Oh Canada!!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

So, it's been a while since we've written! On Thursday, we drove up to Montreal, Canada!! We should have known the trip was going to be interesting when we left the cabin in -26 degree weather!! To say the least, it was COLD!!! We drove without any problems, that is until we reached the Canadian customs lady! There were only two cars before us, yet it took us more than twenty minutes to get through customs! When we approached the lady, we figured it would all go smoothly, little did we know we were about to be questioned about every little thing. She asked us why we were coming in and we told her we didn't really have a plan, just wanted to visit. Apparently, that is not a good answer!!! She questioned about everything, from were we were from, to how much money we had on us and what was the balance on my credit card. She asked us several times if we were going to spend the night in Canada, even though each time we told her no, we were only visiting for the day. We got the feeling she didn't believe us. Of course, when she asked us what we were bringing into the Canada, Christopher responded two empty soda cans!! I don't thing she liked that very much! haha Eventually, she allowed into Canada, although, she had definitely taken a few notes about us as she talked with us. It was insane! We finally arrived and drove to our destination of Montreal. We went there with no map and no real plan of what we were going to do. It was an adventure to say the least. We drove the streets, realizing just how different things were. For one thing, the roads were not cleaned very well, and of course everything was in French. We learned a few French words while we were there. Another odd thing was that the stop lights were on the side of the road. This causes some confusion for some people!! ;) Once we arrived, we decided to try to find the Olympic Park in Montreal. We saw signs pointing to it that said it was only 4 km away. We drove and drove and could not find it! However, we did find the Montreal Port! We finally decided to turn back. As we were driving along, we started seeing signs for the Olympic Park again and followed them. We finally found it, but by this time we were hungry and in need of the restroom and not interested in paying so much money to even park. Therefore, we took a picture and went on.

Our next mission was to find somewhere to eat. We drove and decided on this little restaurant called Restaurant La Belle Province. It was really good! Christopher got two hot dogs, Canadian style with a side of Poutine. Poutine is basically fries, cheese curd, and gravy. It is very Canadian and very good! We really enjoyed the food!

After we ate, we decided to drive downtown Montreal. We drove through and it amazed me just how similar it looked to any big city such as New York City. Once we drove through, it was time for us to head back.

Our entrance back into the United States went much smoother than our entrance to Canada. The guy was really nice and funny! He let us through without a problem. Ironically, Christopher's great aunt and uncle and Angela and Amy were two cars behind us and actually went to the same customs guy. He remembered us when they went through! We had a great trip to Canada and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, even though we had no real plan!! It was great!

On our way back to Lake Placid, we made a little side stop at the North Pole! Christopher suprised me and took me to the North Pole! I was very excited! This is a real place with even a real US Postal Office!! I was so happy to go there!!

We have finally arrived back in North Carolina. We drove Friday for 17 hours and made it back to Greenville around 2:30 am Saturday morning! We all seemed to have a great time, just a little tired!! It was a great trip and i am so glad that i got to go!! We had a blast!! We are all now just trying to recover from a very long day of driving!

P.S. We are still going to continue to update this page with other interesting things that Christopher and I find ourselves doing! So, stayed tuned for more blogs to come!

COLD!!!!!!!

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Well, it's been a while since we've written. Let's just say we've been busy in the snow!! We have received lots and lots of snow! Yesterday we were suppose to go Cross Country Skiing, however, when we got out on the roads, we quickly discovered that the roads had not yet been cleared, therefore, we went right back to the cabin. Instead, we spent a the morning working out in the snow. We had lots of fun out in the snow! We knocked down some huge snow mounds and made snow angels in the thick snow! Christopher made a Polar Hut out one of the snow mounds!


That night we had dinner with Chris' great aunt and uncle and had Christmas!

Today, we got up ready to spend another day out on the slopes! As we got ready to leave, we watched the temperature continually drop outside. By the time we made it to the slopes, the temperature was between 6-8 degrees, with a windchill of around -15. To say the least it was cold!! I decided to join Chris in trying down hill skiing. Angela has mastered snowboarding, so she continued snowboarding. We got out on the slopes and immediately realized how cold it really was outside! We were only able to go down a few times before we had to come in a get warm before going back outside again. I've decided I enjoy skiing much better than snowboarding. Unlike the other day, I only fell down twice. When I was snowboarding i fell down twice every 30 seconds. Christopher was very patient in teaching me how to ski. I was able to successfully go down several slopes without ever falling!! Christopher really seems to be enjoying his new skis!! Angela is doing an amazing job on the snowboard!!


