Vacation day

I've been watching the weather for a clear day to go skiing and finally the sun came out and it got cold after several days of snowing in the mountains. So I took the day off and went skiing. It was the best day of skiing I've had all year. I ran into a guy I know on the mountain and took some runs with him. The sun was so bright on the snow that the sky above looked almost black. It's as if you are riding the chair out of the atmosphere and into space. It's really a cool effect and I've seen it a few times, but today was the most intense I've seen it like that.

So I stayed until they closed the lifts and I had a whole run to myself as I made my way back to my car in the parking lot. Actually there were very few people on the hill all day and I often had the whole run to myself. Anyway I got back to my car and made my way down the mountain. I was driving along and heard a bang. I though I hit a pothole. So at a switchback I got out and looked under my car to see if I was loosing any fluid. Nothing. So on home I went. I got about half way home, about 35 miles, and the car started to slip out of gear like you were putting in the clutch but this is an automatic. The transmission had failed. It became clear I wasn't going much farther. So I pulled out into sort of a turnout and collected my camera bag and a few other things including a bottle of pop. I lifted the hood on the car and stuck out my thumb.

In about 5 minutes a guy in a pickup turned around and came back and gave me a lift. A really cool guy named Joe. That's one thing about living here, people are willing to help you out if you get in a bind. The same is true in Montana. I knew it would only take me a few minutes to get a lift. You do have to stay by your car though. We got to talking and I told him where I lived and found out he didn't live too far from me and offered to drop me off, but he said he had to stop and drop something off first at work in a different town. I found out he worked at a rental center. So I asked him if they had tow dollys and if he'd rent me one. They were closed, but he agreed to get one hook it to his truck and drop it and me off at my place. What a guy! I couldn't have possibly have been picked up buy a better guy. Then I got my van and a friend and went back to get my car.

Here's a picture of my car when I got it home. So it's all good... Well except the transmission in my car is out. All in all it was a good day. There are some really cool people out there.