Snow Trip, Day 3 - Bugging Out

We woke up around 8am and Matt got the generator going in the basement again. We figured out how to work the oven and Shannon made cinnamon rolls, sausage, and eggs for breakfast. While Matt and Papa went to the truck to bring back some gas, the kids played in the snow some more...



Brandon, Emily, and Shannon climbed to the rooftop to check things out.


A view off the top of roof.


Shannon made a couple of snow lanterns. She planned to light them up at night with some candles.



This is a creek that runs over the road near the cabins. We had to be careful when crossing because it is only a snow bridge.


And here the kids are playing UNO while warming up from a good play in the snow.



Plans quickly changed when they returned with the gas. Papa said there was a storm coming and we had to get out now.

This is a view off the balcony of the coming snow storm.


So we bugged out! No time for lunch, just pack and go. We left a lot of our gear and food at the cabin. We came out with less than we went in! Matt took 2 kids on his machine, Papa had 2 kids on his machine and towing the snow sled.... Oh, and then Matt had to tow Papa's machine with everyone and the snow sled! It was crazy getting out.



They rescued the Jag, but it was still not in good condition. Papa went back to the cabin to get Shannon. They closed up the cabin and boogied on out. We left around 7pm and got home a little after midnight. It was a rough memorable trip with lots of stories to tell! We are glad to be home!

Snow Trip, Day 2 - Fixing machines and snow play

We woke up, still pretty tired, stiff, and sore... We had breakfast of bacon and eggs. Matt went in the basement and started the generator which the cabin uses to charge the batteries for the lights. Here is a view of the empty lake at the dam.



The abandoned sled. No critters tried to get to the food :)

The plan was for Matt and Papa to go back out to the truck to get some supplies and tools to try and fix the Mountain Max. While they were gone, Shannon and the kids rested and then played in the snow outside.

Shannon and Brandon sledding down the hill. Brandon said it was AWESOME!




Sarah on the balcony.


Emily playing in the snow.



Brandon and Sarah sledding.



Ben climbed to the top of the shed roof.


And the roof of the cabin.


Ben made a snowman.


Here's how we make water to wash dishes and flush the toilet. Melt snow..



Passing the evening... Brandon and Emily watch the Ipad nano.


So in the end that day, they brought in the sled of food and we still had only 1.5 machines. At the truck were still more food, gas, and clothing.

Funny for the day: Ben was so excited that he wanted to go pee in the snow.... OK... go ahead... So later we find that he pee'd on the snow on the balcony that we intended to use for dish water... He was only allowed to use the toilet after that. We didn't use that snow!

Snow Trip, Day 1 - 1.5 machines out of 4 make it in...

We left for our snow trip at 5:30am and arrived in Prather, CA around 9:30am. We met up with Papa (Shannon's father) and followed him up to the snow.



This is Dinky Creek.



Once we got to the snow and the road was no longer plowed, we unloaded the snow machines and got the kids dressed in their snow gear.





We had four machines. Matt started out first with Brandon on the V-max or "Stickers". Shannon followed on the Mountain Max with Emily and was towing the sled with our food and stuff. Ben then followed on his own machine called the Jag. (1st machine down) Papa tried to get it going and it ran into a snow bank and then was covered in snow. He left it behind and Papa had Ben and Sarah on his machine.


The trail.


Here is Shannon and Emily and a thumbs up that all is going good.



Then more problems. Matt took the left at Short Hair to start to break trail towards the dam. Shannon followed for a bit and then got stuck... The snow that had fallen 5 days ago was still pretty soft and the machine and sled were a little too heavy to keep going. Papa caught up with Shannon and dropped Ben and Sarah off and continued after Matt. Shannon was stuck in the bright sun with Sarah, Ben, and Emily. Papa returned and dropped off Brandon so that he and Matt could continue to the cabin to break the trail. Shannon and the kids made the best of it where they were. They had the food and so they had some snacks. Ben built a snow chair. They were there for quite a long time.






While Matt trekked into the cabin and got the fire going in the stove, Papa came back and rode in with Brandon and Ben. Shannon had Emily and Sarah on the other working machine. We made it safely to the cabin. Somewhere the Exciter (2nd machine down) blew up the clutch and was not repairable. We ended it up leaving it at the cabin.


Ben really liked collecting the icicles that were growing from the cabin roof.



The cabin.

Outside the cabin was this antler thermometer.. 42 degrees when we arrived at the cabin.

Papa and Matt went back to the sled to grad some food for the night since we could not bring in the sled. When they returned, we were down to 1.5 machines. Stickers (V-max) was the only working machine. The Mountain Max was half running. It would do fine on flat and downhill runs, but needed help up the hills. For dinner, we had lasagne, garlic bread, and string beans... We all went to bed about 8:30pm. We were all very tired and sunburned.

Zoo Trip

Today we had a field trip to the LA Zoo with Emily's class... They had a great day and saw lots of animals!

















It was a beautiful day in LA... When we left, the car said 90 degrees! Gotta love LA!

Moving the Toy Room

We decided to make some changes at the House of Schnitt! ALL TOYS are in the "Toy Room!" I moved my crafty area downstais to the front of the house... which is very convenient to watch the kids outside. I still have a window :) We also moved down the green and blue sofas to the front room so we have a nice little chat area. Then I moved all the toys from downstairs, the tv room, and the kids rooms into the Toy Room. Some toys have recently migrated back to their former homes, but we will get them trained soon enough!

Here are some pics of the Toy Room newly set up on Feb 11th!






And here's what it looks like now :(






This is what Moon Sand looks like in the carpet!