Knowing Snow

These kids have to know snow. I told this to Daba and Ola the next day we were winding our way up the mountain to see, feel, and throw the cold stuff.  We live in the desert, but are close enough to drive to winter in the nearby Catalina Mountains. A good storm had passed through the week before, so now was our chance. Daba and I grew up in the Midwest so we both have happy childhood memories of snow, not having to deal with it as adults.  Kenzer and Brody have seen the flakes fall and then disappear quickly. This time we were talking big snow.

During the first part of our ascend up the road, the scenery stayed familiar---cactus, rocks, dirt and sun.  I told Kenz it's like going up in an airplane, and she agreed ooohing and ahhing at the cityscape far below. We were all smiles--- until the fog, something Nana (or Daba) had not planned on. The fog was actually the thick clouds that like to hang out over the mountain. They are beautiful seeing them from my front yard, but not when you are on a cliff in a truck with precious cargo. In the thick grey steam, Daba did an awesome job of assuring us that this was nothing! Nana wanted to turn around, but that idea did not go over well and besides there was no where to turn around.

Daba had the headlights and the blinkers on explaining that this way no one coming down the mountain would hit us head on. (Sorry, this didn't help my anxiety.) He watched the yellow lines and I watched the white one, that small curvy strip on the right side of the road that separated us from the steep cliffs below.  Kenz and Brod know me well enough to know I was scared, but both of them were on Daba's side, insisting that it was fun being in the clouds.

Just about the time I couldn't take it any longer, Daba said, It's getting brighter which means we are almost out  and Wella! just as he spoke the words there was light and pine trees and snow. And it was beautiful, absolutely breathtaking. 

Nana, those are Christmas trees! Brody exclaimed.  

Yes they are sweetheart, but they call them pine trees!

Noooo Nana, they are Christmas trees!

In Brody's way of thinking this is where they kept all the Christmas trees, and there were billions of them covered in clumps of white snow, happy giants saving Christmas until it comes back. 

The snow got deeper and we finally found a spot to unload our new plastic sleds.  Brody's dad was with us and I swear he thought he was in heaven, carving places to fly down the hills. Daba who kept announcing the temperature, now declared it was 29 degrees! But none of us were cold. We were having way too much fun.

I think the best thing about the day was seeing how adaptable the grandkids were. (Daba agrees.) They got right in the snow and enjoyed it as if it was something they did everyday.What troopers!

This is a day trip we are definitely going to do again, but only on a day with very thin clouds in the sky.