Wedging Our Way Through the Holidays - Learning To Ski At Snow Summit

During our Disney Cruise earlier in the year, the kids had so much fun together that The Wife and The Brother-In-Law started contemplating a joint skiing vacation.  Lofty aspirations of Deer Valley, Breckinridge, or Lake Tahoe dissipated until the decision was made to go to Snow Summit, only 2 hrs east of Los Angeles near the city of Big Bear Lake.  Since neither The Boy and The Girl nor their cousins Thing 1, Thing 2, and The Third Wheel had ever skied, it didn't make sense to go to some expensive resort when we would be spending much of the time on the bunny slopes.

The Big Sister made the arrangements.  Although we only had a few months notice, she was able to find a good property on VRBO (vacation rentals by owner). The condo was large enough to fit the nine of us.  The best part is that it is literally walking distance from the entrance of Snow Summitt.  Since we would be going during the peak Holiday season, we didn't want to have to deal with parking issues or waiting for shuttle buses.

Since we didn't have any skiing equipment, we had to start from scratch.  I was appalled at the prices of ski pants on the REI website.  Fortunately, we got some inexpensive, generic ones from Costco. We purchased some Oakley ski goggles (the Asian fit) for less off of EBay.  We also got some used ski bibs for the kids since it may be the only time they would ever use them.  Most importantly, we bought some ski helmets for the them on Amazon.com.  There were some cool-looking ones, but I bought them the plain white ones because they were on sale.  The Wife and I weren't going to wear helmets because style > safety.  Besides, we weren't going to pull a Natasha Richardson.

On Cyber Monday, we capitalized on the 20% discount that Snow Summit offered on tickets and lessons. We enrolled The Boy, The Girl, Thing 1, and Thing 2 in the kids ski school.  They would take the 4-hour "First Time Beginner" lessons on Day 1 and another 4-hour "The Next Steps" lessons on Day 2.  Similarly, since The Wife had never been skiing and I had done it only once 20 years ago, we both enrolled in the "First Time Beginner" lessons for adults.  Both of us and The Big Sister also signed up for the 2 hour "Beyond Beginner" lessons on Day 2.  There weren't really any options for the Third Wheel since he was only three years old.  He would take some expensive private ski lessons.  While everybody was learning to ski, the Brother-In-Law would learn how to fall repetitively on his snowboard.


*****


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

After celebrating Christmas at at the crack of dawn, we raced to the airport for our flight to Los Angeles. We would be spending the day at their house.  She proceeded to bake a turkey using an oven bag.  It's not the way I would do it, but surprisingly it turned out good.

The Boy spent most of the day playing the XBox 360 with Thing 1 and Thing 2.  They are all Minecraft fanatics.  The twins also wanted to play their new Disney Infinity game.  After having dealt with the money pit known as Skylanders, I'm surprised The Big Sister fell for another trap.  Thankfully, The Boy was not enraptured by the game.

While the boys were occupied with video games, The Girl obsessively sang the entire soundtrack to the movie Frozen.  She even memorized all of the gesticulations scene-by-scene.  Disney will eventually brainwash your kids, one way or the other.


*****


Thursday, December 26, 2013

The next morning, The Big Sister and I raided the grocery store as we were not planning to eat out at all once we made it to Big Bear Lake.  We are both methodical and like to plan things ahead.  We pretty much had all the meals and snacks perfectly calculated out to last us the entire trip.  We would wait until we got up the mountain to buy the perishable items such as milk that would spoil on the ride.

We packed up the kids and headed to Big Bear Lake.  The traffic wasn't bad at all until we started going up the mountain.  The road narrowed to one lane.  Fortunately for us, the weather was perfect.  If it had been snowy or icy, we would have had to learn how to put snow chains on the tires.

