Skiing and Fun in the Snow

The ski weather was much better the second day and Jon even arrived in time to ski in the afternoon.  Stephen, Shannon and I spent the day at the lodge; we had plenty of time to watch our grandkids ski and play in the snow.  It was also great to watch our two sons enjoy skiing together.  It was a great day!

Tahoe Donner

We packed up the car yesterday and made the drive to Tahoe area . . . thankfully, it wasn't necessary to put the chains on even when we drove over the pass.  We pulled in to town, stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things and then found our "vacation" home.  There had been quite a bit of snow and it was impossible to get up the driveway, so Stephen and Daniel unloaded the van and then went to a nearby parking lot to put on the chains.  Maleia and Josiah found some time to play in the snow before it got dark!

This  morning the snow was falling like crazy so it turned out to be fortunate that the chains were already on the van.  The wet snow was really piling up.  It was Josiah's first day to ski so he was really excited.  Here they are after breakfast. 

The next step was loading up the van, getting the ski boots, mittens and ski jackets on.  The wind and snow were really blowing when we dropped them off at the entrance.   We were

hoping that Josiah would be brave enough to take his first ski lesson.  Stephen, Aviah and I came back to the condo and played with blocks, babies and puzzles.  They called about 11:15 to say that Tahoe Donner was closing the chair lifts because of the wind.  We picked up four wet, tired and hungry skiers.  Josiah was excited to tell us all about how he learned to make "french fries" and "pizza" with his skies.

Tahoe Trip

We left for Tahoe on Saturday afternoon--it's not a terribly long drive, but it was raining so we didn't make great time.  Not too far from the pass, Cal Trans was requiring chains.  Daniel and Stephen decided to pay one of the "professional" chain installers who were dressed in rain gear rather than doing it themselves.  As it turned out, we really didn't even need the chains as most of the time we were driving in slushy rain.  After clearing the highest point and starting down the mountain, one of the chains broke.  What a mess--it took Daniel, Stephen and a random stranger who offered to help more than 30 minutes to get the chains off.  

Anyway, we finally pulled into our condo rental at Tahoe Donner about 8:30 and got the kids off to bed; we had a quick supper, watched a little of the Olympics and called it a night.

Daniel and Maleia were hoping to ski on Sunday, but it rained all day.  They tell me that skiing in rain is very uncomfortable and cold as ski wear is made to repel snow, but not constant rain.  Maleia was a bit under the weather, so we took it easy.  Stephen and I were able to visit the shops in downtown Truckee while Daniel and Shannon took Maleia ice skating.

The weather on Monday was much nicer so we checked out of the condo and drove to Boreal Mountain.  Daniel and Maleia skied, Josiah and Shannon played in the snow and Stephen and I watched Aviah in the lodge.