The last article made comment of how much sleep one got on the plane depending on who you sat near. Clearly from the photo in that article there were a few who didn’t sleep a lot. Well … have a look at the same boys on the bus trip!!!
The time on the bus was shorter than expected and with a stop for lunch halfway along, during which some of the boys met some very generous locals sporting gifts, the 4 hours seemed to fly by and we arrived at Lake Tahoe before the scheduled time.
When you use a travel company to travel overseas as we have for this trip, one of the things that you have to trust is their choice of accommodation and it is not until you get there that you really know what you are getting. This evening when we arrived at the Forest Suites Resort, any concerns were laid to rest as we entered a beautiful lobby featuring incredibly comfortable lounges set in front of a warm fire. Within a short time we were heading off to settle in and there is no deception in the rooms being referred to as suites – they are exactly that and provide the boys with plenty of room with the addition of a kitchenette. A big thanks to “Educating Adventures” who picked out the accommodation which is perfect for the boys.
This evening the boys took a short stroll down the pedestrian village to The Powder House where everyone was fitted with their gear for skiing and boarding tomorrow. It was great service and with this now out of the way, we are all ready to hit the slopes first thing in the morning.
Talking about the village … it is a picturesque little holiday village of which I have taken no pictures! Tomorrow night the boys have some time at the various venues so hopefully I will have some shots to show you.
After the fittings we headed back to the suites for a casual dinner. Now, we thought it would be best if we warned the locals that the boys will eat a lot. So in came the pizzas. It was not just Pizza Hut but Pizza Hut on steroids … they were huge!!! And they were regular … apparently the large pizzas are bigger. In Sydney 2 pizzas between three boys would be scoffed down in no time. In Lake Tahoe … most boys were taking left overs back to their rooms. Add to that the brownies and Coke and there were no empty stomaches!
After dinner the boys had some time to just relax and settle into the accommodation. Many of them made the most of the spa and pool, often jumping between the two and certainly having a great time. Some made the most of the games room, playing some pool and arcade games while others enjoyed the time on couches in front of the fire and, in their own words, having a D & M!
We spent about 20 minutes going through some of the important matters regarding the trip and I have to commend the boys on the manner in which they were able to listen and concentrate during this, despite their excitement about being in another country and only 12 hours from hitting the slopes. It was important that they were able to listen during this time and they were excellent. As I pointed out to the boys this evening, this compliment about their manners and maturity was also noted by the stewards on the flight into the USA.
So … a big day of traveling followed by a relaxing night around the spa and fires – the perfect start to a ski trip!
Photo 1: James Ramm (Year 8) and Ben Williams (Year 8) making up for some lost sleep.
Photo 2: Max Beavis (Year 11), Jack Cullen (Year 11), Will Flannery (Year 11), Callum Coleman (Year 11) and Daniel Moscaritolo (Year 11) enjoy some pool in the games room.
Photo 3: Brendan Follington (Year 12), Lachlan Rush (Year 11), Sam Greig (Year 11), Rohan Downs (Year 11),Harry Hannell (Year 11), Daniel Amasi (Year 9), Sam Scarlett (Year 10), Nick Andrews (Year 9), Dylan Chin (Year 9), Ben Williams (Year 9), Patrick Jessup (Year 10) and Scott Atkin (Year 10) enjoy the warmth and relaxation of the spa.
