What an exhausting weekend!!

Dh may never take us to the snow again. I would say we planned it perfect, but it was so warm that the unkempt driveways were slushy and the van got stuck. Poor dh. Other than that - perfect trip. (Might bring a shovel next time - to be sure).

Our GPS saved us a ton of money - thank goodness!!!!

We were in search of some elusive sno park (public snow area) that we could not find. We found one, and pulled off to look at it. Could be the usual - or could be due to budget cuts, but the driveway was just filled with snow. Blech. (I remember it being cleared last time). Made for some interesting driving. In the end, wasn't really anywhere to sled. & though I knew it would cost the SAME to stop at the ski resort right there ($5), we figured it would be more crowded for our taste - and knew they closed at 4:00. It was getting to be almost 2:00, so we moved on. Dh thought at first that was the one we went to last time (5 years ago?????). I told him the next one was about 30 miles away in Tahoe and I remember driving really far - must be it. Had some good sledding. So we moved on. With the GPS we decided we'd just try some public parks along the way. Might be something. In Tahoe we decided to turn around - it was REALLY far! We were not 100% sure it was the one we envisioned. We stopped by a place along the way. Dh ran in and it was $10 per PERSON to sled. LOL. No thanks. We saw some good sledding on the side of the road, but couldn't figure out how to get to any parking (or how to get in there in the first place). So, it's getting late and we just go back to the sno park. Once there for the SECOND time, only then do we see that we have to pay somewhere else. Ugh!!!!!! The kids and I got out of the car to get bundled up, and dh took the GPS to the list of locations for "permits" and figured out the closest one was 8 miles away - back in Tahoe. So he went out - which worked out perfect. But for getting stuck in slush. Some nice person helped him out. We learned a lot, that is for sure. Though to his credit, he said even the sno pros had a hard time getting it unstuck.

That was the other thing. Everywhere we went, elderly people were chatting it up with dh. Not just elderly, but older than us. Um, he just shaved his head into a mohawk. Kind of taking charge of his head before surgery. Every time I turned around someone was striking up a conversation with him. (Even in Sacramento - not just a friendlier town or anything). We joked that his mohawk makes him more approachable? LOL. Okay then!

Anyway, back to the snow. The sledding wasn't great, but the place we ended up was FANTASTIC otherwise. The kids had a blast.

On the way there we passed a sledding spot we couldn't see going the opposite direction. Dh said - "Oh yeah - that's where I used to go as a kid." Now we know - for next time. Doh!

The weather was divine. It was HOT and we were shedding layers. Beautiful and sunny. Out of curiosity I peaked, and the weather said 38 degrees. Maybe in the shade? LOL. It was pretty warm.

Not a lot of traffic. In the end - a perfect snow day.

It was cold and dreary here in the valley, and so beautiful up in the mountains, yesterday.







On the way up we stopped at Taco Bell for lunch. Went to the family cabin and stocked up on snow clothing & sleds. Was a bit of a bust since I thought we had bought some needed things, but in the end, BM didn't have boots that fit well. (Made a new list of things to buy!). Dh and I could hardly find anything - not sure what happened to all the adult clothes. I had everything but boots and snow pants, but found some to make do. Dh could only find boots, but it was hot anyway. Worked out. I suppose we will buy some snow clothes for next winter.

On the way home, it was much later than planned, after the aimless driving, so we decided to search the GPS for Hometown Buffet (a favorite of ours in San Jose). We found one in Sacramento, in the end. (It was a little run down and not as good as I expected - but was okay - certainly lots of food!) I cringed when I saw the weekend dinner prices - over $11 for adults. BUT, they only charged us 99 cents each, for the kids. Holy Cow!!! Don't know if that was a Sunday thing, or what? Considering the kids eat more than I, it turned out to be an awesome deal. So, unintended splurge on dinner out - but for $25 for all that food - I think it worked out. We were hungry after such an active day!