The Whelan's

Well it is not usually 60 plus degrees in the mid-atlantic area in early February and trying to plan a ski vacation seems to get harder each year. Our trip to Deep Creek Lake was awsome this year though as we opted for renting a log cabin instead of staying in a hotel. It was so absolutely wonderful with all the snow and the roaring fire. The cabin was quite chilly when we arrived; apparently the owners or rental company keeps the heat off when no one is in. We arrived when the temps were still in the 30's and it took a bit of time to get the chill out of the air. Then it got so hot inside we had to open the windows. The next day, our first ski day, the temps went from freezing to 60 degrees. I was a little concerned about the trail conditions but it was really okay. With a 5 ft base to begin with, a little sunshine didn't make much of a dent in the snow. It was actually quite pleasant. Attached are some of the photos of our adventure. By the way, this was the first year Elizabeth would actually ski and so she had her lesson and hit the lift all by herself. She says it was traumatic at first but she had a smile on her face. Since she never would ski before she did not own a ski suit and she had to wear my old one that was a couple sizes too big. I haven't been able to fit in it in years and in a couple years it will fit her perfectly. Alex has been skiing since he was 5 so he just takes off on his own. Unfortunately he left his ski pants at home and I had buy him another pair at the resort...for triple the price I would have paid elsewhere..growl growl growl.

It's 70 degrees today and if it decides to come back to winter again this year than we might opt for a day trip to Liberty or White Tail. Both places are small but within 2 hours of our house. We shall see.