We try to make at least an annual trip to play in the snow, but this was the first year in the last several that we actually made it. In fact, this was to be Annie's very first time in snow!

So when it came time to decide where to go, what do you suppose was the deciding factor? Distance, cost, quality of the snow? Nope. The conveyor belt.

In researching snow play areas, one stood out: the Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain, in the city of Big Bear Lake. They have installed a "Magic Carpet" that takes you from the bottom to the top of the tube run. No more rolling your tube up the hill, just slide down, walk a few feet to the bottom of the conveyor belt and ride back up! (You know you're getting old when...)

So we picked a weekday at the end of March (to avoid the crowds), Dad took the day off work, and by 10 a.m. that morning, we were tubin'!

Unbeknown to us, long-time friends of ours were making the exact same plans. We've known the Dixons for almost 15 years, and have always had a lot in common. We used to tell cat stories before we each had kids, then our families started at about the same time. We not only ended up with the same number of kids, but in the same gender sequence too.

But it was just a little uncanny to discover they had also planned a day in the snow, on the exact same day, and at the exact same place! It was a fun bit of Serendipity to find each other up there, and needless to say the kids were elated.

We spent the day going up and down the tube runs, and absolutely had a blast. If you're in the area, we highly recommend it. Here are a few more shots of the gang finding different ways to let gravity give them a ride.