Winter Vacation Completion

***Disclaimer:  Again, if this gets too long, then skip to the pictures.  You’ll get the same story either way.***
Well, Friday morning, we woke up to some snow.  We were a bit concerned because Jenny had to head home, and we weren’t sure how safe it would be.  After a little waiting, we finally agreed she’d probably be okay to head on home.  So, home she went.  After she left, we sat around and played some games.  Then, some of us took naps.  While some were napping, others decided to play in the snow.  They had a blast and didn’t care at all that it was below freezing outside.  Once naptime was over, we thought it would be fun to take the kiddos sledding on the fresh snow.  So, we headed back to the sledding hill.  But – you remember that hill we got stuck on the first day?!!?  Well, go figure…we got stuck AGAIN!  However, this time we ended up spinning around 180 degrees and turning back towards the cabin.  We took that as a sign that it was not a good idea to attempt to get into town.  So, back to the cabin we went.  The kiddos still wanted to play in the snow, so we let them.  Besides, we were all decked out in our snow gear anyway.  However, we also made a call to the city to get the sand truck out to the road.  It continued to snow off and on Friday, and we debated going ahead and leaving.  But – we didn’t.  We’d learn later that we made a mistake and should have left while the weather was better.  Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20.  That evening we just packed up everything and played some more games.

The snow-covered cars on Friday morning. Snow-covered trees and rock on Friday. Brian showing Caleb how to make a snowball. Caleb throwing the snowball. Caleb trying to make a snowball…he didn’t have much luck.  Heck, I couldn’t do it either. Oh, he’s just so mad and cold! Now, he’s just throwing the snow…who cares if it’s a ball?!!? There were a ton of domino games played.This was a gray cloud that rolled in on Friday afternoon…thought it was neat.  We couldn’t see the slopes or anything hardly.Micah checking out the deck along with Mr. Pig. Micah and Mommy getting ready to play in the snow. Look at that smile!  He did not want to come in from the snow.  He was having fun just walking up and down the road. One of Caleb’s snow angels.Caleb making another snow angel. Caleb climbing up on a hill.Oh well, sliding down is one way to get down. Micah and Caleb inside a little cave looking area on the side of the road.  Caleb kept picking off the icicles.Micah trying to climb the hill to the nearby driveway. The kids playing Scooby-Doo Friday evening.

Well, we got up on Saturday and were all ready to leave.  But – there was way too much snow.  It snowed all night, and it was still snowing.  So, we didn’t know what to do.  Brian made a few phone calls to the head of DOT in the city, and he basically said that unless you have a 4WD (four wheel drive) or snow chains, then you’re not going anywhere.  And – guess what?!!?   We don’t have either.  The neighborhood roads are awful and the snow is way too thick.  The city can’t keep the main roads clear for any length of time either, and what’s left is turning into a sludge of ice and snow.  So, it doesn’t look good.  Brian makes a few more calls weighing the option of towing versus snow chains.  Well, neither option is cheap, but we have to do something.  So, around noon we decided we’d just fork over the money to get snow chains.  Now, keep in mind, if we had been smart, we would have bought some before ever heading out on this vacation, and we could have gotten them for around $60.  Nope…we had to pay nearly 5x that amount.  Oh well, stupid lesson learned darnit!  The guys finally came out and got the snow chains installed, and then Brian had to follow them to an ATM.  Yep…that’s right…they don’t take checks or credit cards…CASH only!  How convenient for them, right!?!?  Brian makes his way to the ATM, and then comes back to pick us all up.  We then make our way into the city.  After being there all week, we wanted to stop at Fred’s General Store.  So, Brian ran in and grabbed a t-shirt for the boys and a few magnets for us (we like to collect magnets and spoons from our vacations).  Then, we continued our way home.  The trip home was uneventful but LONG!  We finally made it home around 10:45pm Saturday, the 2nd. 

The snow-covered cars on Saturday morning. Snow-covered trees and rock on Saturday.These are the chairs on the back deck…left is Saturday and right is Friday.  That’s how much snow fell, and it was still snowing!

 

Micah wearing Mommy’s boots.Snow-covered trees on our way into town.Another snow-covered tree.This is a tree outside Fred’s General Store. 

With everything said, it was a GREAT vacation.  We had some great family time, and we thoroughly enjoyed the time with our friends as well.  Now, will we ever venture into a vacation with the possibility of snow again?  Why not?!!?  We have the snow chains now!  LOL!  Seriously, I’m perfectly content not seeing snow for a while.  The kids were able to play in it, and they had a blast.  But me…send me to the beach!