For ten years, Stokely Creek has offered us and our friends Maria and Chris the perfect comfort vacation. It has a lodge, which houses a dining room and two cozy lounges with fireplaces, plus 7 or 8
outbuildings with guest rooms, set among 10,000 acres of woods, lakes and trails and dedicated to silent sports, meaning no snowmobiles. By now, we know exactly what to pack and what to expect - a peaceful walk from the parking lot to the lodge, our usual snug room with the view, the friendly welcome of everyone on the staff and a week where good company, great food, and outstanding skiing are just outside our door. It doesn’t get any better than that.
“Actually we’re driving, not flying,” I said, “but we love it.” It is true that the temperature started at 31 below zero and warmed to about 19 below on the day we arrived. Skiing in those conditions either
impresses people or convinces them that you’re crazy; but, either way, it does serve as what Nana K. used to call “a conversational piece.” One year, Paul’s Office Manager marveled that there was a 100 degree temperature difference between her January vacation in Florida (80) and ours at Stokely (-20.) Anyway, you may not believe this but, by Tuesday when the thermometer read 20 above zero, it felt like a heat wave and the snow was fantastic.
through snow-covered woods, alongside half frozen creeks and around frozen and snow-covered lakes. It is breathtakingly beautiful. This year, our neighbors Tim and Kathy made their first trip to Stokely; and, every few minutes, Tim stopped to take in the view and say, “This is worth the price of admission.” As an added bonus, there isn’t the slightest chance of being taken out by a snowboarder wearing earbuds while cross country skiing.
but, in case you’re wondering how we would get help in an emergency, don’t worry. No matter how isolated the route you’ve chosen, all you have to do is stop for a trailside potty break and, in about four seconds, someone will come skiing right past you. 
so later in the afternoon. Afterwards, I’m always glad that I left my book and the warm fireplace to get some fresh air and exercise, but sometimes it takes me a long time to feel glad. We always watch our time so we get back and are ready for drinks and appetizers followed by a delicious dinner
and “Feelin’Groovy.” The group does include a critical mass of people like me who are better with the words than with the tunes (see my post “The Sound of Music.”) One year Clyde brought kazoos in what I think was an attempt to direct some of us out of the vocal music arena but it was not very successful.About 6 years ago, drawing inspiration from the bottom of several wine bottles, some of us formed The Stokely Sisters. We’ve bonded while composing, rehearsing and
performing songs like, “Take Us Out To Old Stokely,” “We’ve Been Skiin’ at Old Stokely,” and “Stokely Ladies Sing This Song;” and the group adds members every year. Our husbands have bonded while suffering through these performances together (and they’d better continue to do so if they know what’s good for them.) You can click the link below to see Paul’s video of this year’s tour de force by the inimitable Stokely Sisters, but, I warn you, it’s not for music lovers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWtLdERt1yw
While our annual vacations at Stokely are comfortingly predictable, they are never boring - unexpected events make each year unique. On our first trip, Maria and I got lost one afternoon, and learned that, if you’re short and don't have your glasses, you can’t read the trailside maps, and that guys, especially guys
wearing orange jumpsuits, aren’t always the best source of directions. One year, Chris came flying down a hill, missed the right turn, wound up chest deep in the snow covering a frozen lake and had to wait for help getting out until we all stopped laughing. Other highlights of the past have included Gelato Week, Fake Teeth Week, and Blizzard Week, when the power was knocked out leaving us without heat, lights or running water for a day.What doesn’t Stokely offer? Well, there’s no cell phone coverage, and if getting it would require a cell phone tower in the middle of Home Run Hill, I say forget it. There’s also no gargantuan plasma TV or any other TV
for that matter. I didn’t hear a radio or even see a newspaper except for last week’s Wall Street Journal. (Through wireless Internet, we did find out that the Packers beat the Bears last Sunday - that was the only important news.) You can’t shop for anything, except hand warmers. Dinner is definitely NOT a fashion parade; in fact, you could even come in your jammies. In other words, Stokely is absolutely perfect the way it is. And, if you’re the tinkering type who is only happy when you’re fixing and tweaking things, Stokely does offer ski wax. There are different colors for different temperatures and you can spend the day taking it off, putting more on, changing it and massaging it around if that’s your idea of a vacation. Unless I can coordinate my ski wax color with the color of my ski outfit, I’ll go with no-wax skis.One of my favorite things about this comfort vacation is seeing many of the same guests and staff members each year, so that our week at Stokely is like a big family reunion. (Actually it’s better than a family reunion because no one remembers the time you got carsick all over your favorite Ginny Doll or how you could barely make it home from Brownie day camp because you refused to use the outhouse or how you got a speeding
ticket in a school zone right after you got your drivers’ license.) Year after year, I look forward to finding out who has retired, who has a new grandchild and who has had a traveling adventure. In addition, there’s always the fun of meeting new people who venture into our week, some of whom have the bravery (or the foolishness) to come back again. The end of the week is like the end of a really good family reunion – lots of hugs and promises to keep in touch and, of course, reservations to meet again next January. (The photo above was taken in 2008.)P.S. You can view the Stokely Creek website with this link: http://www.stokelycreek.com/
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