The condominium was just as advertised.  It was literally a two minutes walk (five if you are wearing ski boots and carrying equipment for several children) to the entrance of Snow Summit.  After settling in, we went ahead and rented our skis, poles, and boots in advance.  That way we wouldn't have to wake up so early the next morning and fight the crowds to get the rentals.

I went ahead and made a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner that night.  I also prepared some tomato soup for the following day.  We were so close to the park's entrance that we could easily walk back for lunch.

The Wife and The-Brother-In-Law went out for a quick run to the grocery store to pick up some milk.  More than an hour later, they returned instead with a car full of junk food including more boxes of cereal, 3 loaves of artisan breads, several bags of chips, 4 containers of ice cream ("It was on sale!" exclaimed The Wife), and an additional 4 bottles of diet coke.  So much for all of the planning.

The kids turned in that night, excited to be skiing for their first time.


*****


Friday, December 27, 2013

After a quick breakfast, it took forever to get every kid dressed in their ski clothes and snow boots.  It took even longer to figure out which skis belonged to what person.  The Big Sister stayed behind with the Third Wheel as they would not be hitting the slopes that day.  We finally made it to Snow Summit and dropped the older kids off at their respective ski schools.

We were all eager to learn how to fall down.

The Wife and I checked in at our class.  When they say beginner, they really mean beginner.  We were taught the basics such as how to put the skis on while on an incline, how to walk uphill with skis, how to stand while skiing, and how to "wedge" the skis to slow down.  I knew all of this from 20 years ago so it was somewhat painful for me.  However, for The Wife it was a true education.

We had worn several layers expecting to be cold on the ski slope.  However, the weather was a warm 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit.

I ended up ditching the ski jacket and sweater.
I was plenty warm with just a long-sleeve T-shirt.

After wedging on the bunny slope for about two hours, our class was over.  We picked the kids up from their schools and went back to the condo for lunch.  We had the tomato soup with some grilled cheese sandwiches.  Even the finicky kids enjoyed them.

That afternoon, the kids, The Wife and I spent two more hours finishing up our lessons for the day. We occasionally saw The Boy and his cousins effortlessly sliding down the slopes behind their instructors.

The Boy waits in line with his class for the ski lift.

Despite my assurances that snow is soft, The Wife was still very scared about falling so she was always the slowest person in our class.  We did catch some glimpses of Brother-In-Law on his snowboard.  I think he spent more time on his behind, then on the board.

That night The Big Sister made some curried salmon croquettes for dinner.  Despite her non-penchant for all things culinary, the food was very good.  All the adults and males in the house were really starting to get annoyed by The Girls incessant singing of the Frozen soundtrack.


*****

Saturday, December 28, 2013

After breakfast that morning, we dropped the kids back off at their ski schools.  The Wife, The Big Sister, and I checked in for the "Beyond Beginner" class.  They first had us ski down the slope and come to a stop to check our progression.  The Big Sister and I were put into the more advanced skiers.  The Wife was stuck with the folks who have no sense of balance.  They taught us some slightly more advanced methods of turning and stopping, but for the most part, we just practiced skiing down the bunny slope.  The advantage of this lesson was that we could skip the long queues for the bunny slope lift.  The classes have their own separate line.

The Third Wheel took his private lessons and did really well.  We didn't see him fall down during those two hours.  The ski instructors seemed well-versed in working with kids of all ages.

After breaking for a lunch of split pea soup back at the condo, we dropped the kids back off at their respective ski schools.  The Wife volunteered to watch The Third Wheel that afternoon.  The Big Sister, The Brother-In-Law, and I took the All Mountain Express Lift up to the top of the mountain.  It was much colder up their compared to the bunny slope.  I was regretting only wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

We went down the Summit Run twice.  It's a green, but it is complicated by the fact that it is crowded with novices like myself.  There are more obstacles to dodge including people who keep wiping out.  I did want to go fast and ended up falling twice, both at the same spots.  I really regretted not wearing my ski jacket then.  The Big Sister had no problems as she is quite methodical at skiing under control down the slopes.  The Brother-In-Law?  Let's say he was still trying to get accustomed to the snowboard.  By the second time down the run, he was too tired and sore to go again.

