Attempting to be a multisport athlete

[rebeccmeister]

My family seems to want me to be more of a multisport athlete. Evidence:

Sporting attempt 1: bowling for my aunt L's 73rd birthday on December 26. L is mentally disabled, and her all-time favorite sport is bowling. How could she be denied? My family goes every year. We played not one, not two, but three games. Some family members are more strategic than others about their bowling. I think I managed to get over 100 points in 2 out of the 3 games? Not bad for a sport I practice approximately once every 3 years nowadays. I could tell that strength training has benefited my bowling arm, but my right butt was sore this morning. I probably needed to do it as a form of cross-body activity.

Birthday girl and my Uncle D:


Mom and R hurling some bowling balls in the general direction of the pins:


R had a series of fantastic bowls in her last game - I believe it was something like 2 strikes in a row and then a spare, plus another strike in there somewhere.

I had one bowl where somehow, the ball veered towards the gutter just as it got near the pins, then bounced into the gutter, then came back out again (!!), and knocked over a good 4-5 pins! Favorite play of the night.

Sporting attempt 2: annikusrex and I have been suffering from a Scrabble deficit. We tried to make up for lost time last night with a Scrabble bender of 3 back-to-back games. AKW won the first two games, with some great plays that included some stellar bingo's. In the final game, I had an almost-bingo in my rack for my last turn, but then AKW blocked that play, so I had to content myself with barely edging out my mother for the win.

We played game #2 on a Giant Scrabble Board, which I can now tell you I Do Not Recommend. It is ridiculous and pointlessly big. It should be sent to Texas. We reverted back to a regularly-sized board for game #3.



Sporting attempt 3: Cross-country skiing at the Stevens Pass Nordic Center.



I don't think I've ever been over Stevens Pass before. It was beautiful! But I can see why most people would use Snoqualmie Pass to get out to Eastern Washington. The roads over Snoqualmie Pass are wider and maybe less steep overall.

I made it almost all the way to the end of the trail, but then the trail grooming stopped and the snow was so deep I couldn't stay upright on the skis anymore and decided that was a sign I should turn around. Plus the trail had gotten steeper, so that was enough downhill for me at the moment.





We rented skis from REI, which was really helpful because now I know exactly what size of skis and boots I want to buy for myself.

I have been missing the mountains in Washington.

Comments

[bluepapercup]

ahhhh the snow is so beautiful!! I miss cross country skiing immensely.

Is that your sister out with you? I hope she's doing well these days (or well enough!).

[rebeccmeister]

Yep, that's my sister! Altogether she's generally totally fine. She has reached the hormone therapy stage of her breast cancer treatment, so there isn't a whole lot of news to report, and she's mostly just focused on the rest of life these days.

I'm so glad to have had a chance to visit with her, too.

And, yes! Any chance to be out among quiet snowy trees is wonderful. :^)

[moodyduck]

I also miss cross country skiing beyond immensely. Quite probably the sport I am/was best at. So, so miss it.

[rebeccmeister]

Is it off-limits for you now?? It does seem like a great one for where you are!

[moodyduck]

I'd have to go out to somewhere like you went, and that is not a day trip for me. Especially with the ferry situation right now.

It is sometimes possible to xc ski up at Hurricane Ridge, but you need pretty specific conditions, and there's not a lot of safe places to ski before you have to go very downhill or get into avalanche risk. I don't tend to go up there in the winter because of the conditions being so fickle and not really having the right vehicle for unexpectedly wintry conditions on that road.

[ranunculus]

I really like the first snow picture, with the creek.

[rebeccmeister]

It was a lovely little spot along the trail!

[twoeleven]

Looks like you had fun.

I'd like to try X/C skiing, but I need to find someplace with actual snow for that. And maybe get more rehab for my poor knee too.

[rebeccmeister]

Yeah, it seems like from where you are, it would be an expedition to reach snow. I really liked how this particular place was set up. There was a main trail that was rated for beginners/easy, with side trails for more advanced skiers. We just stuck with the main trail, which meant things were pretty low-key and more like a wintertime hike, with some extra gliding involved.

I need to look into arch support for ski boots. It seems to me that would make cross-country skiing far more pleasant!

[twoeleven]

That sounds like a great set up!

I could use arch supports too. :P

I have a specific goal for X/C skiing, which is Yosemite's Tuolumne Valley. The road through it closes for the winter, and it's accessible only on skis or snowshoes. It seems like it would be nice and quiet, and the only other people around would be dedicated to enjoying the wilderness.

[mallorys_camera]

Lovely to see pix of you en famille.

And, yes, the mountains of Washington—-💖💖💖

[ivy]

Cross-country skiing kicked my ass thoroughly the only time I tried it; it was a truly humbling verdict on my cardio fitness, haha. Lovely photos, though! I am also highly amused at the idea of all too-big things being henceforth banished to Texas.