Boyne - Feb 2005
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Sometimes you have to listen to what Mother Nature is trying to tell you.  Our original plan was to head east to Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia for a couple days of skiing.  But this was an unusual February.  Temperatures that week were hovering in the low 40's with a forecast of light rain and mist.

At the last minute, we changed our plans and decided to head up to Boyne Mountain Ski Resort in Northern Michigan in hopes of cooler temperatures and the possibility of snow.  Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all ...

Click on any picture to enlarge (best viewed in 1024 x 768):

           
  We were looking at an eight hour drive so we decided to stop off in Flint, Michigan to
 split the drive in two segments.  It gave me a chance to show Rita where I lived back in
  the 1980's.  That's my "crackerbox" rental home on the left and the first house I ever
          owned on the right.  It looks MUCH better now than when I lived there!
 
           
And you can't stop in the Flint area without a short drive North to           Then the next morning
   visit the German town of Frankenmuth, MI.  Some dinner at the             we were on our way!  As
 Bavarian Inn, watch the Glockenspiel and some serious sightseeing!         we approached Boyne Mtn,
                                                                                                       I was getting concerned about
                                                                                                      the lack of snow this far North.
 
              
  Boyne Mountain, MI           We stayed in        The view from our     No one else on the              Trail Map
      The Main Lodge             The Edleweiss                lodge               lifts? I should have
           at sunset                   Lodge at the                                        recognized that as
                                        Mountain's Base                                           a warning!
 
                  
 Rita on the ski            So far we're         And later that day it happened.  One minute I was skiing along loving
         lift.                   having a great        this sport and then I was tumbling down the hill.  Heard a "pop" in
                                       time!                my left knee and that sinking feeling that, "This wasn't going to be
                                                              good."  After finally stopping and making sure everything was still
                                                              attached, I tried to stand ... but my left knee wouldn't support any
                                                              weight.  Ski Patrol to the rescue!  And I have to say that the Boyne
                                                             Mtn Ski Patrol did a great job. They were on the scene in minutes.
 
       
So off we went to Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey, MI.  The CAT Scan made my knee look like a jigsaw puzzle.  So an MRI was done to determine the extent of damage.  Diagnosis:  A fracture in the tibia (shin) bone where the ACL ligament attaches.  No surgery or cast was needed, but I did go through several months of physical therapy.  It's the end of March as I write this and the crutches and splints are long gone.  Docs expect me to be 100% by the end of May.  Each week getting better than the previous.
 
That's life I guess!  Sometimes things don't go quite as planned.  But you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off ... and keep on smiling!  And you can bet I'll be back on those slopes come next year.   :-)
 

 

     Last Updated: Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 8:30 p.m. EST