Lyfting Me Up

Leg #2 of our epic road trip has been10 days at our daughter Stephanie’s— the 50 year old mom of two kids under five. On Thursday we signed up for a snow day on Mt. Baldy. Mt Baldy is located about 1.5 hours outside of LA. All I knew about this outing is that Sofia was planning on making her own snowman with real snow. We loaded up two cars with enough “winter gear” for a Colorado blizzard and headed east out of LA.

I had no idea what to expect. I had never driven to a “ski area” by palm trees. We soon headed up a very steep mountainous road and my ears began the familiar popping of climbing altitude. We reached the Mt. Baldy visitor center and there was not a snow flake in sight. The ranger told us to head on up the mountain to the recreation area where we were promised snow. After about a 10 minute drive we came to a very challenging parking area, where fun seekers were carrying their sleds to perhaps a 300 yard patch of snow, on the shady side of the mountain.

The family headed over there totally wrapped in snow suits. I was trying not to laugh. This area was to winter sports what the surfing area at Water World, is to beach time. The sledding area would be best described as a place where “sleds and discs go to die”. It was littered with stacks and pieces of winter fun that had crashed in to the river bed below.

I went back to the car to sleep as my ability to stand on rocks for long has failed with age. When the family returned there were smiles and no tears. I asked Sofia if she made her snowman and Dad Patrick produced the photographic evidence. Ignorance is bliss. Their snow day was a success.

As we were headed down through the densely commercialized “mountain vistas” we passed a “Catch Wild Trout Here—no license or limit” required. I guess if you can call the patch of snow a recreation area, you can call a pond with hatchery trout a fishing lake.

The best part is that the kids had a great time and the lodge at the visitor center had a wonderful fireplace complete with veggie chili fries.

For those of you that have been to the Cave Dwellings in Manitou Springs, Colorado, you must know— they are fake, and from time to time the water that comes down Seven Falls up the road, is pumped up there.

Fun is where you find it.

Onward and Upward,

Mark