Giddy Up

We went on a sleigh ride this weekend!

CO peeps, have you heard of this? We went with Two Below Zero sleigh rides in Frisco, just outside of Breckenridge. When you arrive and check in, you have some time to take pictures before the ride begins. We - once again - picked the absolute coldest night of all time to do this. I think the wind chill was -9? I had on special snow boots and was layered beyond all reasoning and still, after about 30 minutes, my feet were so cold they were aching. I thought I might lose my toes.

If you're wondering why those are mules and not horses, you are not alone. They were bred from draft horses and donkeys, therefore they are extremely strong and resilient. Also? In order to make a mule, the mom must be a horse and dad must be a donkey. Because of the weird chromosome combination, mules are formed but are unable to breed. That's all I know.

Back to the winter-y fun:

This was our sleigh, pulled by Bonnie and Bell.

The night begins with a 15-minute sleigh ride through the woods. The cliche of winter wonderland comes to mind but I won't subject you to it. There are about 5 sleighs in all, each loaded with about 10 people. They do a good job of dividing up (ahead of time - they make it look seamless to the guests) the families with kids and those without. I was impressed as all the screaming, whining children were herded away to a sleigh farther back in line. Yes, I know how that sounds.

Anyhoo.

After a beautiful, frigid ride, we were dropped off at a big, decorated, warm tent in the woods where we were served hot chocolate loaded with peppermint schnapps while we warmed up.

The tent really was warm and very festive. We ate dinner family style. We started with chicken chili and fresh rolls, then had steak, chicken, baked potatoes, and vegetables followed by fresh apple pie. They offer a beer and wine service for the adults, but we didn't partake. The peppermint schnapps warmed us right up and then the food did the rest!

There was entertainment after dinner with a musician from Nashville. We sang some Johnny Cash songs, Christmas carols, etc. It was lovely and festive! After about an hour and a half, we were bundled back up for the sleigh ride back!

I would highly recommend this - for those with kids and without. Its a festive, Christmas-y experience full of clean, wholesome fun. The ride and the dinner are efficiently managed and timed perfectly. We would definitely do it again, though not for a couple of years because we decided we need to get out and try more of the winter sports and activities around the state.

Stay tuned tomorrow for some lovely mountain pics.

One week til Christmas! (Time to grade finals.)