Backtracking a bit, as work has trumped blog these past few weeks, but…more snow photos!
We’ve officially instituted a family snow-cation as an annual Q1 tradition, since our past trips to Leavenworth and Suncadia were such a delight. This year, we opted to venture even farther from home and booked three nights at the Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop, in Washington’s North Cascades. We’ve heard this area is magical in the wintertime and it’s known as a cross-country skiing mecca, with over one hundred miles of groomed trails. Sign us up!
We headed out on a Sunday morning in January, eager to skip town in the midst of some Seattle road construction that made for an extra-trafficky few weeks. We jetted over the West Seattle Bridge and kept on jamming east, rolling up to Sun Mountain Lodge late in the afternoon. From the moment we stepped into the lobby and met Floyd, the resident stuffed bison, I was smitten. This place had mountain charm written all over it.
And THEN we stepped into our room and were greeted with this view. Forget smitten – I was full-on enamored!
Juliette and I immediately started rummaging in our bags for our swimsuits and darted to the outdoor hot tub while Shane got the low-down on the skiing situation.  I tell ya’, hot-tubbing in the midst of snow-capped mountains is some kind of magic.
We rinsed the chlorine from our hair and snapped photos from each of the lodge’s patios, eventually ending up at the pub for burgers and chicken strips.
After dinner, we strolled the taxidermy-laden halls and stopped at the game room for a rousing round of family Foosball.
We settled back into our room around 7:00 with books and blankets, Shane and Juliette popping out to the porch every few minutes to check on the status of the lunar eclipse happening that night. Â
As the shadow started to overtake the moon, Shane suggested we bundle up and get away from the lights of the resort for the maximum viewing experience, so we donned our boots and coats and walked across the parking lot to an open clearing.  As the moon darkened, the stars grew brighter and brighter and the Milky Way shone faintly in a haze of white overhead. The moon waned from gray to a pale orange and then became increasingly red, a tiny of sliver of white glowing at its upper edge.  We were the only three people standing in that silent, snow-covered field and in that moment I felt like we were the only three people on earth – just me, my favorite guy, and my favorite gal gazing up at what was surely the finest-looking moon I’ve ever laid eyes upon.  I held Juliette close, telling her that I hoped this was a moment she’d remember forever. She replied with, “This is spooooooky!â€, so we hustled indoors to warm our numb fingers and toes. Â
We awoke on Monday morning to a perfectly pink sky and Shane headed out for an early solo ski. Juliette and I lingered in bed, popping out to grab a coffee and a steamer from the gift shop’s espresso bar.
We met up with Shane at the ski shop so that I could rent my own winter gear.  I was fitted with boots and skis and we were about to head out when Juliette tugged on Shane’s arm and asked could she please, please, please get some skis, too? We’d planned on just pulling her in the trailer, but figured she could give it a go. We piled our gear into the Forester and drove down the mountain to the nice, flat trail near Beaver Pond.
Juliette was a little champ on her Snoopy skis and trekked along with us for about a mile before hopping into the trailer for a snack.  It was a stunner of a day, sunny and crisp, and we cruised quietly along the edge of the pond. I was ridiculously happy, soaking in the sun and the snow and the satisfying swish-swish my skis as they glided through the freshly groomed grooves. Â
Shane and Juliette eventually turned around and I went ahead on my own for a few minutes, starting to huff as I picked up my speed. Exercise has never felt so, so good. I hope Santa brings me skis next Christmas!
I caught back up with Shane and Jules and found her at it again. Swish, baby, swish!
We ate a quick bite at our room and then hopped right back out for the 2 pm sleigh ride we’d booked with Daisy and Gregory, the resident draft horses.
Our ride took us up the mountain to the lodge’s tent, where we were offered hot chocolate and a chance to give the horses a pat. Juliette and I put our hands near Daisy’s nose and let her breath warm our fingers. Such majestic creatures, these horses.
Our time on the mountain left us a bit chilled, so Juliette and I passed the rest of the afternoon in the hot tub. Sometimes I wonder if we’re spoiling this girl with such luxury. Does she get how special this all is?
I think she does.
We drove into Winthrop for dinner and I was admittedly disappointed when I found out the restaurant we’d chosen was hosting trivia night. I was looking forward to a quiet, low-key meal. Shane, on the other hand, put Team Schnell on the roster and ponied up the five dollar entry fee before we even got to our table. I guess we were doing this! And we were…terrible. We got a whopping two questions out of ten correct in the first round.
We persevered through round two though, taking Juliette’s word for it when she told us the birthplace of MLK Jr. was Atlanta and that the fastest bird in the world is the Peregrine Falcon. And we won, dang it! We won! Free brunch at the Schoolhouse Brewery was ours!
We ended the day with books in bed; Juliette eventually drifted off to sleep and I curled up with my collection of Mary Oliver poems. You know that feeling at the end of an amazing day when there’s no place you’d rather be, no one you’d rather be with? This was it.
