My dad and I had originally planned to do his 80th Birthday milestone weekend ski at Whaleback Mountain today but I learned earlier in the week that they had decided to host an All Upper Valley Day (open to everyone local). Not wanting to spend our time on the slopes with lots of people, dad and I agreed to wait for his ski until Sunday. Instead, we started the day kind of lazily - my dad wanted to read so I did the same for a while. Since the weather was wonderful, I suggested that we leave the condo and he agreed (0930). I already had some "backup" social events planned if the weather was bad, we went to the first one, The Prouty Snow Day (this was my second year attending). We arrived at Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) House, located on the shore of Occam Pond, at 0945 and the event started soon after that. We were able to enjoy the great brunch food and then gathered with a larger group to listen to the the fundraising team from the Dartmouth Hospital make some encouraging remarks. We got to hear from one of the cancer researchers who has benefited from the funds raised last year. Most of the presentations were intended to inspire all of us to hit the pavement with vigor so the fund drive can hit the $8M goal - they were quite effective! Near the end of the preliminaries, we were entertained by the "Dartmouth Aires", a talented men’s a cappella group. Great kickoff for the fundraiser! Next, the outdoor phase of the day began and everyone spread out for sledding, snowshoeing and snow-golf. Since we were on the western edge of the Dartmouth Golf Course, I decided to try to do some cross country skiing (1130) - it took a bit of walking through Pine Park before I could access the groomed trails near NH-10 (west side) but I ultimately got 75 minutes (2.5 miles) on skis. Even in this area, I saw signs for the Oak Hill Outdoor Center... The weather was nice but much of the snow has melted so conditions weren’t optimal. Still, I was happy to be out in the snow. Back at the DOC House (1245), I met up with my dad again (he’d been curled up in a warm chair, reading) and made a s’more. Just after 1300, we got back in my car and headed west (via I-91, I-89 and US-4). The next "backup" event I wanted to attend was the Subaru Winterfest at Killington. Since I got my Outback in 2019, I’ve been meaning to go because the company makes an effort to involve owners in philanthropy and other outdoor fun. Both those things are high on my list of interests so we headed over to Vermont for Day 2 of the event. The mountains were white with snow and the peaks had a lot of pretty powder on them. My dad enjoyed the scenery a lot. We arrived at Killington at around 1400 - everything looked so "wintry"! We began looking for a parking spot and, despite some "wrong way" decisions (by me) in the lot, found one close to the K-1 Lodge. Even from the parking lot, it was clear that MANY, MANY skiers were taking advantage of the wonderful wintry conditions - it took a bit of effort to even get inside. Eventually, we made our way all the way through the to other side of the K-1 Lodge and found the event. They had examples of the latest versions of classic Subaru body types, lots of bling & swag from the manufacturer, booths with outdoor gear & accessories and several raffles for prizes. The lines for food were pretty long but we enjoyed the musical entertainment provided by "Tuff Luv & the Heavily Brothers". The entire venue was mobbed with skiers, probably because all of the other eating areas had no room. Before leaving, we were able to join other Subaru owners in choosing a charity for their corporation to support (“Subaru Love”). As we walked to the car, we passed the K-1 Gondola - what a different view from my last visit in the Summer of 2018 (when I hiked the AT, down from the summit)... The visit wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting but I’m still glad I went. After we were done (1500), we drove a short distance west on US-4 and found the AT parking lot. I was going to turn around there but, by this point, Mollie had tried to reach me a few times so I stopped there to talk with her. Next, I backtracked to Gifford Woods State Park to show my dad - we also reminisced about a family trip we'd done to the area in the 1970s. My dad also told me about some stories he was writing. Eventually, we made our way back to Woodstock and, since it wasn't quite time for dinner, stopped at the Billings Farm (1545). Since I'm a regular volunteer, the nice staff there let me show my dad a few of the displays just before they closed. He liked it very much and started making plans to return in the summer with Beth. Afterwards (1610), we drove to the Worthy Kitchen in Woodstock and ordered some dinner. I had a poke bowl with salmon (and a tasty beer) and my dad had a smashburger. The food was good and it was clear we were lucky to have started eating before the main dinner rush. Once we were finished (1715), we used US-4 and I-89 to reach my condo (arrived at 1745). We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching videos (bed at 2200. A great day with my dad!
