We went to sleep listening to the rain on the roof - still. And laughing because it was still raining, we were dry and having a good time. The guys had hoped for some back country skiing- and dreamed of fresh snow and sweet turns. Oh well. Those are good dreams. Some time in the early morning hours- it was quiet. The rain had stopped. what? Yes, the rain had stopped.
You can't tell very well by the photo- the table had a map laminated and covered with a clear resin on top. It's really fascinating to find the creeks, mountains, trails and roads immediately surrounding the Yurt.
We woke up with happy feelings.
Well almost. Christy had been up twice in the night, which means Kurt was up twice in the night so they tried to hide in their bags for a little longer. But they were happy.
After breakfast - Question. How many packages of oatmeal can Tyler eat? A lot. We packed up, refilled the wood pile and cleaned the Yurt. Every one helped.
Then the kids played out side - NOTICE THE BLUE SKY !!! while the adults finished packing.
We gathered for the obligatory group photo - Look BLUE sky.
The kids got their ski's on -ready to go
And off we went.
Opa's ready to go. I thought that after all the rain, the snow would be way packed down. I had snow shoes and discovered that I really made sunken steps in the snow. It would have been much worse with out the snow shoes. Opa gave me a ride on his polk. It was a blast riding out the last little bit til we got to the packed trail and I could easily walk out.
The little ones got sled rides when the terain changed from down hill to up hill. (Blue sky)
It doesn't' get better than this. For the last little bit, Jake rode in the sled I pulled. It had a pad on it, so he put his head down between his hands and went to sleep. He must have slept for almost a mile. Then when we got down to the cars, blip, the sled turned over, and Jake landed in the dirt.
He didn't cry he just looked around, and said "where are my snacks?" because they had been left in the car. He was thrilled to finally get his snacks.
And Jed made the last hole. Bringing the polk to the car, he went into the snow hip deep. Fitting for a snow adventure. Happy Birthday Jed. You look cute with snow hip deep.
Our next stop was Bonneville hot springs for a quick soak. We had a little tromp in from the road. We were glad for our snow boots, because we often punched through the snow if we missed the packed trail. At the hot springs the kids were a little disgusted by the slime and algie growing, but it didn't stop us from having more fun.
This was the best pool, comfortable -til a 1/2 inch of hot hot water swirled through. So we explored all the possibilities.
Kurt challenged the kids to try out the river water
The closer to the river, the colder the water.
In this pool, the water by shore was tepid, the water by Kurt, cold.
So the kids danced on the rock
soaked in the shower
There is a bath house on top of the hill, we didn't get to check it out,because it was occupied. I loved the waterfalls and colors the hot water creates.
And then it was time to get dressed. Put the snow boots (and squishy wet socks) back on for the walk out.
And to make this totally memorable - it rained on us on our walk out.
Should we do it again? YES PLEASE!
Some times I wonder if their definition of fun is a little bit different than mine.
Sometimes I try not to think about what kind of fun they might be having.
But when they share their photo's and stories,
I am always amazed at what they are doing.
And that they live to tell about the fun they are having.
I lifted this from a friend's facebook posting. It makes me giggle just looking at it - So I need to keep it where I can find it.
We had the opportunity to watch a trainer work with Pearl. A Bald Eagle who had been shot in the wing. Because the wing was permanently damaged, she will not be released into the wild - unless she chooses to fly off by her self. Lily, her trainer said that Pearl has had many opportunities to take off, but has always chosen to stay. She has stayed for over 15 years now. Her home is under the deck. She has a big rock perch and a view outside (and inside through the window) Eagles are social birds and she chose to make that her home rather than a roost down the hill.
Even though it was a breezy afternoon, Pearl wasn't in a soaring mood. Lily said that this would be her last public flying for the season. Eagles are in their prime in the winter. During the summer they molt their feathers - it takes a lot of energy to grow feathers, so they are allowed a summer vacation to build reserves for the next season. 
In order to keep Pearl, Lily also has to use her for public education. It was fascinating to learn of how a falconer handles birds and the fact that they are wild animals.
Here she had just come out of her cage and Oma great got a close up look before Pearl was given a chance to stretch her wings.
It is illegal to have eagle feathers. All of the feathers Pearl looses are kept for use by falconers to splice onto broken feathers that birds have broken. Lily and her family don't get any pay or help with feeding and care of the birds. She takes Pearl to schools and other functions for demonstrations. She also has had the opportunity to work with film makers who need a bald eagle in their movies.
After showing off, Pearl got a treat (duck and goose heads) She liked that a lot. I didn't get a good photo of Pearl with her wings spread or flying. (my camera is too slow) but it was magnificent. It was awesome to see her hop and walk on the ground. Lily also takes care of a golden eagle who lost half of a wing (gun shot) and will never fly again. It is so sad to realize that these regal birds are in captivity because of man's cruelty -isn't living in the wild dangerous enough? Thank you to the Wilkinson's for making this adventure possible.
You can't tell very well by the photo- the table had a map laminated and covered with a clear resin on top. It's really fascinating to find the creeks, mountains, trails and roads immediately surrounding the Yurt.
Well almost. Christy had been up twice in the night, which means Kurt was up twice in the night so they tried to hide in their bags for a little longer. But they were happy.
After breakfast - Question. How many packages of oatmeal can Tyler eat? A lot. We packed up, refilled the wood pile and cleaned the Yurt. Every one helped.
Then the kids played out side - NOTICE THE BLUE SKY !!! while the adults finished packing.
We gathered for the obligatory group photo - Look BLUE sky.
The kids got their ski's on -ready to go
And off we went.
Opa's ready to go. I thought that after all the rain, the snow would be way packed down. I had snow shoes and discovered that I really made sunken steps in the snow. It would have been much worse with out the snow shoes. Opa gave me a ride on his polk. It was a blast riding out the last little bit til we got to the packed trail and I could easily walk out.
The little ones got sled rides when the terain changed from down hill to up hill. (Blue sky)
He didn't cry he just looked around, and said "where are my snacks?" because they had been left in the car. He was thrilled to finally get his snacks.
And Jed made the last hole. Bringing the polk to the car, he went into the snow hip deep. Fitting for a snow adventure. Happy Birthday Jed. You look cute with snow hip deep.
Our next stop was Bonneville hot springs for a quick soak. We had a little tromp in from the road. We were glad for our snow boots, because we often punched through the snow if we missed the packed trail. At the hot springs the kids were a little disgusted by the slime and algie growing, but it didn't stop us from having more fun.
This was the best pool, comfortable -til a 1/2 inch of hot hot water swirled through. So we explored all the possibilities.
Kurt challenged the kids to try out the river water
The closer to the river, the colder the water.
In this pool, the water by shore was tepid, the water by Kurt, cold.
So the kids danced on the rock
soaked in the shower
There is a bath house on top of the hill, we didn't get to check it out,because it was occupied. I loved the waterfalls and colors the hot water creates.
And to make this totally memorable - it rained on us on our walk out.
Should we do it again? YES PLEASE!
Oh yes, I am thankful for my fun loving guys!