Snowboarding, DUDE.

I took all three kids up to the snow with the intention of letting the boys try snowboarding.

Well, I forgot my camera when we went to the snow. I was going to buy a disposable one, but ended up never thinking of it anywhere that I could get one. I'm just organized that way, I guess.

It's supposed to be about a two hour drive. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

So we drove up on Tuesday in a snow storm. It was crazy. And it cost me double the price for tire chains because I was buying them almost up to the snow line during a snow storm. Then it cost me $30 for the guy in a yellow jumpsuit to put them on at the side of the road. But they work, so fine.

It was insane. Totally insane. If I hadn't had hotel reservations, I would have turned around and tried again the next day. With all the stops and the slow going, it took almost 4 hours.

We checked into the hotel that afternoon and relaxed for a bit and then went out for a walk and threw snowballs at each other (there was about a foot of fine powder). Then i got DD to sleep and let the boys go to the sauna by themselves for a bit. No hot tub, which they would have liked better, but hey, now they've tried it.

We went out for pizza that night and by bedtime, DD was throwing a screaming tantrum so we all went to bed early. I was awake half the night for no apparent reason - I fell asleep and then woke up at 1:30 then was awake until almost 5. Yeah, it stunk.

So the next morning, there was another foot or more of snow everywhere, so we cleaned off the car and set out for the ski place, only to discover that the road between the side of Donner Lake and Donner Ski Ranch was closed. So the hotel I chose because it was 3 miles from the mountain? Yeah, not so great. So I drove out to the highway and made the loop back to the next exit and it turned out to be the wrong exit and we drove aimlessly and finally went and got bagels in Truckee and then back to the hotel to call the Ski Ranch how the h*** to find them. I had to go one MORE exit back, making it a 12+ mile loop instead of the intended 3 miles.

So we got there a bit after 11 to discover that all the lessons at 12:30 were full. Since I have no clue as to snowboarding, we then bought lunch in the overpriced greasy cafeteria and sat around until the 2:00 lesson. It turned out to be a good choice anyway, because there were only 2 or 3 other kids in their lesson group and 2 instructors. They went down the smaller hill 4 or 5 times with the lesson and then DS1 had enough. DS2 went down a couple more time and then we turned in their rented gear and called it a day.

DD and I wandered around the restaurant/lounge area and got snacks and put her snow pants and coat on and off and on and off to go out and back in and out and back in.

The roads were basically dry by then, though the pass road was still closed, so I went around by the highway with the chains still on, which is not a good idea with everyone else going 65. DS2 and I got them off when we got back to the hotel.

We ordered in pizza. Mmmmm pizza! And went to bed sort of early.

Thursday morning, we packed up and left - the pass road was finally open, so we made good time on the little, twisting road with steep rock faces covered with snow. No habitation or businesses along there, so they saved it for last, I guess.

DS1 didn't want to snowboard again and didn't want to ski, so I signed DS2 up for lessons and rented his gear and he went down the slope alone a couple of times. I got them hot chocolate and he drank it quickly before his 10:30 lesson.

DD and DS1 and I wandered around the restaurant/lounge area and got snacks and put her snow pants and coat on and off and on and off to go out and back in and out and back in. DS1 took DS2's scarf thing out to him part of the way through the lesson and helped him out it on. What a nice big brother. There were a lot more people there the second day and it was packed, so less amusing than when it was a little more open.

It was a lot colder on Thursday and had started to snow again, so when the lesson was over, I got him another cup of chocolate. He looked so completely tired and I couldn't stomach eating expensive grease again, so we left. He cried and cried.

Oh, did you notice something? I forgot to check out of the hotel and my pay-as-you-go phone was out of money, so DS1 and DD and I drove back to the hotel and checked out and then came back. Probably illegal to leave a seven year-old behind even for that half an hour and even though he was supervised in his lesson.

So the roads were wet, but not yet snowy again, though snow was coming down and blowing like crazy even down below 4000 feet. And my wiper fluid nozzles had frozen up, so i couldn't get the windshield clean from the spray from other cars. Yet another driving delight!

We stopped for McDonald's halfway back, just below the snow. DS2 was still mad at me and wouldn't get out of the car, so we got our food to go.

We did make really good time, though: just over 2 hours.

And boy, I'm still totally wiped out, 24 hours after we got home.