So much happens on this Solo Ski Sojourn 4 it’s a good thing to blog about it because… well, because I can’t remember s***.

The week began at Copper Mountain, Colorado. I met my good friend Mo back in Minnesota at little Hyland Hills when she was the ski supervisor for the Sixth Grade program. She has taught at Breckenridge and is now living between Frisco, Colorado and Boise, Idaho. She’s got a guest room that is to die for and I was lucky enough to score a stay at her place. Gina stayed there too and was my roomie for a short period and then I snored her out of the room. Sorry, Gina.

I hadn’t skied Copper since New Year’s Day, 1980. I didn’t remember a thing about it except one photo of Fred from Eagle taken on the mountain with I-80 in the background. For two days I looked to recreate the shot. I got one photo of me close to where the original Fred photo was taken, but the exact spot eluded me.

Gina was working on her skiing for her level 3 PSIA exam so she “tolerated” Mo and me, but really ripped on a couple days without us. Mo and I did some consignment store shopping in Avon and Gypsum in anticipation of my dream of moving to Santa Fe. I couldn’t buy anything, but it gave me ideas. I think this is called getting the cart before the horse.

We met up with my new Solo Sojourner friend Diana at her hostel in Silverthorne. She was at a new place called The Pad, and it is definitely a place I’ll consider in the future. It has a full bar, industrial kitchen where lodgers cook their own food, and she had a private bedroom with a double bed. It was small, but considering we spend more hours on the slopes than in bed (at least I do) the size wasn’t the issue. There were co-ed bath and showers, but secure doors to each stall so it wasn’t so much different than staying at a friend’s house. The Pad had live music and a happy hour that we all enjoyed.

The weather turned cold so I turned south to Santa Fe. I had lined up some time with my realtor to look at properties in Santa Fe. I still am infatuated with Santa Fe, and the few days I had just sucked me in more. It’s breaking my heart not to find the perfect place to live there, but maybe it’s just a test of my patience. We looked at ten properties, and truthfully the most exciting part was being pulled over by a Santa Fe cop. It wasn’t profiling, it was expired tabs.

Diana was also in Santa Fe and was with her local friend Dina, so we met up and had a rip roaring afternoon and evening on the Plaza. We had a late lunch at Palacio where Dina swears they have the best green chili sauce. From there we went to the Gruet Champagne tasting room only to find out we needed reservations. We made an adjustment and ended up at La Fonda bar and got a bottle of Gruet for significantly cheaper than the by the glass or tasting would have been. While at the bar I was looking directly into a Kevin Red Star print. Red Star is a Crow Native and grew up in my home area. He has his studio in Roberts, Montana and as a young man was one of the first to attend the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. I have a few of his prints and pottery that he did with his brother.

It also turned out Dina has Montana connections as she lived and worked in Bozeman. She knew many of my old haunts–so fun to uncover links between us!

Diana was having her car worked on so she and Dina had to leave. Gina and I weren’t done yet. We decided to try to find live music around the Plaza. First we hit The Matador, a divy little bar off W. San Francisco Street and Galisteo, and then moved on to Evangelo’s on the corner. Evangelo’s was a happening place. We met Mike who offers Liaison Services (don’t know exactly what that means) and who sometimes plays music there. On this night it was a three man band playing my generation kind of music.

In the midst of the music, a rapper came in asking us all to help him out with a music video he was shooting. I volunteered to be in the scene, where my non-existent acting skills were tested when he pretended to push me and I feigned a left hook to his jaw. It was a one take and done, and lots of fun.

We left the bar and made it back to The Lodge off St. Francis before we turned into pumpkins. Next week the Skijourn Sisters are getting together in Taos for a few days of skiing. How lucky am I???