Our family went snow skiing most every year when I was growing up. That did not change when my brothers and I started our own families. My parents bought into a time share at Powder Mountain in Utah. One year while we all were there for some Spring Skiing we took a late afternoon snowmobile and horse drawn wagon ride to a restaurant that was only accessible but such vehicles. My brothers and I drove the snow mobiles while the rest of the family rode on the wagon. We pull up to the remote restaurant, parked the snow mobiles and the others climbed off the wagon. Inside the rustic restaurant was warm by several wood stoves. It felt good to take off the heavy ski jackets and gloves, in my case mittens. I always wore down mittens so that my fingers would all together keep my hands warmer than in gloves. To be honest, I do not like being cold. I don’t mind being hot, even sweaty but freezing temps make me miserable. It always has… but digress.
Back to the story.
This restaurant was more like a cabin with long tables with benches in the main room and the kitchen was the backroom. They offered steak, and Bar B Que. I ordered a Chop Beef Sandwich and tea with no ice. I never have ice in any drink. That goes back to me hating the cold, even in everything I drink.
As we all settled down to eat, the door opened. The falling snow blew in through the open door. Two guys walked in, looked around and one went to the place where they take your order. I looked out the front windows and saw three horses at the place provided where they can be tied to a horizontal post. One guy was still outside securing his horse to the post. One of the two guys who came inside went back out to tell the third guy something, probably letting him know how many people were inside.
Mom was sitting across the table from me and watched the two guys come inside from outside. The two sat at the table behind me and the one that was at the cash register joined the other two carrying all their food plates on a tray. Mom’s eyes looked like she was obviously watching these men. She leaned across the table and whispered to me that Robert Redford was sitting right behind me. I tried to turn without being obvious to see if it was. From where I was sitting, I really could not tell since they all had hats on and were busy eating.
We all finished eating and walked outside. Bundled up, I sat down on my snowmobile and fired up the engine. At least the heat from the engine kept me warm while we made our way back down the mountain to our cars about 10 miles away. With the sun below the horizon now the temps bit through all my cold weather gear. We turned the snow mobiles in to the rental place and the others got off the wagon and made their way to the cars.
At the condo Mom asked if anyone else noticed that Robert Redford was at the restaurant with us. No one else really noticed him, and I did not get a good look at who she was talking about. I saw the three men, two of whom was sort of looking out for the one who held back while they went into the restaurant. That third guy who never took his hat off and wore a poncho could have been Mr. Redford but I was not sure it if might have been him. To this day, Mom swears that we had dinner with Robert Redford.