We picked the kids up from the last of their ski lessons.  I made beef stew for dinner that night.  While I cooked, I occasionally heard Thing 2 unconsciously humming the song "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen.

Before going to bed, we re-watched some Disney movies that we had on DVD.

*****

Sunday, December 29, 2013

This would be our last day on the ski slopes.  The Big Sister was going to stay behind with The Third Wheel.  The Wife and The Girl preferred to continue practicing on the bunny slopes.  The Brother-In-Law and I would end up taking The Boy, Thing 1, and Thing 2 down the Summit Run.  This time around, I was smart enough to wear my ski jacket.

Unlike the bunny slope lifts, the All Mountain Express Lifts are very efficient and not very crowded.  There is very little waiting in line.  All of the boys were fearless going down the ski slopes.

You are supposed to celebrate AFTER you make it down the ski run.

Green benches at the summit provided a respite
for The Brother-In-Law from falling down.

The Boy found the green routes to be very easy.

He was anxious to try some of the harder routes.

The Boy and Thing 2 were so light that they just easily glided along the snow.  They could simply just wedge down the steeper inclines.  That was not the case for Thing 1, The Brother-In-Law, and myself.  Since we were heavier with a higher center of balance, we had to watch our speed much closer as it was harder for us to slow down.

We went down that green route several times until Thing 1 and 2 were tired and wanted to go back to the condo.  I took The Boy one last time, but we decided to go down the blue trail instead.  It was a lot of fun and scarier for me.  The Boy made it seem effortless until he wiped out in the middle of the steepest slope at the end.  Since I was already below him, it was going to be a pain to walk back up to help him.  Luckily, some nice skier coming down stopped and helped him back on his skis.  We finished the slope and that ended our skiing for the trip.

We found The Girl and The Wife still on the bunny slope.

The Girl had no qualms about skiing fast.

They had had their fill of long waits on the bunny lift.

The Wife still kept wedging all the way down.

The Boy learned how to use poles to pull himself around.  The Girl just relied on gravity.

We returned all of our gear back to the rental area and had pasta for dinner that night.  It was amusing to see the boys looking over The Girl's shoulder as she watched clips of Frozen on YouTube.


*****


Monday, December 30, 2013

After breakfast, we packed up our gear and checked out of the condo.  We drove the 2 hours back to Los Angeles.  For lunch we got some takeout at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant.  We also stopped by the 99 Ranch Market for some ethnic groceries for dinner.  It was good to see that the Asian grocery stores back home have almost caught up with the standards set by Southern California.

The Big Sister and The Wife went to the fancy mall to do shop for some overpriced clothes that we can't get back at home. Sheer boredom.

That night, The Big Sister whipped up some dinner from a Vietnamese cookbook.  I have been pleasantly surprised that she does know how to cook, albeit know quite like The Mother yet.  The kids watched the second of the Percy Jackson movies that they had on DVD.  I'm pretty sure that if Frozen had already been released on disc, they would have opted for it.


*****


Sunday, December 31, 2013

The next morning, we caught a very early flight back home.  The Kids and I really enjoyed our time skiing.  With a little more practice, I think we would be ready to tackle some of the harder slopes.  The Wife, on the other hand, just wasn't into the speed thing.  I think it took her another week of being home, before she stopped trying to wedge whenever she walked around.

Getting Into A Natural State - Four Days in Arkansas

I don't get the allure of Minecraft.  The Boy is infatuated with it, as are most of his friends at school.  Even The Girl will play it with him on the XBox now and then.  I grew up playing games on the computer, and I tried playing it with him.  Unfortunately, I just can't get interested in the game.

