Snowmobiles and Steak

So today we had a ward activity in Fairview, UT. Up in the mountains there is a great area for.... snowmobiling!! In fact, you have to snowmobile from the parking lot to where our home base was set up. Talk about a great activity. I went up in the afternoon with the later group, and the ten of us got several hours of quality time in the snow. I swallowed my fear (mostly) and tubed down the monstrously huge and bumpy hill. Partway down I hit one of said bumps and got turned backwards. I proceeded down the lower half of the hill, across the level ledge, and down a smaller hill onto the flat plain going backwards. Thankfully, there were no impeding trees. And I must say, going speedily down a hill where you can't see where you're going is somewhat exciting, especially when you reach the bottom and haven't flipped off yet. My back is still troublesome from my New Year's sledding adventure, so I didn't go down the hill anymore.

But snowmobiling-- wow! I could definitlely come to appreciate that sport. First, something about me just loves being able to put my arms around a guy's waist as he speeds off on a powerful machine into nature. Yes, I have a soft spot for motorcycles, jet skis, and now snowmobiles. It doesn't matter that the two guys I rode with during the day were 1) married or 2) 18 years old. They sure knew how to drive! Taking turns is way cool because you lean way over to the side you want to turn to, and as a passenger this means that sometimes you're catching snow in your lap from your knees digging into the snow. You stay on (as a passenger) by maintaining a strong connection to your driver and the snowmobile.... aka you cling on to one with your arms and cling to the other with your legs, like riding a horse. The coolest thing is when you're cutting a super tight circle and you think you are just dragging on your side in the snow and can't hang on... if you just hold out a second or two more, you pull up out of the circle and the momentum pops you right straight on the seat again!

One of my favorite moments today was during my last ride. I told Carter, the bishop's son, to not be too crazy, but once we got going I got whooping and hollering and he took that as a good sign to be a bit more crazy. We took some great jumps, getting a nice bit of air as we ramped off small rises, but the best one came at the bottom of the sledding hill, near base camp. Someone had built up a large ramp, which gave the sledders quite a pop as they came down. We came down the hill on the snowmobile and headed towards the jump. We were going a decent pace, and I could sense that we were going to take that jump for it's worth... sure enough we accelerated quickly and ramped off! The machine was about 2 feet off the ground vertically (witnesses say) and we obviously traveled forward too before making our gentle landing. It was AWESOME!!! If I end up living for many years in a snowy place, I'm going to get a truck, trailer, and a snowmobile. That is how snow is meant to be used.

Speaking of snow, walking up in the tops of the mountains we soon discovered that not all snow is created equal. It was all very soft and powdery and authentic, but boy was it deep! If you didn't follow a somewhat packed down trail, you'd find yourself wading in snow up to your knees! And that's not to say you had hit ground, that was just how deep it was until you hit enough of a pack to support your weight. That is what snow should be and how it should be appreciated. If I'm going to have to walk through snow somewhere, give me a couple feet and make it fun!

So after I went snowmobiling, I did something I almost NEVER do....... well, but I can't get ahead of myself. Cami and I were both in the second group, and we decided we ought to do something with the evening hours ahead. After refreshingly warm showers (at least, mine was) we decided to go out to dinner. We chose TGIFriday's, and fortunately it wasn't very busy when we got there. Glancing through the menu, I was naturally drawn to the chicken options. Even better, those were right by the pasta options! Can life get any better? However, the scintilating scent of barbeque was in the air and I ordered.... a steak. Let me reprhase that: I ordered a STEAK!! I could probably tell you the last time I had steak at a restaurant... it was Outback Steakhouse on a date with John Fullmer and I think I was a sophomore. I'm not a huge red meat eater.... or meat eater in general, so this was WAY out of character for me. Talk about fabulous though! It came, and it was exactly what I was craving! It was perfectly cooked, with nary a pink spot, and tenderly sloshed in a rich, tangy barbeque sauce. I may need to rethink my typical menu choices after this experience. All in all, this day was a great one for trying new things. See that? No, that right there. Yup, that's my horizon being broadened. Pretty cool, huh? Throw me a Saturday like this anytime. Wahoo!