Last year I had to stay home because Andrew was too young to go. This year, we asked Todd's mom to watch him so I could attend as well.
Sally and Claire Davis joined us as well. Kevin was on a flight home from the east coast during that time and could not join us. We certainly missed him in more than one way. We would have loved to have another adult during our rides to increase our gravitational speed.
I met Todd and Sally just outside the entrance and we got in line to catch our first lift.
Todd and Sally had done this before and they had learned a few things along the way. First of all, get in line as soon as 4 pm (our appointment time) starts. You can get all bundled up while you stand in line.
Once we reached the beginning of the ride, a staff member hooks the loop of our tube onto a pole sticking out from a conveyor belt. We hop on the tube and ride to the top of the hill, where the start of the sliding slopes are.
Once we reached the top we could choose from five different runs, from easiest to most difficult.
We went down as a group a couple of times. Then decided to split up into smaller groups or go down individually.
The run takes about a minute to complete, but the line and ride back up the hill took 10-15 minutes. To the left of the lift area there is a path for those who wish to walk up to the top instead of riding. It was a lot faster, but tiresome. Emilia, Claire, Sally and I did it once. We were able to get one extra run down the slopes because of it.
The best run was number 5 - the furthest one away. There were more severe drops, which made us catch air everytime we did it.
Afterward we stopped at Dickies BBQ for dinner and ice cream cones and drove home to put the kids to bed.