The Wife and I have been bothered about how much the kids are inside on nice summer days watching television and playing games.  We decided that they need to be reintroduced to the great outdoors.  As much as I enjoy making fun of my friends from Arkansas, I do have to admit that it is a much more beautiful state than West Tennessee.  For the kids fall break, we decided to drive them across the Mississippi for some real life Minecraft.  Afterwards, we would spend a couple of days enjoying the nearby Lake Ouachita State Park.

The Crater of Diamonds is a unique area in North America caused by an ancient volcanic vent that formed about 100 million years ago.  This geologic formation spewed material from the Earth's mantle including diamonds onto the surface of the Earth.  Diamonds were first discovered in this area in 1906.  Initially, private and commercial mining was done, but the State of Arkansas purchased the land in 1972 and opened it up to the general public.  This area has  produced notable finds such as the 40 carat "Uncle Sam Diamond,"  the largest diamond found in North America.  Others include the 4.25 carat "Kahn Canary" diamond worn by Hillary Clinton at Bill's presidential inauguration.  Still on display at the park, is the 3 carat "Strawn-Wagner" diamond, the highest graded diamond ever evaluated by the American Gem Society.  It achieved a perfect triple-zero score.

Are these finds anomalies.  Sure.  However, the park averages more than 1 diamond found per day.  In fact in 2007, a total of 1024 were found.  Most of them are tiny averaging way under 1 carat.  However, a month before we were to go, some kid from North Carolina found a 5.16 carat one after less than 10 minutes in the park.


*****


Friday, October 11, 2013

We set off early for the 4 hour drive to the Crater of Diamonds State Park just southwest of Hot Springs Arkansas.  The journey took us off the highway and onto some country roads that used to be part of the Trail of Tears.

Teaching the kids about the Trail of Tears was a good lesson for them to never trust Whitey.

We arrived at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in the late morning.  We parked at the Diamond Discovery Center.  The fall air was cool but the midday sun was hot.  During the summer months, there is a small water park next to the center.  However, it was already closed for the Fall.

Aside from the diamond mine, the park also had autumnal activities for the kids on the weekends.

There's a small geological museum at the Diamond Discovery Center.

Could they not find a diamond the same size as all the other rocks?

We paid $26 for admission for the 4 of us.  All sorts of mining equipment can be rented from the park including shovels, buckets, wheelbarrows, etc.  We just paid $3.50 for the use of a set of box screens.  The remaining gear we just brought from home.

The "mine" is actually a 37.5 acre field that is plowed regularly.  This allows the ground to be uprooted thus bringing some of the buried diamonds above ground.  Rain is also helpful because it washes the dirt off the diamonds making them easier to see.  Mud does not stick to diamonds as easily as it does other types of rocks.

By the time we arrived, there were already several groups of people out there.

The mine had little shade from the hot sun. 

We first set the kids off to hunt for diamonds.  We figured that with their sharp eyes, that they would be able to spot any diamonds that were just lying around.

The Boy collected many rocks that looked interesting.  But nothing valuable.

I think that The Girl was just goofing off and thinking about princesses.

The Wife and I found an unoccupied area and started "mining."  

We first dug up a bunch of dirt and put it into buckets

The park has regulations that you can't dig
a hole more than a foot or two deep.

The buckets full of dirt would be
carried over to a sluicing trough.

The dirt would be put into a series of box screens and submerged in water.

The dirt would be washed away...

...and the rocks would settle on the screen.

Successively finer meshed screens would be used...

 ...to separate the smaller rocks from the bigger ones.

Digging the dirt up was very hot without shade from the sun.  However, sticking my hands under the cool water from the sluicing trowel was refreshing.  The Wife showed no interest in doing any sluicing.  The work was hard and tedious.  But it was also mindlessly therapeutic.

There were also some large shaded...

...sluicing pavilions throughout the mine.

The kids helped for awhile.  But after an hour or two, they finally got too hot and bored.  They just took an indefinite break and rested in the shade.  

