36 souls were signed up for the Schweitzer excursion. The trip began with loading of the finest wines and ales of Washington State for an on-time departure from Alberstons.
Everyone enjoyed a well lubricated and entertaining drive to Northern Idaho – there were a few new members who were quickly integrated into the group and were pressed into service delivering champagne. It seemed to take no time before we pulled into the La Quinta hotel in Sandpoint. It was a quiet evening with most of the group distributing themselves to various eateries around the town.
The following morning everyone awoke to high winds and incredibly cold temperatures. Twenty souls made the trip up the Schweitzer village to find that the mountain was mostly closed with the exception of musical chairs, a beginner lift. Several hardy souls made a few runs in the beginner area but by midday it became apparent a new plan was needed. The bus returned us to Sandpoint where the afternoon consisted of a great afternoon in Eichardts bar followed by a hot tub and then some excellent pizza in La Quintas social area.
Thankfully the following day dawned with blue skies and light winds and the entire club travelled to the mountain. Everyone enjoyed a beautiful days skiing with all runs and areas of the mountain open. It was truly a Schweitzer bluebird day! The journey home became a comedy of errors. Firstly the bus driver announced that the bathroom was frozen, however he did save the day by taking us to an excellent food court in Spokane. At least it would have been excellent had it been open! Thankfully our past president, treasurer and trip director had the foresight to bring the remains of the previous night’s pizza along so nobody went hungry.
As we arrived back in Tri Cities, it was to one of the worst snow storms the area had seen in decades – it was indeed a weekend of many moving parts!