On our way home, Chris' dad looked down at the temperature and the thermometer read 1 degree. The temperature is continually dropping!! Right now, the temperature is -9. I'm pretty sure, i will not be complaining quite as much about the temperature in North Carolina anymore!! We are all pretty tired and worn out from a very cold and exciting day!! Tomorrow we plan on driving to Montreal, Canada!! I am very excited, because i've never been to Canada before!! I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!!

P.S. We are still popping Ibuprofen!!!!

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!!

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Just a quick comment before we head out for some cross country skiing. When we woke up the forecast has changed drastically. Now the forecast has us getting 3-5 inches of snow before noon and 8-10 inches from noon to midnight! Let's just say it's coming down out there now, and it's only going to double! Looks like it's going to be a short day on the cross country trails, but with how sore this crowd is after yesterday, the rest will be nice!

Now to find the ibuprofen...

Snowboarding!!

Today we finally made it out to Whiteface for some skiing and snowboarding. It was Carrie's first attempt at snowboarding, so she, Angela and Amy took some lessons and seemed to have a great time! The weather has been cold all day, around 20-25, and constant snow this morning. We woke up to about 5 inches of fresh snow, which of course meant we had to dig the car out so we could go.

The girls did a great job in their lesson, once something clicked with Angela she seemed to be able to do it pretty well and was then able to give Carrie and Amy some pointers that their instructor forgot to point out which seemed to help them a great deal. I have to say, I got quite the entertainment out of going on a run with Carrie and Angela and the interesting rituals snowboarders have, for example, after they would fall, they would each grab a handful of snow and eat it before starting their next 20 yard decent to find more snow to eat. This was the first time I was able to ski on my brand new skis I got for Christmas and they were wonderful!!! Truly a great Christmas present to go along with the boots I got last year.

After we hobbled back from the mountain with all of their sore muscles and took the shuttle back to Lake Placid, we sat around the cabin for a little bit before heading out to some First Night festivities in Saranac Lake. When we got there we discovered to go inside and hear any of the concerts going on you had to purchase a button for 10 bucks and since it was already after 10 we thought it would be pointless so we headed back to Lake Placid to get a pizza from our favorite place, Mr Mike's. Just before midnight we headed back to Saranac Lake and saw them drop the snow flake and enjoyed a fireworks display that seemed to go on forever. Even though they lasted only 20 mins, when the temperatures are in the lower 20's without the windchill, it's long!

Later I'll get Carrie to blog a little about her experience snowboarding, but for now, we are worn out! Happy New Years!

Cross Country Skiing!!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Well, this morning started off nice and relaxing. We took the morning to sleep in and get some much needed rest. However, we had decided that this afternoon we would go cross country skiing. By the time we all got together and got all our equipment it had started getting later in the afternoon, so we decided to go to a baseball field close by to do our cross country skiing. Our first lesson began at the cabin. We figured it would be a good idea to begin close by, since Amy and I had never cross country skied before. Let's just say it was an experience!! After we all bundled up nice and warm, we went outside to learn how to even put on the skis. Christopher and Angela were very patient with Amy and I as we learned how to put on the skis. Once we got the skis on, the next thing was to learn how to move in the skis. Lets just say that my first move resulted in me falling backwards on my behind! Therefore, the next lesson was on how to get up off the ground after falling. Let's just say it took a while for me to get up, however by the end of the day i was a pro! :) Once i was up on my feet again we tried again, but we quickly learned that the yard was not as flat as we thought, and before i knew it I was on the ground again because i was afraid i was about to go down a small hill into the woods. We then decided maybe it was a good idea to go ahead over to baseball field to do some skiing.


When we got over to the field, i was impressed because i was immediately able to put on my skis. I had passed the first test! :) We began to venture out around the field. Christopher went out and laid tracks for us around the field so it would be easier for us to ski. While he was doing this, his dad gave us more lessons on how to move on the skis.