The Girl dug a few holes.

The Boy was busy "supervising" the excavation from the shade.

We also took a lunch break.  There is a cafe on site, but I had brought some barbecued ribs that I made the day before.  We ate lunch on some picnic tables located underneath a copse of trees within the mine area.  We worked for another hour or two after lunch but to no avail.  There would be no diamond for us.

On the way out of the park, we returned our screens and got our deposit back.  The Boy had his findings analyzed by the geologist that they have on site.  He showed him the different varieties of rocks that he found--quartz, calcite, lamproite, shards of glass from a broken bottle, etc.  

We spent a few dollars more for souvenir rocks for the kids.

This quarter was our most valuable find of the day.

We headed to the nearby town of Murfreesboro, Arkansas to check into our lodgings for the night.  The town itself is tiny.  It took just a few minutes to drive from one end to the next.  Just north of the town is the Diamonds Old West Cabins which just opened within the last year.  There're six cabins styled to look like buildings from the wild west.

We stayed in the Sheriff's Office.  The Jail, decorated with bars and all, was already reserved.

There are also cabins decorated to look like a blacksmith's shop, stables, a bank, and a saloon.

I REALLY wanted to stay in the sixth building which is Miss Kitty's Brothel.  However, The Wife squashed that idea because she didn't want to have to explain to the kids about whorehouses.

Inside the cabin, there are modern features such as a king-sized
bed, a shower, jacuzzi, satellite television, and refrigerator.

Photographs of old lawman and decorative badges adorn the walls.

We didn't try the handcuffs.
BDSM ain't our thing.

The world's worst gun safe.

I'm glad to see that my picture had not made it on a flyer yet.

After we settled in and rested, we drove back into town for dinner.  There's not a whole lot of dining options in Murfreesboro.  There's a Sonic (every town has one) and maybe six small local restaurants.  And that's about it.  Based on the recommendation by the owner of the Diamonds Old West Cabins, we settled on the town's "exotic" cuisine.

 Los Agaves Mexican Restaurant

Chiles rellenos

Shrimp diablo

 In fairness, I was expecting some god-awful Tex-Mex.  Usually most of these joints are just 20 menu items composed of ground beef, cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and flour tortillas arranged in different order.    Instead we got good service (chips and salsa pretty much immediately) and a varied menu.  I'm no expert on Mexican food, but I could tell it was more authentic than "On the Border."

Despite their expressions, The Boy enjoyed his quesadilla and The Girl her taco.

We all enjoyed limeaids which did take awhile to get to us (maybe they were fresh squeezed?).  Best of all, the place was inexpensive.  After dinner, there was nothing left in town to do but go back to our cabin.  Murfreesboro is in a dry county with no nightlife.  

I guess everybody was really tired from all that digging because they turned in really early.

*****


Saturday, October 12, 2013

The next morning, we checked out and headed a few hours northeast back towards Hot Springs.  We would be doing some more digging today.  But instead of diamonds, we would be looking for crystals.  In this area of the state, quartz crystal formations can be very common.  We drove to Jessieville, 16 miles north of Hot Springs, to visit JIM Coleman's Quartz Mine (There's another similar one nearby run by a RON Coleman).  

The turn off from the highway was in the middle of nowhere.

We followed the gravel road up the mountain.  I was glad that we had taken the SUV with 4x4 suspension because some of the stretches were very steep.  We arrived at the mine area.  There was a house there where we checked in and paid our fees.  It was only $10 per adult and free for kids under 10 years of age.  

The mine is actually a commercial business where heavy machines uncovered the dirt to find the quartz crystals.  Most of the big veins were then sold off to companies such as watchmakers.  We would be digging around in the "tailings."  This is the dirt that was discarded into large piles near the entrance of the area.  While it was unlikely that we would find a 10 foot high quartz, we were hoping to find something pretty that we could put on our display case in the living room.

