Snow? In Pinecrest?

Since we first started dating, Stefanie and I have spent a week in Pinecrest every summer with Bill and Marlene and the rest of the family, and Stefanie has been going before that since she was little. Last year we began a new tradition of visiting the snow of Pinecrest. Even in April the snow was still thick. So we figured that if April was good, February would be better. Unfortunately, the snow didn't follow the plan the year.

We left Sunday afternoon with the Adams family and made our way to Pinecrest. I still get that excited feeling when I see the first signs of snow along the highway, but I was a bit worried when we were 10 miles away with no visible signs of snow. Finally we saw traces as we got closer at 7:30 pm.

The bottom line was that I was pretty worried about the trip. A snow trip with 2 inches of snow on the ground didn't sound too exciting. But what do I know? Kids seem to be bored while surrounded with a mountain of toys and able make fun out of the pinch of snow.

The next day we drove to the top of Dodge Ridge and found a simple but fun sledding hill. We built snowpeople, sled, and had snowball fights. Before long, it started to snow. It ws a beautiful scene to be in a snowy forest with big flakes falling all around you.

The next day we played soccer in the snow, sled some more, and fought a lot of snowball fights. Marley thought the snow was the greatest thing she ever saw. Some friends gave us a very nice snow suit so she was never cold. I think that is why she had no problem with sitting in the snow and eating popcorn for 20 minutes.

I think the most striking thing was the emptied lake. We visited the lake before we left and walked along the bottom. Pinecrest is a man-made lake, so you can see the stumps of trees chopped down stretched out across the bottom. All that is left is a small pond in the middle of what used to be the lake. The dock is dragged crookedly down the side of the lake, and a mountain of boulders I have never seen rise up from the middle. Even when the lake is lower in late summer, these boulders are never seen even though they tower 40 feet above the bottom of the dried out lake. This picture shows the kids sitting at the end of the dock close to the bottom of the dried lake. I reckon that they are sitting 50-60 feet below the surface of the lake in summer.

The drive home gave Stef and I some time to think about how different a vacation with kids is from one without them. We had a lot of fun, but we are looking forward to the beginning of March for a trip to Palm Springs by ourselves. I'm sure it will be a shocker, but a shock we can survive to be sure.