We made several rounds around the field. It was a lot of fun, but it sure was a workout! Let's just say, i got hot, even though we were in freezing temperatures. We then decided to go down a small hill that Angela had already ventured out on before us. I first watched Angela and Christopher go down the hill, and then decided to join them. Going up the hill was an adventure, and of course, i fell down. But when i got up there, i felt ready to go. However, little did i realize, that i had never asked how to stop when going down the hill. So here i go, flying down this small hill, with no way of knowing how to stop. I yelled to Christopher what should i do, and he responded "STOP!" Too bad, i didn't know how! Therefore, i did the only thing i knew to do, fall on my behind!! It was an adventure, that left me laughing so hard, i had tears falling down my face!! To say the least, cross country skiing was definitely an adventure, but it sure was fun!!



When we got back to the cabin, we were about to go in when Christopher spotted a sled outside our door. We quickly decided to have some more fun in the snow since we were already dressed for it! Angela, Christopher and I did some sledding, while Amy photographed the comedic scene! We had a blast, especially between Christopher sledding into a tree and Angela getting stuck between two trees!! And of course, there was a good old fashion snow fight, which resulted in Christopher throwing FREEZING snow in my face!!! To say the least, it was a great, but tiring day!!

This evening, we were suppose to go to a ski jumping competition, however, when we got there, nobody was there. So, we decided to go to a scrimmage game of women hockey players who are trying out for the Women's USA Olympic hockey team!! We had a lot of fun! The game went into overtime and then ended in a shoot out! It was a great game!!



Today has definitely been a very exciting and fun day!! We had a lot of fun doing a bunch of different things. However, I'm sure tomorrow is going to be even crazier. The girls are going to take snow boarding lessons, while the guys go down hill skiing. I can't wait!

Rain!

Saturday, December 29, 2007

The original plan for the day was to head out and do some cross country skiing, however the weather had other plans. When we woke up this morning there was a mix of rain and sleet which caused for a change of plans. We drove over to Saranac Lake with my sister and Amy and drove around Flower Lake.

Then when we got back we headed over to the Olympic Center for some ice skating. Angela had taken lessons for her senior project so even though we had all skated before, she was able to give us pointers and we all had a great time.

Here is a video of one of Carrie's lessons, skating backwards.


The rink we skated on was the rink the 1932 Olympics was held on. Also in the building was the rink where the 1980 figure skating events were held as well as the rink where the 1980 Miracle on Ice happened. (When the US beat the Soviet Union in the semi-finals and went on to win the gold medal with a bunch of college kids). Here is a picture of Carrie and I in the "Herb Brooks Arena", the arena the US won in, named after their head coach.
So even though the original plans were foiled it turned out to be a great day with a couple of history lessons! Now the cross country skiing has been moved to tomorrow and the weather forecast looks much better!

We Made It!!!

Friday, December 28, 2007

We finally made it here last night around 9ish. After two days of traveling, we arrived at a winter wonderland!! On Wednesday, we left North Carolina to head up to the D.C. area to visit Chris' great aunt. We had dinner with his great aunt and then went to our hotel to get some rest before the next day's long drive!
We left the hotel around 7 am (we, the girls, were actually ready on time, every one was suprised, but we knew we could do it!). We spotted our first snow right outside of Maryland! At first, it was just random spots on the side of the road. But as we drove into New York we started seeing more and more snow!! I was so excited to finally see some snow! When we got to Albany, you could tell it had snowed there that day! It was so pretty!!

We were all so happy to arrive at the cabin at Lake Placid! This morning we got up and toured around the area. I went with Chris and his Dad around that area a bit and they told me some of the history of the area. This afternoon, we went out with Chris' sister Angela and her friend Amy to do some more touring.

We visited the Olympic Training Center. This is where many Olympic athletics come and train. We think some of them are here now training for the '08 summer olympics. We then drove past the Ski Jump competition. Next we went to the site where they hold the Bobsled and Ski competitions for the Olympics. We walked up to the Bobsled area and watched them give some rides. It was really cool. We also went inside and took some fun pictures with a bobsled.

We drove by the arena where they held the hockey and figure skating competitions for the Olympics. Also, in the front of the High School, there is an oval shaped ice skating rink. This is where the speed skating events were held. We've had a great, relaxing day! It's been nice to just take it easy and learn some stuff about the area. I am definitely loving being up here! It's amazing!