The dirt around the mine is like red clay.  Therefore, we all wore clothes that we wouldn't mind throwing away.  When I researched quartz mining a few weeks earlier, many people recommended bringing special equipment including rock hammers, a crowbar, three pronged-garden tools, and plenty of screwdrivers.  These were not the items I had expected for "mining," but I made a trip to Harbor Freight and bought some of the cheapest versions of each.  The crowbar and three-pronged tool were not very useful.  But the screwdrivers were essential for loosening up the dirt and scraping off the mud.

We climbed up a big mound of dirt to get to the most recent "tailings."

The Girl had an easier time climbing up the
dirt pile since she didn't have any equipment.

The Boy tried to be useful, loosening up the dirt.

The Girl just stayed cool and hydrated.

In order to find any crystals, we
really had to get our hands dirty.

Our biggest problem is that we had no idea what we were really looking for.

We didn't have to lug our equipment far as we could park right next to the "tailings."

After a few hours, we had two buckets full of rocks that we thought might be interesting.  The problem is that we couldn't really tell because they were all caked with clumps of dirt.  We could have washed them off on site, but that would have taken awhile as others were already using the spout.  They had an outhouse which we used to clean off all of the red dirt/mud so it wouldn't be tracked into the car.  Hot, tired, and hungry, we rode back towards Hot Springs.

After washing off the rocks, we found that
most were mainly composed of ugly calcite.

We did have a few decent sized crystals, but overall the yield was disappointing.

On the way back to town, we stopped at a busy roadside restaurant.  The service and the food was attentive and excellent.

Not surprisingly, The Home Plate Cafe
is located next to a baseball diamond.

We enjoyed the chicken fried steak, cheesesteaks, fish and chips, and fried pickles.

We drove through Hot Springs, stopping once for gas and groceries,  We made our way through the Ouachita National Forest.  We would be staying at the Mountain Harbor Resort for the next few days.  We were able to get a very inexpensive rate through their Fall discount package.  We had looked at the VBRO (vacation rental by owner) website for other cabins in the area, but this was by far the best option.

We got a great rate on apartment 39c.

Unlike some units that are individually owned, this one is managed by the Mountain Home Resort.

The fully equipped kitchenette and dining area helped us save money on eating out.

There were two full bathrooms
including a master with jacuzzi.

The furnishings were a bit outdated...

...but they were clean and comfortable.

There was no view of the lake from this apartment.  That would cost much more.

After cleaning ourselves up and taking a long rest, we went to dinner at the resort's Harbor Lodge Restaurant.

Harbor's seafood pasta.

Bacon cheesburger and sweet potato fries with brown sugar

There's a nice view of the lake from the restaurant.

The Girl was too good to eat her pizza with her hands.

I think the kids liked the fries.

Later that night, The Boy and I walked down to the pier and bought some crickets from the bait shop.  We pulled out our fishing poles and I taught him how to bait his line and cast it.  I was glad that he was not timid and he had no problem with the crickets.  Teaching him how to cast a line was a lot tougher.  Finally, he was doing it right and we fished for 30 minutes.  Although we didn't get a single bite, it at least fulfilled his requirements for his Cub Scout fishing belt loop.


*****


Sunday, October 13, 2013

The week before our trip, we had made reservations with the Mountain Harbor Riding Stables that is located in the resort area.  At 10 AM, we made the five minute drive to the stables, encountering some wildlife along the way.

There was no shortage of deer wandering around in these woods.

The horses were already saddled and ready to go when we arrived.

Unfortunately, the weather didn't want to cooperate with us.  The sky was full of rain clouds.  After discussing it with the owner, we decided to hold off until the afternoon.  We headed back to the apartment and was happy with our decision when the rain came pouring down 30 minutes later.

A few hours later, we were back at the stables, ready to ride after the sun had come out.

The staff helped the kids...

...mount the horses.

The Wife and kids kept their raincoats in case the thunderstorms returned.

