Janelle and Ben visit SF

What we learned this weekend:

   1) You can't trust everything you read on Yelp

                 Ben had three things planned out on the first night of Janelle and his weekend trip to San Francisco.  The hotel was booked, dinner planned, and post-dinner bar selected for late night potent potables.  All of which he found on Yelp.  For those who don't know, Yelp is an online urban guide that displays opinions of past visitors using a zero to five star rating system.  Using this guide, Ben booked a recently renovated room at the Grant Plaza Hotel (3.2 stars) located at the gates of Chinatown, planned dinner at Tony's Pizza Napoletana (4 stars) which boasted "the world's best pizza" along with countless other pizza awards and drinks at the Bamboo Hut (3.5 stars), a lively tropical themed bar with a great music playlist and fruity beverages.

                What we encountered was a hotel room with two ratty twin beds that smelt of sewage and looked as if it hadn't been renovated since its construction in 1983.  A Tony's pizza that had good pizza but likely not even the best in the city, let alone the world, as well as expensive beers which we needed to drink away hotel room sorrows.  And a Bamboo Hut that was disappointing because of its small size and lack of patrons.  I must say I had fun at the Bamboo Hut as we were able to share a spacious booth, some delicious scorpion bowls, and a few good tunes.  After drinking away the disappointment and their spite towards Yelp, Ben and Janelle ended up leaving their bags in the hotel and spending the night at our house.  They would give the Sauvé Hubbard B&B 4.5 stars.

 2) Hanging with Ben and Janelle makes for a pretty fun weekend

           This is something most of you already knew but last weekend confirmed it.  Though the first night did not go as planned, sometimes audibles (Omaha Omaha!) are more exciting than the original play, the remainder of the weekend continued to be fun and merry.  After spending Valentine's Day apart, we took a party bus to Napa Valley on Saturday.  Located about 30 minutes North of San Francisco, Napa Valley is famous for its rolling hills, large vineyards, and impressive wineries.  I myself enjoy a nice white but, with the elaborate selection at each stop on the tour, found myself indulging in a full spectrum of wines as well as bread sticks, green olives, and olive oils.  It made for a splendid Saturday and an activity I look forward to repeating in the future. We spent the evening back at their new hotel which had an amazing view of the bay and a great location near the famous Fisherman's Wharf.  

      After stops at a few must-see San Francisco landmarks on Sunday is was back to San Diego for Ben and Janelle.  Shannon and I were delighted they chose to spend their Valentine's Day weekend in San Francisco.   We hope to see them both again soon!

Here are some pictures from the memorable weekend! 

Bamboo Hut

 Ben took his too early

 Working on the old girl, "there's you're problem"

 Alcatraz and a big boat from Ben and Janelle's hotel

Overview of the weekend

           

       

                       



               

First Annual Cousins' Boarding Trip

        After almost 2 years of attempting to plan a snowboarding trip, Cousin Ian and I finally made it happen and met up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a long weekend of chasing the gnar.  The weekend was one to remember as the snow conditions were near perfect with fresh powder on the mountain each morning and continuous snow fall throughout the day.   Eric was able to sneak us up the mountain on the Gondola before it opened to the public each morning leading to some pretty unbelievable runs.  The only thing I may have changed about the weekend would have been lower the temperature a bit.  Yes, lowering the temperature in Wyoming.  The warm weather made for heaving snow which in turn made for a serious leg workout.

       The Snake River Lodge & Spa did not disappoint either.  Our hotel for the weekend was located in Teton Village, right at the base of the mountain. With such a great location coupled with top-notch service and a spa for the ages, we came to the agreement that it was one of the best hotels we'd ever stayed in.  Long live the Gentleman's Club!

In short, it was a splendid weekend of boarding and quality time with Ian and Eric.  Its going to be hard to live up to but I hope to do it all again in the future.

   

P.S.  Shout out to Cathy Love and her new blog.  Follow her on her journey across the U.S. and back!

http://wisdom-of-elders.blogspot.com/

Snow Report 

 Secret Smoke Shack

 Ready for the Spa

Sleds, dogs and whiskey! (not necessarily in that order)

 Folks, I've seen a good amount of events. I've been part of numerous cases of shenanigans. I've caused trouble, seen some chaos and overall, have lived a wonderful life full of intrigue. That being said, I am happy to announce a very first and very awesome new event to the saga. 

Two nights ago after a challenging day on the mountain my buddy Peter asked if I wanted to go watch the sled dog race. "SLED DOG RACE!" were the only words I could muster. Anywho, a quick costume change and a trip to Bud's (the local booze mart) had us right on the street with a pint of bourbon watching all the action! It was about what you would think a sled dog race would be like. FANTASTIC! I felt like Cuba Gooding Jr. in Snow Dogs. Just a little less black and little more drunk.

The town of Jackson laid snow down on the roads (pretty much already snowy) for the dogs and their owners to cruise through the streets in a fit of glory. People lined the streets cheering on the teams as they cruised around tight corners with the smell of bacon in their minds! (Im assuming thats what the winners got)

There is a big race this weekend that the teams will head from Jackson to another town! Pretty cool stuff.

Snow total for the mountain: 244 inches

Pictures were tough with the lighting and such but you get the idea