iowa a few days ago. (I had been staged for a linier shot up Wisconsin and the weather at my back.) All the trials of the last 36 hrs and the questions “why” is answered when we arrive to Trollhaugen – we’ve gone out of our way for good reason – 57 years strong and skiing on Christmas eve day until 3pm. A very relaxing day is spent with the skiers – our 1st human slalom of the trip. Some rail riding and just companionship on the slopes takes us into the lodge which is a ski lodge that names like Erickson, Killy and Staub have skied here in their travels. It feels like skiing and the generations of the Rochford family delay their Christmas Eve celebrations to allow us to take in some of the history at Trollhaugen, including a troll sighting or two.. Santa will be flying tonight, and I wonder “Is Santa a Troll? are elf’s and troll’s related? Thank you to Trollhaugen you’re what the trip is all about.