Date: January 5-8, 2011
*Family Adventure - Week 2
We left sunny southern California in search of a little winter chill - it was, after all,
January - and headed to one of Ian and Jill's (our in-laws) favorite ski spots: Brianhead, UT. They have a friend who has a condo there so we stayed for free (score) and enjoyed spectacular weather. Feet and feet of snow, crisp chill air, 'smores and sunshine indoors and plenty of sledding and skiing made for the perfect getaway.
This was Jordan's first crack at snowboarding. We knew he'd be sore, but he was game. Ian took him up the first hill and they tried several different approaches to 'getting up.' Once up - he was doing pretty good so they headed for the lift. One run and he seemed to have the hang of it - wobbly, yes but getting there. On the second run, he had a bit of a bad landing off the lift, twisted his board, lost his footing and wrenched his ankle. eish.
A ski patrolman came to the rescue. To get him down the mountain, he was strapped to a stretcher and tied to the patrolman. He opted to lay down and forego the view on the way. They checked him out at the lodge, gave him a bag of snow and some asprin and sent him home to rest. One run was good; I guess it was just too much to do two. So he spent the rest of the time chilling inside with me and the boys. A little extra downtime never hurts (not as much as a sprained ankle anyway).
Reagan ate 'smores for the first time. It was totally obvious why they're called 'smores (grin). We played cards, ate plenty of junk food, went sledding, watched movies and had a great time hanging out together. I didn't realize until we were packing how grossly unprepared we were for cold weather. Jordan had the best gear of the lot with a winter jacket, newly-purchased snow bibs, gloves and touques. I had a thin 'outerwear' jacket, but nothing snow-worthy to speak of, though I was going to be spending most the time indoors with the baby anyway.
Reagan had a nice pair of hiking shoes - the closest thing to snow boots California stores have to offer (when we tried one last time to find something suitable just before we left - the first week of January, mind you - we realized that all cool-weather items had been replaced by swimming suits. sheesh). We did also buy him a pair of snowpants on our way up. With the shoes and snowpants, he was bundled in a thick camouflage sweater (thanks, uncle Kirk) a scarf and touque and mitts. As a veteran cold-dweller, I did my best to insulate him with what had available. The baby, of course, was the least prepared. But extra layers and more blankets was plenty enough to keep him warm indoors and on the short forays from house to car.
Reagan, Jordan and Jill buried Ian in the snow. Jordan and Ian had a snow fight/face wash contest; Jordan lost. We just couldn't get over how refreshing it was to be cold! Reagan loved being in the snow and sledding was by far his favorite activity. It's a pretty good deal when you've got an uncle and aunts to pull you up the hill, push you down and catch you at the bottom. Reagan loved the cold (he is Canadian, you know) and the snow and just couldn't get enough of it. He especially loved going off on his own into the deep snow off the track. He got stuck, lost a shoe and was rescued. Then stuck again. But he never once complained of the cold.
This was such a great trip. The condo was fantastic - two bedrooms with a sofa bed in the living room, a full kitchen and two bathrooms. It's in a great location - about 3 1/2 hours from Las Vegas off I15 and up a great winding mountain road. It would be a great place for a romantic getaway weekend or a summer weekend barbeque away from the heat. And since Ian and Jill have the connections, I'm pretty sure we'll be back.
