Our new love...Cross Country Skiing!

Winter...

oh how I love you and your beauty!

I feel badly it has taken us over 22 years to really get out and enjoy you to the fullest, but, this weekend changed that!  

Now, I long to bundle up, put on cross-country skis and wish I could enjoy it every day of winter!! 

Tracy had this epiphany last year about how awesome and easy cross country skiing is. (here)

However, no matter how hard he tried to try to convince me that I would LOVE cross-country skiing once I tried it, I just thought of being COLD!   

Well, this past weekend, we rented skis, packed a lunch, grabbed our warm clothes and pointed our car towards Harriman State Park.  This place is a real asset to Idaho!  Beauty and wildlife abound and in winter there are MANY miles of amazing groomed trails to explore and enjoy!

WOW!
We got so warm while we were skiing along 

that we shed all of our outer warm layers.  

We saw trumpeter swans, amazing beauty of the river, snow and forest.

We stopped and had lunch and got warm at the Jones House "warming hut".  It was truly a perfect day and I couldn't stop talking about how much I LOVED it and how I want to take my money I've been saving and get us all outfitted to cross-country ski, so we can get out on the weekends and embrace this beautiful season of WINTER to the fullest! 

(and I really want to go a few times a week around our local golf course and get some much needed exercise and fresh air!)

Here is our trip in photos...

truly a perfect day indeed!

Trumpeter swans 

were in abundance all along the river! 

This my idea of a dream getaway with Tracy...

cross-country ski into the "Honeymoon Hotel" 

and spend the night and then spend all the next day

 skiing the loops that are in abundance!

 Awesome old cabin 

that was a warming hut to enjoy our lunch! 

 The icicles hanging from the roof 

that we got to enjoy while eating lunch! 

 This man has been skiing the trails 

at Harriman Park for over 40 years

 and now volunteers to man the warming hut a weekend or two each month.

He has old Nordic skis and of course Tracy had to talk to him about his gear!

Ready to ski again!

 My three favorite people! 

 View of the Tetons 

in the distance being lit up by the sun! 

 Ice Cream Cone!  

Skiing up a little hill...

Crossing a bridge...

 Ethan decided to make his own trail for a bit...

 Back to the car...

sad that it's over!  

 Icicles on the roof 

of the lodge at the parking lot!

 The Tetons were so beautiful in the distance on our drive home that we had to stop and try and capture them!

Love, Love LOVE WINTER!! 

 

Sad we missed out on the first 2 months of your presence this season, but, I'm looking forward to savoring, enjoying and taking in as much as I can before spring gets here!

OH, and...

 I LOVE Cross-Country skiing!!

(just had to say that again!)