Super Duper Snazzy Birthday Dinner

Moores Go guest blogger today-Travis! Here to give you the skinny on his spectacular birthday bash.  Take it away Travis.

Ever since about first grade, a grand birthday celebration has usually included skiing, or something snowy, and some good food.  This year, Maggie and F treated me to an apres ski dinner at Beano's Cabin, a venerable small slopeside restaurant at Beaver Creek.  Access to the cabin is by snowcat-drawn sleigh, and dinner was a five-course affair.  Here is one of the snowcats, pulling the Beano's sleigh, turning around and getting ready to carry hungry people uphill.

Beaver Creek has to be one of the most customer-oriented, accommodating places in the world.  After we checked in for ride/dinner with the check-in guy, we asked if we could have a look at the snowcat before we headed up the hill.  "Sure!", said the guy.  "If you ask the driver, he might let you sit in the seat for a few minutes before you all head up the hill".  So we went out to have a look at the mighty machine.  F was particularly interested in the the plow on the front, the hitch, and the wheels inside the tracks, noting that the back one is a gear like in a bulldozer .

When the driver came back, he told us about various features of the snowcat, and offered to let us all ride up front on the way to the restaurant, instead of riding on the sleigh in the back.  Woohoo!  Who wouldn't want to ride in a snowcat to their birthday dinner??  F climbed in first and sat on the console.  Then Maggie and I shared the passenger seat, and we were off!

On the drive up, our 12-year veteran driver explained every lever, every button, every switch, and every dial in the cab for F (and for the rest of us).  He demonstrated all 12 plow functions, and the gauge that tells him exactly how fast to go so he doesn't fill the sleigh behind with snowballs.  He told us about dinner and explained to F that he would get to assemble his own dessert at the end.

If you were wondering, riding in a snowcat is slowish, a bit bumpy, and quite warm - about what you would expect for a small cab on top of a giant engine on huge tracks.  (Nonetheless, it takes only one finger to steer it...)

Beano's had slippers on hand for anyone who didn't want to wear their clompy boots to dinner, and the whole atmosphere was appropriately Colorado-casual.  Our waiter explained dinner, and noted that F would get to assemble his own ice-cream sandwich (at our table) for his dessert.

We all leisurely worked our way through our dinners, and at the end F confidently asked the waiter "May I please have my dessert?  May I come to the kitchen and make it now, please?"  Our waiter didn't blink and said "Sure, let's go", and moments later F was trailing our waiter to the kitchen and being introduced to Sarah the pastry chef.  Sarah showed F exactly how his dessert is prepared and explained every step, and then delivered both the dessert and F back to our table.

After dinner, we rode down in the sleigh under a cloudless sky and high-country stars.  All in all, it was a magnificent evening:  unexpected snowcat ride, F meeting the kitchen staff, and a terrific dinner with my family.  This one ranks way up there in memorable birthdays.  Thanks, Maggie and F!