We were going to have 2 full days in Steamboat with no motorcycling anywhere, and this was the first one. We headed downtown for a breakfast then took the bus up to the base of the mountain where all the ski accomodation is. Päivi had been an au pair with the owner/manager of one of the condo buildings here, but we hadn’t been able to figure out through various internet searching and asking around town whether he was still here. So we had nothing else to try but to head up the base of the slopes to the building and ask for him.
As it turns out he was not only still here, but he invited Päivi up to his penthouse, and I sat with them while they caught up for a while over coffee. He lived a lavish life by our standards, filled with heli-skiing, extensive hunting trips, and the flying of personally-owned private planes. But he was a very nice guy, easy somehow for me to relate to since he was from the east coast originally, and warmly remembered Päivi. He generously offered us a place to stay in one of the condos here, an offer Päivi wanted to refuse, but I was too weak to join her on this moral high ground and basically jumped in to the conversation to accept.
As a result, we headed down to our campsite and packed up, hopped on our bikes, and came back up to live in much more luxurious conditions for the next couple of days. After some suitable lounging around, we headed out to one of the apres-ski restaurants, which stay open in the summer for the mountain biking crowd, and then hiked off our meal and drinks heading up some of the slopes in the evening sunshine.
5 miles.
