Snowmobiling for Spencer's birthday

Earlier this month, we celebrated a milestone birthday for Spencer while we were in Breckenridge. We were fortunate to have a few special guests who made his birthday extra special. Spencer's mom and a couple friends from San Francisco came to Tiger Run RV Resort to share in the celebration!

As my present to Spence, the two of us rented a couple snowmobiles to enjoy the freshly falling April powder. We had no idea what adventures the day would hold. I rented one snowmobile for each of us, because duh! I'm a modern woman and I want to ride my own "horse" into the sunset.

After a brief safety introduction, we started off on an unguided tour in an area "well-groomed" for sleds, the Vail Pass Recreation Area, which is part of the White River National Forest. The snow was falling pretty heavily and visibility was low. The trails were extremely difficult to identify. Less than 30 minutes into the ride, we were already up a tree. Actually, literally in a tree. At least Spencer's snowmobile was. In the tree.

Despite being well-versed in the art of motor sports and capable of maneuvering anything with an engine, Spencer accidentally plowed into some soft snow and tilted into a tree. All I could think was that should have been me. Me, the one who can't (parallel) park. (Everywhere you go has valet!)

I decided to make snow angels and look after our beloved Zippy (the snowmobile), while Spencer went on my undamaged sled to get help. Just when I finished debating my squirrel-skinning abilities a la Winter's Bone, help arrived and two burly men were able to turn the snowmobile upright. Spencer and our snowmobile wrangler came back and all four men moved the sled out of the tree well. My efforts to gently nudge it were, in fact, fruitless.

Unfortunately, the oil had completely drained out and we had to wait for our wrangler to return with a fresh batch. The whole process took more than an hour.

After that, we were able to enjoy the rest of our half-day rental, despite not having much time to go very far. We did see some beautiful areas of the forest that aren't easily accessible unless you're on a sled.

 

My wish for Spencer to have a memorable birthday: Granted. We won't forget that adventure anytime soon.

Meet Ellie, our Colorado snow pup

It's been too long since the last post, but we have been busy loving life in the Rocky Mountains! We set up shop here in Breckenridge, CO in February and we're staying through the end of April. As much fun as we've had snowboarding (or at least in Rachel's case, trying to snowboard), the newest member of our family might be having even more fun in the snow. 

Meet Ellie, our chocolate Labrador retriever who is convinced she's a mountain dog. We adopted her 2 weeks ago from a local pet rescue. Ellie and her littermates were flown in from Joplin, Missouri through a wonderful organization called Pilots n Paws. As soon as we laid our eyes on her, we knew she was our little girl. 

     

Ellie will be joining us on the road, so we hope she's not too devastated once we move to a warmer location without all that fluffy white stuff. Ellie, we know Mom will miss playing in the snow, too.