Snow Filled Fun In Colorado

By User Submitted

Spring Break always brings thoughts of fun in the sun, but a local group from Dexter got together recently for a Wild Road Trip to the Mountains of Colorado. This was a fast trip organized by Greg McGhee at First Baptist Church for both youth group members as well as others from the community that simply love to ski.

With the scheduled departure time at 4 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 17, a group of 30-plus adults and young people loaded their bags and warm clothes for the long trek to Keystone Mountain. It was an all night drive with fuel stops and bathroom breaks. With good weather and clear roads, the group arrived on the mountain around 10 a.m. the next morning and immediately grabbed their rental equipment and hit the slopes.

The group enjoyed three full days of skiing the slopes of Keystone, some even going back in the evening for night skiing. The group found themselves well served by a team of cooks led by Sabrina Allison. There is nothing greater than a warm breakfast in the morning and a hot bowl of chili to warm you up after a great day of skiing.

Fresh Snow!

The greatest hope of those that ski is “Fresh Snow”! The group was very fortunate to have great weather and fresh snow two of three days they were on the mountain. The groups ranged from expert skiers to first timers. Everyone formed groups that matched their own level and ability to handle the slopes. Some groups immediately went to the bunny slopes to learn the techniques of skiing and some went straight to the Blue & Black slopes.

During the evening, the group would come together for a time of reflection and Bible study. Brad Wilson, the youth pastor of Minor Baptist Church in Sikeston, was the host leader for the Bible Study time. Brad shared with the group two inspiring messages about being an encourager among others and the strength of those that bind together for a common good causes.

Completely worn to a frazzle, the group loaded on the bus after a full day of skiing on Sunday for the long trip back to Missouri. The trip home became a little more exciting as the bus found some mechanical difficulty around Lawrence, Kans.

The group was able to work together through the adversities of a flat tire and oil loss to almost get back to Dexter. “Almost’ means that the bus finally gave up at the foot of the Dexter hill just below the Lighthouse Church at Hwy 25 and Hwy 60. The group was transferred back to the church via vans and parents to end the 29 hour endurance trip home.

Overall, no one wants to have troubles on a trip that is designed for fun. But the end result for this trip was a memory that will not soon be forgotten. A few injuries, a few mechanical problems and even the long,long trip didn’t squash the enthusiasm for the skiing.

Advserity Into A Blessing

“The story of the ski trip is the adversity that turned into a blessing,” said Greg McGhee. “Most already know how the engine blew in Lawrence, KS, causing us to have to frantically search the countryside fro 42 gallons of oil to limp home on. We had to stop every 40 miles to put oil in the bus, which was using it at a clip of 1 gallon per 13 miles traveled. That on top of the 5 MPGs we were getting on fuel.” McGhee said he had that it cost the group $1.53 per mile to get back to Dexter!

In addition, Denny Putnam broke his ankle skiing, and so was only able to drive the bus only two hours of the 30-hour trip back to Missouri.

And even more important, during the many unscheduled mechanical stops the group was able to find some pretty special moments to share and talk with people along the way. Some people were down on their luck and others just needed a little encouragement. Other people were simply kind and wanting to provide a blessing to the Ski Trip travelers.

One special person brought impact to Pastor Steve Easterwood and the entire group when the bus found a flat just South of St. Louis. As they pulled into the parking lot, there was only one car around but that car belonged to Billy "The Tire Man". Pastor Steve will share this story in his Sunday sermon this week and added "That after meeting Billy, now I know why we had all this trouble (on the trip home)."

A special thanks should be given to those that organized and volunteered to make this trip possible for those in our community. Nothing just happens, but it occurs by the hard work and dedication of the few so the many can enjoy great times such as these.