The A-List Sips - Roly-Poly Coffee

My first coffee shop review.

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Lost & Overlooked Ski Areas - Apple Hill, Pennsylvania

The latest in the lost and overlooked ski area series.

During a recent family trip back east, my cousin Carolyn and I visited the remnants of Apple Hill Ski Area near Allentown, Pennsylvania. Apple Hill operated from 1962-1978 with 200+ vertical feet of skiing, a few surface lifts, night skiing, snowmaking, and an A-frame base lodge.

This modest hill developed a loyal following in the 16 years its lifts spun, and what it lacked in extensive terrain it made up for with community magic. Online commenters recalled learning to ski on its icy, moguled slopes, with many going on to make skiing a lifelong passion.

This ghost ski area, like anything that has sat abandoned in the northeastern woods for almost half a century, is being reclaimed by nature. Curious skiers and explorers taking time to thrash through the overgrowth will find rusting lift towers, old light poles, fragments of a rope tow, and remnants of snowmaking equipment. The exurban chateaus at the top of the hill offer a stark but familiar commentary on the tensions between development, affordability, and disappearing third spaces.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Carolyn and I set out to see what remained.

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Snow Stats - 2025-2026

I don't want to break my streak of keeping snow records so here are the stats, late as they are.

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Sicily, A Few Final Highlights

Photos and a few more places

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Lost & Overlooked Ski Areas - Sicily

Piano Battaglia

Find links to all the places in my Lost and Overlooked Ski Areas series.

The Sicilian landscape is dotted with beaches, citrus groves, and ancient ruins. The Mediterranean island, only 100 miles from Africa in its southern reaches, feels worlds away from the snowy Alps and rugged Apennines of mainland Italy.

But if you explore further, you'll find possibly as many as four ski areas, opportunities for backcountry skiing, and at least one groomed cross-country track tucked into Sicily's higher elevations.  

 

Other than Nebraska, Sicily might be the most random place I’ve encountered skiing. As an avid skier, traveler, and dreamer, I am drawn to stories that challenge my assumptions. So, when I discovered skiing in Sicily, I immediately wanted to know more. Not just about the slopes and the runs, but about the people who ski there and what skiing means to the community.

Unsurprisingly, as is the case with skiing in most out-of-the-way destinations, information was hard to track down. If you can tell me more about skiing in Sicily, I would love to hear from you. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section of this post (You can do so anonymously), or you can contact me directly using the Get in Touch feature on the homepage of this blog.

After seeing a Sicilian ski area up close and doing some research, I suspect that if you're seeking bluebird days and polished resorts, Sicily is not the destination for you. For more adventurous, curious folks, this Mediterranean island offers the chance to make turns on an active volcano, swoosh down mountains with views of the Ionian sea, and explore ancient beech forests on skis. 

Here’s what I know...

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Polizzi Generosa and the Madonie Mountains, Sicily 2025

Polizzi Generosa and the Madonie mountains deserve a more evocative write-up but many months have past since our trip, so I want to get words down on the page before more time passes.

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Heckling Yankee Doodle: A Childhood Taste of Rebellion at America’s Bicentennial Parade

A memory from half a century ago and something to contemplate as American approaches it semiquincentennial.

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Ragusa, Sicily 2025

Here's more about our trip to Sicily in May.

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Bozeman in Puberty & an Election Season Call to Action

Bozeman, Montana is like a teenager in the throes of puberty - confused, growing rapidly, and trying on identities with dizzying speed.

Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily 2025

I’ve always been drawn to old mosaics. When I see thousands of tiny pieces cut and set by hand, I am fascinated by the scenes frozen in tile and am in awe of the artisans who crafted them long before the days of electricity and power tools. 

Villa Romana del Casale, one of only a few Roman sites in Sicily, is a sprawling villa covered in 3,500 square meters (Over 37,000 square feet!) of mosaic floors. It is one of the largest collections in the world and was one of the highlights of our trip to Sicily.

Sicily in May

It is now August and I still have not written or posted anything about my recent trip to Sicily. It is a multi-part story so I'll get get around to sharing it bit-by-bit in separate posts. The bottom of this page will have the links to all of the posts.

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