Quest For Snow 2011

Posted on January 13th, 2011 by Jean

Being an Arizona family, each winter we search for snow with the express purpose of playing and freezing our butts off. Mount Charleston (outside of Las Vegas) had a record 8′ of the fluffy white stuff, but accommodations on the mountain were nil. Santa Fe Station Casino offered the closest lodgings, plus online reservations were a cinch!

We arrived at the “Designated Snow Play Area”, got the kids suited up, and hauled them in their little Christmas sleds towards a hill.

This run looked good…

…but veered towards a tree!

Both girls were fine, and eventually steered their sleds straight.

We ate snow,

tried to build a snowman,

took lots of pictures,

and enjoyed the scenery.

Ninety minutes later, we were heading down the mountain to thaw and check into our room. The girls chose their bed, then ran to the bathroom to check out the toiletries. They would have tested the lotion, shampoo & conditioner immediately, but we distracted them with the mention of dinner.

Steakhouse, Mexican, Sushi, Buffet, Fatburger, Chinese, Wings, Pizza, or Coco’s Restaurant & Bakery ~ so many choices! Coco’s won us over with their extensive menu, and we all dined happily.

After dinner, we bowled. Tom and our youngest daughter had something in common. It was their first time bowling! How does a 49 year old man go through life without bowling?

I left my camera in the room, so I tried to spruce up these phone shots with photoshop filters.

When our summer temps reach 120º F / 48.89º C, we’ll be wishing the snow was still on the mountains.

• Snow: Love or loath?
• Cabin or Casino?
• Which restaurant would have enticed you?

Tags: casino, Cocos, family, Las Vegas, Mount Charleston, photos, quest, search, sled, snow

Snow Search 2010

Posted on January 13th, 2010 by Jean

Each winter for the past four years we have gone in search of SNOW. Being an Arizona family, it is rare for us to experience freezing temps. Saturday, after 2 1/2 hours on the road, we reached our destination: Mount Charleston, Nevada, just 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

We were so happy to arrive, and headed straight to the snow play area.

We sled.
Warning: Turn your audio down. I’m a screamer. I mean really! Way, way down.

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The girls made snow angels.

We made a snowman. (The base was already there.) Look at Frosty’s pea head. LOL!

As the sun started to set behind the mountain, we made our way down to the Mount Charleston Resort. It’s a lovely hotel with a restaurant, bar, gambling, spa, and dvd rentals, but no elevators.

After check-in, Tom headed down to the bar to watch football, the girls watched a Tom & Jerry dvd in our room, and I signed in to the wi-fi. Thank goodness for Hulu! I watched an SNL clip (Snookie), a Chelsea Lately clip (Holly Madison was dissing Criss Angel), and I forget what else. Just some mindless mumbo-jumbo that helped me unwind.

The girls wanted to wear dresses to dinner, so I helped them into their outfits. Just then, Tom returned from the bar. Perfect timing! Off we went to dinner. It was so scrumptious, but service was very slow. They must make each dish to order. On a positive note, our waitress bought Natalie and Pearl’s drawings for a dollar each. Check out these happy entrepreneurs!

Sunday morning we had breakfast at the Mt Charleston Lodge near the summit. The girls colored, but there were no takers for their artwork. Tom tried to double his money, but no such luck. Breakfast was delicious and served quickly.

We repeated Saturday’s *S* activities: sledding & snow angels (no snowmen). I’d like to say the rest of the day went off without a hitch, but as we made our way down the mountain, we got a flat tire. Chances are, if you run over a snowball and your tire pops, it wasn’t a snowball!

• Are you a screamer?
• Do you get much snow?
• Do you like to play in it?

Tags: hulu, Mount Charleston, scream, sledding, snow, snowmen, vacation, Vegas

In Search of Snow – 2009

Posted on January 9th, 2009 by Jean

For the past 3 years, we’ve taken the kids in search of snow. A few weeks ago, we returned to our 2007 snowy destination, Mt. Charleston, Nevada. Mt. Charleston is 35 miles northwest of the Las Vegas strip, and about 142 miles from our home in Arizona.

Las Vegas was hit with 8″ of snow on December 17th, so we found plenty of snow to play in.

Tom and Pearl wasted no time building a snowman.

He looks like Caesar.

Did you notice Tom’s zebra hat? It’s actually Natalie’s, but she shares.

I tossed a few snowballs at Tom. He managed to catch them, return fire, and snap pictures. Damned multi-tasker!

The girls even managed to do a little bit of sledding.

It was a beautiful day! Soon, the sun began to hide behind the trees, and the lower temps were fast approaching. We drove down to our hotel and checked in.

Mt. Charleston Hotel

The Hotel was still decorated for Christmas.

We rented a couple of movies from the front desk.

True, these are 2 movies I wouldn’t normally rent, but Francis the Talking Mule was very helpful at West Point, and Michael J. Fox got the girl… and the money. Ooops, spoiler alert!
Last time, we ate breakfast at the Mt. Charleston Ski Resort. Beautiful views, but not a good meal. This time, we were able to find the Mt. Charleston Lodge! Beautiful views PLUS good food!

What’s with Pearl’s expression?!