For his winter vacation, our son announced he wanted to go skiing. Not water-skiing, downhill skiing. My DH and I looked at each other and wondered where this mutant being came from. Our family usually spends the winter break someplace where you can bask in the warm sunshine on a white beach and paddle through turquoise blue waters with brightly colored fish for company. Downhill skiing involves SNOW which involves COLD which we have plenty of in New Jersey in February.
However, being the agreeable parents we are, we booked a hotel in Lake Placid, New York, in the heart of the beautiful, SNOWY Adirondacks. Amazingly enough, we had a great time. I don’t do downhill skiing. Been there, done that, have a bad knee to prove it. However, I managed to find lots of other fun things to do in the COLD.
Here I am skating on the 400-meter oval where Eric Heiden won his 5 gold speed-skating medals in 1980. It’s a loooong way around this track!
Here I am with my DH snow-shoeing through the alpine forest of the Adirondacks. That’s a workout!
I also went cross-country skiing but didn’t manage to bring my camera for that. I even talked DH into trying it; he’s REALLY not into cold weather. But he said he’d try it again. What a trooper!
My last activity was something I’ve always, always wanted to do: ride in a dog sled across a frozen lake. Mush!
I wasn’t allowed to “drive” but riding was a blast. DH and I were tucked snugly under a blanket as we flew across the ice.
This is how I survived all my unaccustomed activities:
Our hotel’s fabulous hot tub. It bubbled away all my muscle aches and pains before I even knew I had them. There’s something very decadent about sitting submerged up to your chin in warm, frothy water while snow swirls by the window outside.
Ahhhhhh!
Fun fact: This gorgeous region is actually named after an insult. Evidently the Iroquois disliked the Algonquin tribes who lived here and called them by the derogatory name Adirondack which means literally “bark-eaters.” Who knew?
Oh, Nancy, your vacation sounds like so much fun. Hey, warm weather gets old fast. As only a person living in Fl. could say in the middle of winter. My DS moved to DC in Sept. and is loving the snow. Thanks for the contest also.
It sounds like you had a fab time! The last picture particularly appeals to me, LOL, although I fancy the idea of a sled ride and saying “Mush” too.
Michelle, I have to admit that I really miss that hot tub!
Ellen, your DS moved to DC at the right time since this year’s snowfall is unusual. It rarely snows there and when it does they completely fall apart. Being from West Virginia where snow is quite common, we used to poke fun at the Washingtonians panicking at a few flakes.
Hey, Nancy! As a cold weather kind of girl, I am deeply envious of your Lake Placid trip. I love it up there and would see some cashmere yarn to fly across the ice in a dog sled! What a great vacation!!
Honestly, Barbara,, I would have preferred a sunny beach but this vacation turned out a lot better than I expected.
Nancy, my DS called last night from DC, I think he might be getting a little tired of the snow. Seems the snow was so deep it was hard to walk to the Metro. Only 4 people out of 15 in his unit at the FBI were able to make it to work. LOL
He is coming back home next weekend for a wedding.
Ellen, I’ll bet he’s really looking forward to some Florida sunshine!
How cool that he’s in the FBI!
Nice! We went snowshoeing here recently, too, and then I tried snowboarding for the first time. No Japanese cold-weather sport is complete without a soak in a hot spring bath. Aaaah.
What fun to come across your post! Glad you had a wonderful time. We’re moving to the Adirondacks permanently in a few months, and we love it there.