I often ski alone on these road trips in retirement,and I crave conversations. The perfect vehicle, of course, is the chair lift. I wait and ask someone if I can ride with them. Almost always they happily agree. Yesterday I rode with an 88 yr. old gentleman who wants to ski until 90. He had labored speech, sounding like Diane Rehm, but was very sharp of mind. Near the end of the ride he laughed and confessed that his wife doesn't mind his skiing but wants him to give up his motorcycle. He has ridden a quarter million miles in all 50 states since retiring 20 yrs. ago. I wished him well.