All he needed was some
boots and a cowboy hat

Since The Girl was only six years old, she got a smaller horse that was led by a guide rope.

The Boy got a full-sized horse that he got to lead himself.

Our entire family enjoyed the hour-long ride through the woods.

The Girl wondered why her horse had stopped.

The horses were very well-behaved.  Only The Boy's acted a little ornery at times.  The owner/guide and I talked for quite a while as he was originally from Louisiana.  He had worked in various job sectors from Florida to the Middle East before settling down to run this stable.  We spotted a few deer along the trails, but overall it was just a nice and relaxing trip.

A friendly cat resided in the stable's office.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening doing "family game night."  With no distracting iPhones or iPads, we played board games like Monopoly and LIFE.  Why play online when you can play with the person right next to you?

*****

Monday, October 14, 2013

I woke The Boy up early and dragged him out back to the resort' pier for another try at fishing.

An hour later, we still weren't getting any bites.  I guess the water was just too cold...or I just had no idea what I was doing.  We gave the remaining crickets back to the bait shop.  There would be no amnesty today.

Lake Ouachita is a very popular destination for bass fisherman.

After The Wife and The Girl woke from sleeping in late, we all put on some comfortable shoes and headed out to the trails for a hike.

The Lake Ouachita Vista Trail stretches for miles along the southern bank of the lake.

We weren't planning to hike very far, just a 2-3 mile stretch around Tompkin's Bend.

Despite a few fallen tree stumps, the path was very well-kept.

The Girl really enjoyed the fresh air.

At the start of the hike, The Boy preferred to scout ahead...

...while The Girl stuck to The Wife.

We saw some interesting...

...and mushrooms along the trail.

...plants...

Who needs signs, when you have a guide.

It's a wonder that we didn't get lost with The Girl reading the map.

"Hi! I know you."

When your are an 8 year-old boy, anything is a gun.

Sometimes, life can be lonely...

The trail passed near the banks of the lake.

The Boy found a large fish head near the remnants of a campfire.

The kids were in awe of a pecan they found
on the ground.  Ironically, they have always
ignored the pecan tree we have in our backyard. 

The kids found a large walking stick that they agreed to share.

The Girl made me nervous dancing with
anything that even resembled a pole.

The Girl broke down and cried when it was
The Boy's turn to use the walking stick.

They negotiated a compromise.  If each one could not solely have
it, then neither would.  They left the walking stick by the bench.

Without a silly walking stick coming
between them, the kids were happy again.

At the end of the hike, we followed the road back to the beginning.

One of the reasons we chose this section of the Vista trail is its proximity to the Shangri-La Resort. We weren't planning to stay there.  No, The Wife wanted to try their pies.  Apparently, they are baked every single day by the same lady and are pretty popular in the area.  The Wife was concerned that by the time we got to the resort that they would be sold out.  She prodded us to walk faster.

The Shangri-La Resort looks like it hasn't changed since it was built in the 1950's.

The fried chicken special plate

Fried shrimp and french fries

I couldn't understand why The Boy ordered a Turkey sandwich.
I could have made him one in less than a minute.

The food was pretty good.  It was the simple down-home Southern cooking that your mom would have made...if she wasn't of Asian descent.  But, we came for the pies, and we weren't leaving without trying several of them.

Peanut butter pie

Cherry pie a la mode

Coconut meringue pie

Chocolate meringue pie

The pies were definitely worth it.  They were excellent (but I haven't met many that I didn't like).  The best part is that we had already walked off all of the calories BEFORE we actually ate them.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing with the family and watching my Patriots inexplicably beat the Saints.

The next morning, we packed up and drove back home.  We were happy that we all could spend some time out in the great outdoors getting some fresh air.  But inevitably we all had to return to our the job, schoolwork, and electronics that have defined our lives.  After all, I did have to get back to my computer to write this blog.