Memories, Cold, Riding, Stuck, Fun, Snow

The title doesn't give justice to our day trip to a forest service cabin high atop the mountain. Matt and Donna rented a cabin for all of us to enjoy the day after Christmas. Due to its location they also rented snowmobiles to get us there. It was an approximately 9 mile ride. Matt and Donna were on one sled, Chris, Erika and Finn on another and all five of us on the last one. We had a sled attached to the back which Hannah, Madison and I rode in. There was TONS of snow (mostly fresh) and it was very cold (around 10). Unfortunately, problems arose before we even left the parking area. Brock's sled had suspension problems so could not be ridden. Luckily, they had rented an extra sled so we quickly got switched over and ready to go. Next, Hannah did not like her helmet. She screamed and cried and twisted and turned for the first part of the ride. I knew I wasn't going to take it off so all I could do was hold her and wait for her to calm down. She eventually did and was so wore out she fell asleep. The ride was quite eventful - it took us 2 hours! After a combination of slow riding, getting stuck multiple times, Finn having an "I have had it" meltdown, one really long dig out and Erika and Finn doing a backwards summersault off the back of Matt's sled we finally arrived. We were all frozen and less than chipper :-) Luckily, the beautiful views, crackling fire and delicious meal soon changed our moods. However, we all dreaded the thought of packing back up and leaving in a few short hours! We sure wished we had planned to spend the night.

We intended to get pictures of the whole group, but unfortunately ran out of time. I was glad to get a few good family pictures. Isn't the cabin nice? It was small and cozy and consisted of one room and a loft.

The view was absolutely beautiful. There were pine trees galore, mountains in the distance and you could see the town down below.

We didn't spend much time outside - just long enough to get these pictures. However, Grandma and Madison ran down the hill a little and did some exploring.

Inside the cozy cabin

Brock and Chris were missing their Wii competitions so luckily found a table ping pong game. Unfortunately, the game never really took off between the ball getting lost over and over and Brock's inability to control his hits :-)

The ride back was much quicker than the way there, with only a few minor issues. First, Chris and Erika were dragging a bag from their gear sled so Brock jumped off to get it back on. Isaac was sitting on the sled still and it was running (one of those dumb things we all do without thinking). Suddenly there was a lot of revving and we took off, it was dark and I was sitting backwards so couldn't see what was going on. Isaac had fallen asleep on the throttle and Brock had to run and jump on it and grab him off. We were very lucky that nothing serious happened, other than scaring us all. He didn't even realize what he had done so luckily was not traumatized by it. Second, I got sick from a combination of motion sickness and exhaust fumes. Sitting in the sled you get COVERED in snow and your goggles get very fogged up and frozen. I was trying to get more comfortable so I sat backwards. This wasn't such a good idea because all the twisting, turning and bumps made me get motion sick. Also, the fumes were really strong and getting to me. I kept feeling like I was going to puke so continually took my helmet on and off. Finally for the last stretch I just left it off. I didn't care how cold I was because I felt so yucky and knew I didn't want to puke in my helmet! :-) I was so glad to get to the car - I was pretty out of it, dizzy, nauseaous and freezing. We got home and I went to bed. Thankfully, I felt pretty good the next day (other than a head ache).

So . . . as Chris so perfectly put it - it was a character building day!! We had plenty of good and plenty of bad but how else are memories made? The events that are peppered with discomfort, unexpected delays and other mishaps are the ones that stick with you the most. We aren't promised smooth sailing but we are expected to make the most of what comes our way! I think we all succeeded in this and I'm certain we will all happily do it again when the opportunity arises!