Nationals 2014- Day 1

We have arrived in Corner Brook safely. Our first plane ride, our plane was pretty empty so we all took that opportunity to claim 3 seats each and make an attempt to catch up on some sleep. There were two Sochi Olympians on our plane, Heidi Widmer and Jesse Cockney. Fiona was really excited when Heidi Widmer asked us if she could squish by to go to the washroom. It was a thrilling moment for all of us. 

leaving winnipeg

long process of wing defrosting

We managed to get here relatively on schedule and with all of our luggage. Apparently other teams didn’t get as lucky and either have delayed or cancelled flights due to weather in Toronto or their luggage never arrived. We finally are having some good luck while travelling and somehow got through Toronto with little delay.

We have two rental vehicles, a van and a truck. Initially fitting all of our ski bags into the small back of the truck was kind of interesting. They ended up all piled up pretty high, and I wasn’t sure they would all make it the half hour drive to our hotel still in the truck. Pauline ended up doing a quick run into town to buy some tie downs, which solved our problem.

lisle trying to load all the ski bags solo

Before going to the hotel we made our way into town to Sobeys. Lisle and I were impressed by small colorful, tight packed, houses on hills, similar to the commercials you see about Newfoundland on TV. The area is a lot more mountainous then I think everyone was expecting.  Lisle insisted on playing Great Big Sea on the car ride, to complete the Newfoundland experience.

downhill skiing

After everyone refueled at Sobeys we came back to the hotel, which is right on a river. We have 4 suites with a double bed, a single and a futon. We found the room a little jam packed with weirdly arranged furniture, but after an hour of interior designing and remodeling by Fiona and Anna, we’ve decided it’s pretty cozy now. The Levis, Dom and Conor did some remodeling of their own, and made a really interesting set up with chairs and tables to lay all their skis on. It’s only 9:00 here, and only 7:30 in Winnipeg but we’re pretty much ready for bed. Also Lisle just stated she isn't leaving Newfoundland until she sees a puffin, I'm going to make sure she doesn't see one.

 

we found a bridge