Earlier today I went up into the San Bernardino mountains with Rece and Christine. This was a day of fun that I wanted Rece to experience, since he hasn't ever played in real snow before. We had tried to do so earlier in 2006, but the snow had turned into hardened ice. Today's snow was near perfect: powdery, with some patches of snowball quality material. It wasn't good for snow angels or snowmen, though (just to be clear). I wonder which of the more than 200 words the Inuits use for snow they'd call it.
We started off by going to Cedar Pines Park so I could show Christine the Rock Pile. Just before we reached it, we encountered two coyotes. We didn't have enough time to pull out the cameras before they took off. They were very pretty in their winter coats.
After that, we went up to Twin Peaks for some sledding (saucering?) at a spot I knew the locals went. There were just a few kids there at the time, which was nice. The area had been used quite a bit in the days before, which made for some well-packed snow. We had 3 different types of sleds: 2 saucer-type, and one "Super Tube".
I was the first to go and I chose the more traditional-looking saucer. My weight, the smoothness of the saucer, and the well-packed snow made for a very fast run. The white of the snow made it difficult to see any change in the slope from the top of the hill, but it turned out that there was enough of a bump at the bottom to give me quite a jolt. I found myself getting my ass slammed down onto the saucer, as I was tilted backwards, and I heard (and felt) a pop from my tail bone. It didn't feel quite right at the time, and has felt rather sore since it happened. I'm hoping that it's just a bruise.
Rece was a bit hesitant about sledding, which isn't unusual for him. He tends to be a bit of a chicken when it comes to traveling fast (roller coasters and the likes). After some cheering on, he made his run and didn't seem too bad off. He ended up making quite a few runs after we discovered a slope off to the side that wasn't so steep.
Christine went on two runs, herself. Her first run was on one of the saucer-like sleds -- one with more padding than the one I used. She also hit rather hard at the bottom and tweaked her back a bit. She (wisely) opted to use the inflatable "Super Tube" on her second run and ended up having a blow-out -- the tube ripped and deflated just as she got to the bottom (and into a ditch). Looks like it wasn't so "Super" after all.
After sledding we checked out the baseball field at a park across the street. It was an open field of snow and we had ourselves a snowball fight. We also met a nice fellow with a very cool dog. We all took turns throwing the dog's ball for her to retrieve.
The physical activity eventually began to take it's toll on us and we were getting hungry. So we said goodbye to the guy and his dog and went off to check on a geocache I have hidden up there. Seeing that it was in good condition, we continued on to Lake Arrowhead for a bite to eat and to walk around the shops.
Christine and Rece found some good deals on last-minute Christmas gifts and with her back aching, and my ass throbbing (that didn't sound quite right), we decided to call it a day and made our way back home.
Going back over today's adventure, I can't help but smile. This was definitely a good day!
We started off by going to Cedar Pines Park so I could show Christine the Rock Pile. Just before we reached it, we encountered two coyotes. We didn't have enough time to pull out the cameras before they took off. They were very pretty in their winter coats.
After that, we went up to Twin Peaks for some sledding (saucering?) at a spot I knew the locals went. There were just a few kids there at the time, which was nice. The area had been used quite a bit in the days before, which made for some well-packed snow. We had 3 different types of sleds: 2 saucer-type, and one "Super Tube".
I was the first to go and I chose the more traditional-looking saucer. My weight, the smoothness of the saucer, and the well-packed snow made for a very fast run. The white of the snow made it difficult to see any change in the slope from the top of the hill, but it turned out that there was enough of a bump at the bottom to give me quite a jolt. I found myself getting my ass slammed down onto the saucer, as I was tilted backwards, and I heard (and felt) a pop from my tail bone. It didn't feel quite right at the time, and has felt rather sore since it happened. I'm hoping that it's just a bruise.
Rece was a bit hesitant about sledding, which isn't unusual for him. He tends to be a bit of a chicken when it comes to traveling fast (roller coasters and the likes). After some cheering on, he made his run and didn't seem too bad off. He ended up making quite a few runs after we discovered a slope off to the side that wasn't so steep.
Christine went on two runs, herself. Her first run was on one of the saucer-like sleds -- one with more padding than the one I used. She also hit rather hard at the bottom and tweaked her back a bit. She (wisely) opted to use the inflatable "Super Tube" on her second run and ended up having a blow-out -- the tube ripped and deflated just as she got to the bottom (and into a ditch). Looks like it wasn't so "Super" after all.
After sledding we checked out the baseball field at a park across the street. It was an open field of snow and we had ourselves a snowball fight. We also met a nice fellow with a very cool dog. We all took turns throwing the dog's ball for her to retrieve.
The physical activity eventually began to take it's toll on us and we were getting hungry. So we said goodbye to the guy and his dog and went off to check on a geocache I have hidden up there. Seeing that it was in good condition, we continued on to Lake Arrowhead for a bite to eat and to walk around the shops.
Christine and Rece found some good deals on last-minute Christmas gifts and with her back aching, and my ass throbbing (that didn't sound quite right), we decided to call it a day and made our way back home.
Going back over today's adventure, I can't help but smile. This was definitely a good day!
This entry is trying to sit in a comfortable position.
2 comments:
Okay...you did well not blaming the blow out on my fat ass. :-)
C
Snow up on the Mountain already ey? Well, it looked like you guys had a great time. Took some great pictures too!
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