The Fine Art of Cramming it All In

So much fun to be had, and so little time. Better get started right now. WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED by PETER MOORE

IN MY FAMILY we give experiences, not THINGS, as presents. It’s easy to store a memory. A picnic hamper, not so much.

So when my son handed me an envelope last Christmas, I knew it was going to be filled with adventure.

Which is why I was awake at the ass-crack of dawn last Thursday, looking forward to a long day of aggressively playing hooky.

The day’s itinerary included two of my favorite things: Skiing, and professional sports. Plus lots and lots of driving between home and the two venues—Winter Park, and Ball Arena. Neither of them is close to where I live, nor are they close to one another.

Fun times ahoy!

Of course, this trip would require high octane fuel. Here’s my full calorie load, from before dawn until way too late.

Coloradans talk about spring skiing with missionary zeal. But honestly, we’re all just trying to talk ourselves into the three inevitable (lousy) types of (scarce) snow available in late April.

Nevertheless I managed to ski 26 miles and 27,000 vertical feet, according to my IKON app. But the hardest part, as ever, was putting on my ski boots, then taking them off. The sacrifices I make to have fun!

As I drove away from Winter Park Resort, I spotted several snow slides above Berthoud Pass. It was the perfect segue for what was ahead: My son had bought tickets for the Colorado Avalanche vs. the Vancouver Canucks.

Which makes me wonder: Isn’t that team monicker a slander against Canadians?

Note to my 223 Canadian subscribers: Please explain why or why not. And while you’re at it…what the hell is a “Hab,” the other nickname for the Vancouver team?

The Avs lost, by the way. But I’m not exactly sure how.

I gave my son a goodbye hug in the crowded streets outside Ball Arena. That’s always a joyful and sad experience. He’s the perfect guy to share an Avs loss—and an expensive beer—with.

The fun was over. So I drove back north.

By the time I reached home I’d been awake for eighteen hours. And for that time at least, I was almost able to forget what is actually going on in the world.

Almost.

“I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than the things I haven’t done." —Lucille Ball

Looking to find more great newsletters, where you (probably) found this one? Click this link! You get cool things to read, I get cold hard cash from the guy who runs the Refind.com. Everybody wins!

Or, just help pay for my ski pass next year. If you contribute enough, I’ll give you a ride to the Ikon-pass mountain of your choice.

Many thanks for overdoing it with me, here on the Road2Elsewhere.