Thursday, May 29, 2008

Our Get away

Living in C'bad you have limitless opportunities to sit in time share presentations. We did, and got 2 nights free hotel stay for listening. We were so excited to get away and this was the excuse/resource to make it happen. We did not have high hopes for our (free) accommodation's and we were still underwhelmed. I will add several photos to hopefully give you the full effect. Thanks to Ben's Parents for loving and caring for the 3 rascals so we could have so fun without boogers on our shoulders. We escaped to the marvelous mountain resort of Big Bear last week.


The Good
  • Our first getaway since having kids. Yes it's true we have not taken a couple's only trip since our free cruise we won on our honeymoon. I was pregnant with Madisen on the cruise so if you count that as having kids then I think our honeymoon to Cabo is it.
  • Not knowing what to do without our planners, cell phones and to do lists around.
  • All the wonderful fresh air you can imagine
  • beautiful views and nature all around you
  • Reminded me how much I do love Utah and its marvelous big mountains.
The Bad
  • Pretty much every aspect of our lodging can be listed here. We couldn't get into our initial room so after a pleasant 15 minutes wait the handyman came to let us in. Once in we rested from our long drive in a musty, moldy sauna. Luckily our room was equipped with a ceiling fan. We requested a room on the 1st floor to get some relief of the heat. here are highlights of the Timberline lodge. May I recommend never staying here.
  1. kick holes in front door. inch gap in bottom of door.
  2. jacked locks, and we were not allowed a key for the dead bolt. hmmm nice. They did upgrade our stay and gave us a complimentary lock for the bathroom window.
  3. High quality 3 mattress beds. Notice that the center of the bed is a good 5 inches below the head and feet of the bed. that's cozy, luckily the other bed was much nicer.
  4. I found one tile in the bathroom that was mold free. And the craftsmanship of the shower was *****, that's five star.
  5. The TV was unplugged. So Ben had to move it across the dresser to get it plugged in and then had to remove the tape from the back of the remote to put the batteries in properly.
  6. I left my hair dryer at home b/c the pamphlet specifically stated dryer in every room. not so my friends, but I was allowed use of the complimentary quest Iron.
  7. Also in the pamphlet was the continental breakfast and pool's. Notice the picture of Ben standing in front of our pool, just outside our kicked in front door. It has 10 gallons of water and 30 gallons of mud and pine needles in it. nice!!! Remember when Daniel Larussa moved to California in Karate Kid. Same effect. We could however walk 2 blocks to the family unit area and go in the indoor pool and spa, just imagine a complete lack of maintenance for the last 12 years. It was gross.
  • The local crazy lady that hit us up for bus fare and then wouldn't leave b/c she could 'sense' something was terribly wrong with Ben. We met her again at the German restaurant, It is always nice to make new friends when you're away.
The Unforgettable
  • Our hike to grand view and lodgepole pine. we spent 4 hours hiking mountainous terrain. In the first pictures you'll notice my new high end hiking pack, it is versatile and light weight, perfect for out door adventurers...... or just the crazy people that did not bring a back pack on their trip. oops!
  • Forgetting the sound of my whining kids voices. Ben and I missed them, it was nice to get away and focus on their good qualities and the great personalities they have.
  • The bowling barn, a fine establishment located right across the street from our hotel.
  • Watching the fish jump, literally jump out of the water to catch flies. way cool.
All in all Big Bear is a great little mountain get away. We cant wait to go back with the kids, and snow shoe, hike, kayak and stay in much much better accommodation's.

11 comments:

Lynn said...

Great post of your adventure.

While the phrase "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" may very well work for people, especially our own children, it probably doesn't hold up as well when looking back on your time at the Timberline Lodge.

And it's good to know, in a bizarre and purely selfish way, that others, yea even good friends, can be afflicted with enough faith in humans to take the words of a money hungry moron at face value, only to discover afterwards (and often when it's too late) what the MHM actually was. Been there myself. More than once.

That being said, you are a shining example to us all of how to turn lemons into lemonade. Well done Ben & Kim... well done.

Emily said...

Holy cow! You are a brave woman! The pictures alone made me cringe, let alone your choice words to describe your accomodations. I can only imagine showering someplace that was full of mold. Nice to hear that you toughed it out and had a good trip regardless. And hats off to you and Ben for getting away without the kids!

Lizza said...

Way cool post. Scary, but not Mexico scary, right? I'm glad you guys got away. I'm thinking the gov't should set up a plan where all parents go on a two day vacation with each others sans kids to R and R, paid for by Uncle Sam. I'd be totally willing to find babysitters each time even.
Whaddaya think?

Jason said...

Dang Gina! That was one unique experience. It looks like such a fun escape compared to bleak old Vegas. I think I may even be able to bear the "bad". Well, Emily put it well about your "choice words". I'd have to think about it. I'm glad you extracted the fun out of it. Cute pics of the hike. We'll join you one day!

Harris Family said...

Holy Cow!Lizza told me that I had to read this- she was right. Youre freakin hilarious and have a great attitude!! I would have panicked but it sounds like you guys made the best of it. Time shares.... what a waste!!! I am glad you shared this with us because it made my day- love ya and we do need to visit!

April McEvoy said...

I am sure the two of you were not laughing when you walked into your five star accomodations... but what a great story! One that you will never forget :) Thanks for sharing... it gave me a good laugh for the day. love you guys!!

VA Andersons said...

Sounds even worse than girl's camp at Big Bear (every year growing up)!
Love,
Brittany

Andrew & Holly Larson said...

this looks amazing. should have gone to winton.

Della Hill said...

Wow! Betcha can't wait to spend $15,000 on a time share condo just like that one! Or is it $20,000?
Glad you had fun.
-Della

kimmie kimmie coconut said...

Dude! This place is pretty sweet! They should have paid you! What kind of seminar was this? ..... Were you in trouble and they sent you to hell?

Wendy said...

I love getting free stuff so I could easily see myself falling into that trap.

In this case absence won't probably make the heart grow fonder, but will make the memory a little funnier? This post made me laugh. Loved the top of the line backpack.