We got a slow start to our first morning (but second day) in Lake Tahoe. It was nice to have a relaxing weekday morning compared to our usual frenzied efforts to get out of the door by 7:50. We had pancakes and continued to check out all the local snow play offerings before finally deciding to go cross-country skiing.
We found an excellent place to try it. It was run out of a yurt with no phone service (and probably no electricity for that matter). Adah, Maggie, and I rented skis while Damon intended to just sled nearby with Gunnar and Holly. Since none of us had really done cross-country skiing (I used to downhill a couple times a winter) we figured--on the advice of a skiing friend in Washington--that trying to help the three oldest kids learn and tow Holly in a special sled would be too much for the parents.
It was such a great venue for our family because it was small enough that the car was close enough to go back and forth for food and gear changes. There was a large meadow just outside the yurt for practicing on the skis & where Holly and Gunnar could play in the snow when they tired of sledding. And, it turns out that our leisurely morning meant that by the time we were ready to rent skis we got the half-day rate!
Ready to give it a go!
Maggie wasn't so sure at first. I think she expected easy gliding, not the awkward movement and imbalance she initially experienced.
Gunnar was not so keen on the sledding at first. I never got the full story on his dissatisfaction, but I think it was related to having to carry his own sled.
They had to create their own path, but at least it wasn't as rough and bumpy as the day before!
Maggie eventually got the hang of skiing, declaring, "This is fun!" We mostly just went up a wide track and then came back down it, where we could get up a little more speed, which was my favorite part. I think I prefer the thrill of downhill skiing, but cross-country was still a lot of fun.
Adah did quite well and kept at it with almost no breaks, as far as I can remember. I'm sure she stopped for some food. She did try out poles, which the yurt employee discouraged for young beginners, and discovered that they just got in the way and she preferred being hands-free. Here's what she had to say about the day: "My lips got all sunburned and then we had Chinese for dinner and it made my lips hurt." Still, I think it was a good day in her book.
Another thing that made it such a great day was the perfect weather we enjoyed. It was sunny and quite warm--you know, for there being snow on the ground. Once we got moving we all shed our coats, as you can see.
When I was ready to take a break and eat, I encouraged Damon to go ahead and rent some skis and give it a try. I rested and then skied through the meadow where it was easy to still keep an eye on Gunnar and Holly and their snowman. We never did pull out the camera again to get a photo of Damon on the skis. He did well and had fun going up and down the same track that the girls were going on. I eventually cut across the meadow and ventured into some fresher snow in some trees, but that was sure hard work! The skiing was my favorite activity on our trip, and I hope to try it again--maybe with some real instruction.
We weren't so good with the camera on the rest of our trip. Damon on skis wasn't the only thing that didn't get photographed, although we got some great video footage of Gunnar slipping on the ice. Don't worry; he was fine. It's true America's Funniest Home Videos material. He actually loved it and said walking around on the ice was his favorite part of the trip.
On day 3 we set out to go sledding again at an actual sledding venue with some groomed hills. There are several in the area, and some can be pretty expensive with their per-sledder tube rentals; we found one that just had a parking fee. Everyone else must have thought it was a good idea, too, since the parking lot was full when we arrived and we were turned away. High in the mountains, we were surrounded by snow-covered hills. Unfortunately, most of them were also covered with trees. Eventually we found a parking spot in a turn-out with half a dozen other cars. We trudged through knee-deep snow (much deeper for Holly, making her not a fan of this sledding expedition) and cut our own sledding hill, which was lots of fun, but also required careful steering and braking.
Day 4 was Sunday and we packed up the house and went to church. Damon was eager to go since he served 4 months of his mission in Lake Tahoe. It turned out to be a regional broadcast for all the congregations in Nevada (and, obviously a little overlap into CA), but Damon still saw someone he recognized!
Here's the only photo we got of the great house that we rented:
These "animals in the zoo" were really playing in the spot beneath the sloped A-frame roof and a couch in the upstairs family room.
As long as we're living in a non-snow climate, we think that just maybe we'll make this trip to Tahoe an annual event. We'll try to rent the same house and return during next year's February school vacation. As much as I love to travel and experience new places, I've kind of always wanted to have one of those family vacation spots where you return every year. Maybe this can be it for us.
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