Living the Adventure...: Day at the Sledding Hill

This past Saturday I took Drew, Sam, and Drew's buddy Griffin to Salt Creek Sno Park for some sledding fun. I was initially intrigued by the idea of going sledding after an article appeared in the R-G describing local sledding hills. The idea of taking the kids sledding also appealed to me because (1) it doesn't specifically require skill or experience - like, say, skiing or snowboarding, and (2) it was free*.

We got everything packed up and were on the road by around 9:00, and we got to the sledding hill by around 10:30. The drive up the pass was substantially slower than I would have liked because we were stuck behind a huge truck going about 10 mph. Around 8 inches of new snow had fallen overnight but it was sunny and clear when we got out of the car, so it was perfect conditions. When I finally got all of the kids bundled up and began pulling Sam in her sled up the hill, the whole experience felt very "Rockwellesque."

We had three different types of snow toys with us: a hard plastic sled with two "brakes," an inflatable snow tube, and some "slick mats" that turned out to be pretty worthless. The best mode of transportation down the hill turned out to be the inflatable tube, although it unfortunately developed a slow leak in it late in the afternoon.

The boys were absolutely thrilled with the experience, but I took Sam down the hill one time and she promptly pronounced that she was cold and wanted to go back to the car. Experience has taught that when Sam makes up her mind about something, it is pretty difficult to change it. I also realized that she really didn't have the proper clothes for staying warm (snow was getting in her boots and gloves), so I ended up taking her back to the car. She basically played inside the car for awhile and changed into several different outfits (see pics below) while I stood outside the car and watched the boys going down the hill.

All in all, it was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to going back up there with just Drew and maybe a few of his friends.

*"Free" actually means around $100 after I went out and bought new snow pants and gloves for Drew, sleds, and an annual sno-park permit.

Outfit #1 - Sweats and long-sleeve shirt.

Outfit #2 - Sam models her ballet skirt. I'm sure the other parents in the parking lot were asking themselves what kind of a crazy parent allows their child to dress like that in 35 degree weather.