Donner's Ski Ranch.

Though winter is not my favorite season, I just can't pass up the opportunity to hit the slopes. Every winter Papa J and I try to go snowboarding. So far we've been successful. We went twice (maybe more) last winter and we finally squeezed in one trip this past Monday. We opted to go to Donner's Ski Ranch since they have a Monday special for students. It was great to have Grandma watch Little Z while we got in a little play time. We couldn't have hit it better. The weather was perfect. It snowed the night before and cleared by morning leaving us fresh powder. It was windy at the summit in the morning, but by the afternoon the wind died.

For lunch we sat next to the warm fire and ate our PB & J's. The smell of french fries kept haunting my nose, so J let me splurge. He even heated up his sweet potatoes next to the fire.
Before we called it a day, we had a lady take our picture. The sun was blaring in our eyes, hence our squinting, but we had to document our annual tradition. See how beautiful it was?
As we were riding the lifts I kept seeing the icicles melting. I couldn't help but think of photo opportunities. I tried my hand at this melting icicle, but it wasn't melting fast enough. I couldn't catch the drip, but I think I ended up with an interesting picture anyways.
Thanks Donner for such a great day. I think we may have to visit you next year. The slopes weren't crowded and the weather was perfect. I keep thinking about your warm fire and look forward to our visit again next year!