Ski Snowstar is an unusual ski hill.
It makes sense at first. You begin by driving four hours NORTH from the StL.
55 northbound, from Edwardsville to Worden to Springfield to Peoria to Kickapoo.
Kickapoo is just a township, but I like to say it. Say it.
Then a dash of highways west, and you are there: Andalusia, Illinois, near Moline.
But the last 20 minutes of the drive is bizzaro, because the ski area appears to be missing. You're approaching, and you know, cuz Google Maps tells you so. But there's a farm house on your left. An abandoned barn on your right. A series of twisty roads, and not a single HILL in sight.
In fact, you won't even see the ski area until you have purchased your lift ticket, and exited the back door of the equipment rental building. That's when you realize you are on a ridge, and you ski into a valley.
Great snow, friendly people, hidden treasure.
Here are FIVE THINGS I discovered on the trek, from Kickapoo to Moline:
1. Flat light skiing requires noodle legs. When skies are gray, and no sun hits the snow, you cannot discern a dip from a bump from a patch of ice from...a large icy puddle.
That's another thing for another five, but Jon once landed in a large icy puddle there, face first. And it was so hard not to laugh. We did laugh. Hard.
When you cannot see the snow, you must just relax, fully, and hope to FEEL the snow beneath your skis, completely in the present moment, on the present terrain. Noodle legs.
How awesome would it be if we went through life like that? We really do not know what's next anyway. If we have a noodle leg approach, we will absorb a bump rather than be thrown by it. And while we are not always in control, God promises He's GOT THIS. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Heb.11:1
2. At the Moline-Ramada complimentary breakfast:
No shoes? Why would you?
No shirt? Who needs one?
No service? Well...it's a complimentary breakfast. If they were very service oriented, you might linger longer chatting with the guy who thought it was perfectly legit to show up to breakfast with no shoes or shirt.
3. To go up, you must go down. This was actually true. To get to the upstairs room at our hotel, you first had to go down a half stair maze, overrrrrrr a bridge, through a mini-golf. A maze that made little sense.
I believe a seven year old designed that hotel. It was FUN.
I am also learning that LEADERSHIP, true leadership, requires humility. "Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant." Those are Jesus' words. Matthew 20:26.
So...wanna go up? First, go down.
4. About 27 and a half cups of hotel coffee is equivalent one cup of what I make at home.
5. You can still catch a movie for a reasonable amount of money.
If I had a theater, it would be just like the Nova 6 in Moline. $4.25 a person, and four people with four drinks and popcorn came to.....are you ready....$24!
THIS. WAS. AWESOME.
As an aside,
6. Kickapoo is just a great name for a township. We enjoyed the Jubilee Cafe there on the way up, mostly because our waitress was super nice.
Yet forgetful. She refilled our drinks then gave them to someone else. Then gave THEIR drinks to someone else. We got fresh drinks by the time we confirmed what was going on, but still not our drinks. It was a domino effect of drink mishappenings. I'm not sure where it ended or what I drank.
Aside from that aside...
7. DON'T EVER wander into a cat convention. They are no joke.
We did, at our hotel, by accident, after passing over that weird bridge.
There are cat owners, like us, and cat PEOPLE. They know if you are not one of them. They gave us the boot....didn't even think catvangelistically. I could have walked in as a cat owner who wanted info on scoopable litter, and left a cat person, right? No?
That might have been more than FIVE. Thanks for reading. Have an AWESOME day!
