SNOWBOOTS & SWIMSUITS (or MiniVacation)
On Friday (Feb 20) we drove up to Terrace Lakes Resort, near Garden Valley, ID. Ryan went to be part of the Winter Whiteout, a yearly Venturing event, and we tagged along. The Venturers pitched their tents on the snow of the golf course. We pitched a cabin instead :)
We got there first and settled into the tiny little cabin quickly before heading to the geothermal swimming pool. It's fed by a hot spring, but is chlorinated and all that good stuff. It was strange to wear coats over our swim suits, but heavenly to step into the hot water.
Unfortunately, it was torturous to get out of the pool when we were hungry for dinner. The sun was starting to set and a breeze had picked up, which instantly turned our wet suits into ice. Okay, not literally. But it almost hurt!
It was so cozy in the cabin that we had nearly settled in for a long winters nap (and besides, it had cable!) while Ryan made his rounds with the Venturers. When he got back, he made us go out in the snow to try out the new sled. The sledding hill was iced over, and very fast. Jared couldn't get enough of it! He just about took out a few of the Venturer's tents at the bottom of the hill! Ryan and I took turns sledding with the boys, and wow, we were really bookin'.
The next morning, we packed up our Jeep and hit the hill again. Jared kept asking to go higher up the hill so he could go faster and farther. We couldn't believe what a speed demon he was! He was going as fast and as far as the 16-19 year olds. They were impressed.

But then he bailed, and hard. The sled tipped and he slid a ways on his face. The ice cut him up pretty bad, but nothing deep. His lower face was bloody, and his mouth was full of blood.
I walked him to the pool house to clean him up, and amazingly, there was a nurse in the changing room! She checked him over much more thoroughly than I knew how to. She made sure he could breathe, that he hadn't broken his nose, and that his teeth weren't loose. He was starting to swell up, so she instructed us to get a baggie of ice from the lodge restaurant. We stuffed it in one of Zach's socks and he held it on his face for a while, but I think the cool air kept the swelling down pretty well.

We thought he'd be done with the sledding for the day, but the Venturers had just pulled out their sleds for a contest. And these were Klondike Derby sleds, made from planks and old skis. Both boys were entranced and just had to try it!
When we'd burned off our breakfast, we had lunch by the pool, then changed directly from snowboots to swimsuits. That was very strange, let me tell you! And the pool house had soooo many hooks for all the coats and mounds of clothing that we had to take off.
After three hours in the pool, we could hardly get the boys out! This time, it wasn't so nippy outside, so it wasn't torture to get out. One of the female Venturing Leaders had suggested we bring a hairdryer. Ah, that was wonderful to have! We got all showered and dressed in clean clothes, then had dry hair for the drive home.

Every time we get in the car, Zach asks if we are going to "our cabin." I finally had to explain to him that it wasn't ours, and that we aren't going back. He was really bummed! I think he thought it was our new abode! But Ryan is already talking about going next year!

Ooops, I almost forgot to add the link to the rest of our pictures!