Wet Weather, a Birthday and a Speeding Ticket Mark the Day

The day was a bit warm with strong winds, producing very wet conditions and clumpy snow, but that didn't deter the girls! Everyone rented equipment (except our expert Gail, who had her own) and made the best of the day.We even got a $5 discount on our expected $35 equipment rental/lesson, so we couldn't complain.
Gail also has her own locker in the lodge, so we had a nice place to store our valuables, as we stashed our lunch and extra clothes downstairs at the lodge. In addition, the wet conditions called for goggles. Gail had the inside scoop that we could borrow some from lost and found. So off she went and produced five pair. What a nice bonus.
We were all geared up a half hour early, so Gail gave everyone a mini lesson to get our legs prepared. Already we were getting a little wet though. To our surprise, we ended up with a male instructor when we were told someone named Anna would probably be our guide.He was probably just as surprised to get a group of women over the age of 50, with the exception of one.
Most of us had our trials on the slopes, from the instructor making us all "fall" and then get up on our own without the aid of poles, to crashing into trees wells, to boots that didn't fit right. Thank goodness Gail was there to help with extra tutelage as our instructor became a bit impatient with gals of a certain age who weren't quite as agile and strong as they used to be. But overall, we all had a grand time. On top of that, we learned it was Mary's birthday, which called for a toast at our lunch table.
After eating our lunch, some of the gals headed back up for one or two more runs and were surprised that it was easier the second time down the Golden Goose. By then, we were all wet and some of us getting quite cold.
On the way home, we took a side detour through Silver Crest so those who weren't familiar with it could see it.
We arrived back in Great Falls around 4:15, some of us thinking we would try skiing again and others probably not.
Who went: Kathy D, Kathy M, Gail, Roni, Jenn, Bonnie, Mary, Katie
Link to Katie's pictures