It's winter again and if I don't get out I will go mad.

Or I am mad. Or my world is mad and I'm the only sane one in it (I know people who really believe this - the crusaders). Thank the Lord for mountains.

I should have taken a road trip. The closest I'll get is taking I80 through a low hanging cloud. I decided to try my hand at the Salt Flats since there wasn't much else to do out there by myself. Unfortunately I didn't get there until after dark so I couldn't see much. I parked the car and walked off the service road in the dark. Then I was all wet. Salt Lake water is yuck and apparently there's quite a bit of it in December. You're only supposed to do this in summer. Live and learn.

When in Rome (with wet shoes). Luck wasn't in great supply at this point in time and so why was it such a good idea to go to a casino? But the rules are simple to follow. You have what you have in front of you and no amount of whining, complaining, scheming or lobbying changes the fact that if you don't like your lot, it isn't the house's fault or that of the person sitting next to you watchful over his pile of chips. Ok, too many work references, this is vacation. I do like casinos.

The snow base was low. Rocks everywhere. Snowmaking at Alta! Something is definitely wrong in the universe.

The abuse continues. Sometimes you get yourself in situations where you have to pop your skis and jump. Or, in my case, slide. Ouch. You take the bumps and bruises because no one pushed you there but you. Because you thought there was a percentage in it. And you lost. Simple rules they don't teach you at MIT. Personally I don't mind it. It makes the good runs all that much more sweet. There I go again.

I'm restless on the inside. That's what disturbs me. I'm too good at protecting myself from outside attacks. Though I'd pay good money to work with Terry Tate.

The universe continues its detour. I sit down on the quad when the lift stops. I sat there. And sat. And sat. Power outage. Brighton has a generator that can operate one lift at a time to get people off. The power would not be restored. I sat. Too patient sometimes. Ironic. After an hour or so this lift wasn't going to go anywehere. I realize it's just been too long and get tired of waiting. A small boat load of people trapped in the cold all the way to the summit. I stand up and ski away. Story of my life.

On the way home I see a pickup truck wrapped around a telephone pole. I now know where the power comes from. How fragile.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I don't know what I want. I know what I don't want. Sometimes a problem. All I can do is to limit the time I wait for power unrestored and take my chances on the rocks.