Tubing at Snoqualmie

When we were in Minneapolis, we learned that winter sports are taken very seriously by Minnesotans. Sledding, for example, was no sport for the weak-hearted. Only teenagers and other people who don't have a good grip on their mortality ever went out to the professional sledding slopes (e.g. where you can rent innertubes and fly down steep hills of hard-packed snow without regard for other people or wild animals that may get in your way, then ride a lift back up and do it again).

In Seattle, it's a whole different scene. Here, if you have a death wish you can find a black ski run just about anywhere, and use a snowboard if you really want to seal the deal. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of people do this every day all winter long so they have a pretty orderly way of doing it (although on a more serious note, and I will never get used to this, at least one person does die every year - usually not going down the black run but driving there or getting lost on their way back up the run).

Sledding is like the toddler version of a black ski run, and it's mostly toddlers who sled, so you can imagine that in Seattle sledding is a mellow event with groomed runs, people waiting politely for each other to go down and lots of hot chocolate afterwards. Today we experienced just that. Layla had a blast. We were quite pleased with both the runs and the hot chocolate. And since all kids are adorable in a snowsuit we almost died from all the cute, but other than that we stayed pretty safe.