Tubing at Alpine Slide

This will be a long post. When I said I would blog our vacation, I wanted to do it because I wanted to make sure I got everything down as it happened. This is for the kids benefit as well as for when I finally get around to scrapbooking our trip. I don't know if I'll remember all this stuff later so you'll get the play by play of our vacation...hope you don't mind the extra long posts! You can also click on the photos to see a larger version.

It was 12 degrees today...COLD! It was also snowing today so the kids got to see the snowflakes & flurries. We woke up warm and toasty in our lodge. It is really a beautiful location nestled in the trees. The snow just makes it even prettier! I think I would like it here any time of the year!



We went snow tubing today at a place called Alpine Slide. On the way there, we got to see the area in daylight. It feels like we're in a fairytale! Driving along Big Bear Blvd felt like being in the story Hansel & Gretel. The snow& icicles on the cabins and the lodges makes it look so enchanting. There's lot of cute houses and beautiful log cabins that make it such a storybook setting.

Alpine Slide was so much fun! Imagine the Volcano Express at the Waterpark but longer and with snow and inner tubes. It's a good thing we got there when it first opened because it got really busy afterwards! All of the kids had fun although Braden decided that he had enough first. He said he was scared (that doesn't bode well for Disneyland.) They had a bobsled slide but it was closed so we didn't get to try it.

We got to see Big Bear Lake which is huge! The boats are all covered and dry docked for winter. The ducks were out though on the water. I can't imagine how cold that water is but since the lake is deep, the water doesn't freeze. The lake also supplies the water for snow making at the two local ski resorts, Snow Summit & Bear Mountain.

We came back to our room after tubing and rested and the kids went to play out in the snow. They actually went through part of the five acre property and played in the play area and in the trees. The snow was pretty deep but the boys played outside for a long time!

We had dinner at a place called Old Country Inn. Jim, our lodge owner, recommended it when I asked him. It's excellent and I recommend paying them a visit if you ever come to Big Bear.

We got to see Snow Summit at night. This is the mountain where we'll be snowboarding tomorrow. It's about five blocks from our lodge and it's soo pretty at night! The runs are lit up at night and it's just a cool thing to see! I hear that skiers & boarders come down with lights on New Year's Eve. It's too bad we won't be around to see that.


So, that's our first day...we are now back in our lodge, ready to toast marshmallows in front of the fireplace and then get to bed early in preparation for the slopes tomorrow morning! This is definitely cuddle weather!

Here's what the everyone else remembers of today:

Cody - My favorite thing today was playing outside of our lodge in the snow.
Brooke - My favorite thing was getting to see & play with snow for the first time.
Braden -I remember crashing while tubing.
Logie - My favorite thing today was tubing. (Logie played with snow everywhere we went!)
Brad - I remember the clam chowder at Old Country Inn. (This is the best I've tried, too!)