Finding a cozy retreat in Truckee
Here’s the California wimp in me talking: One of the greatest things about playing outside in the snow is having somewhere warm and cozy to retreat.
Renting someone’s home/cabin can feel like coming into a cozy home, but can also be a hassle to arrange. A successful lodging experience may be determined by thinking through details ahead of time: Is it centrally located? How much will the cleaning deposits add to the cost? Who will I call if something doesn’t work? Hotels are great for weekend stays; maid service is included (sometimes breakfast is as well!), you can reach the front desk any time day or night, and they are located more often than not in the middle of town. Some hotels can feel a bit sterile, however, so I tend to look at this option when we don’t plan to spend much time at home base.
Its refreshing, then, when you stumble upon a hotel that makes an effort toward being a cozy retreat. When we were tubing last week we stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites. The first thing I noticed when coming in from the frozen tundra (okay, maybe a slight exaggeration) was a huge fireplace directly across from the front desk. It was a great place to warm up with the kids while my husband gathered our bags from the car. Mounted on the fireplace on the opposite side from the front desk was a large flat-screen tv, with several couches gathered round. Here was a perfect place to watch some Olympic sports or curl up with a good book. Behind the couches there were several tables and a buffet of games available. Throughout the weekend I noticed that the games were well utilized. This table area became like a dining room at home, groups of people would be hanging out there at different times. Also worth mentioning, behind the tables was the breakfast buffet area which, in the morning, offered both hot and cold breakfast items. So if you are looking for a cozy hotel with a good location, the Hampton Suites in Truckee is it.
We stayed in a studio suite. When you are traveling with kids, one ammenity I shoot for is some separation in the room between where the kids will be sleeping and my own bed. Without it, the entire room must be dark to get the kids to settle down and sleep, leaving me little ability to do much after their bedtime. The studio suite did not offer any separation. For an additional $40 per night you can rent a one-bedroom suite which has a wall with a door between the bedroom and the couch pull-out bed. The only drawback I find for this hotel is the price. During the high season studio suites cost $299/night and one-bedroom suites are $317 during the weekend (with a two-night minimum). Standard rooms start at $199. In April there is no two-night minimum, and suites are $259/$299. This drops to $149/$169 on weekdays. This cost, combined with lift tickets and skiis, would make a weekend getaway outside many families’ budget. If, though, you are looking for a luxury retreat, there’s something to be said for finding a cozy home away from home.
Note: Our family received a complimentary night’s stay. My review reflects our family’s experience there.
Tubing in Tahoe
Since we don’t see snow where I live unless you drive there, I’ve been looking forward to taking the kids on a this-is-what-winter-is-supposed-to-look-like weekend trip. For us, that means a two hour (on a good day) drive to Lake Tahoe. Last year my little one (then 2 yrs) wouldn’t set foot on snow. He was happy to stay on solid ground, i.e. the parking lot, or have us carry him around while we navigated going up and down snow hills. Regardless, this year I went ahead and made plans for an overnight trip in Truckee, the hub of the north Tahoe region. My plan was to check out some tubing places. I’ve never been tubing before, but it sounded fun, safe, and easy; no special fitting required. We scoped out and visited three different tubing locations, each a short distance from Truckee. I would say each one was quite a different experience. I’ll give you my take on them below.
Planet Kids at Soda Springs
The cost is $25 per child. Planet Kids is targeted to the beginning winter adventurer. It is located in an area to the side of the Soda Springs ski resort. To get there is a short walk from the resort entrance where you buy the tickets, or you can take a snowmobile “sleigh ride” from the ski resort to Planet Kids. As you enter, the right side of the park features two tube carousels. A tube carousel looks like this: three small tubes are each secured to a metal pole and four of these poles are attached like arms to each side of a spinning square. Essentially the tubes slide around in a circle at a speed that isn’t incredibly fast, but still gives that wind-in-your-hair kind of rush. On the other side of the park is a hill with a very gradual slope. One part of the hill is designated for the young tuber, a middle area is for the beginning skier, and the farthest part of the hill is where kids can learn to snowboard. 
A short ride on a moving walkway gets you from the bottom of the hill to the top. Adults don’t really participate in the activities, but can coax, cheer, and help the kids from nearby. Equipment rental or private lessons can be purchased near the entrance. Also within Planet Kids is a steep hill of snow for climbing up, sliding down, or just having some old-fashioned snowball fights. This seems like a great place to take young kids or those just starting to navigate going downhill. This also seems like an ideal location if you are with grandparents or other adults who are mostly interested in watching the kids.
Playland at Boreal
The cost is $25 for a 2-hour tubing session for those 42″ and above. Kids under 42″ cost $15 and have a separate mini tube area that does not include a “magic carpet” (a moving walkway that goes uphill). The tubing area is a separate area of the ski resort. There are five lanes that the full-priced tuber can choose from. Some have more bumps to catch air on than others. I have learned that you can control the speed (slightly) by choosing tubes that are less inflated. My 5-year-old had a great time going down by himself. The tubes were a little difficult for him to manage when he was not riding them, especially getting onto the magic carpet, but overall he was able to take on the hills independently.
The mini tubers have access to a portion of the hill directly next to the tubers. There are small tubes freely available for you to haul your little one up a short distance and let him slide down the hill on his own. As much as Joshua enjoyed this, I could not physically haul him up the hill very many times in a row. Also, the area designated for mini tubers is not very wide, so we often had to wait for meanderers to clear out of the sliding path. After the downhill slide, if you didn’t jog down the hill and tow your kid-in-a-tube out of the way quickly, he may get bumped by the next parent sending his kidlet down the hill. All in all, we found this to be a fun place to go tubing, but particularly if your kids are over 42″.
Kingvale
The cost is $18 for ages 3-12 and $20 for ages 13 and up for 2 hours. Kingvale, which is not attached to any ski resort, is much smaller than the above-listed tubing places. It has two lanes, but these two are longer and to me were more funthan the ones at Boreal. (Though the ride at Boreal was steeper, Kingvale had more ups and downs and a bend in the course.) The ride up the hill was also a bit different than the magic carpet we had seen at the earlier two places. Here you give your tow rope to the employee at the bottom of the hill, then sit in your tube as he attaches it to a tow cable. Your tube is then pulled up the hill until you reach the top, when the tow cable automatically releases. This in itself made for an enjoyable ride to the top of the hill. What I liked most about Kingvale was that you could hook two tubes together and ride tandem. That made it possible for all of us to enjoy the hills together. Our 3-year old sat in a full-sized tube in front, while one of us adults looped our tow rope to his tube and rode tummy down. My face was close enough to Joshua’s that he felt safe as we took our first trip down the hill. This kid, who will not set foot on a carnival ride that leaves the ground, was asking for more! Our 5-year old had no problem navigating the tubing park from beginning to end. After the first run, he more or less decided he didn’t need either of us around and took himself up and down the hill. In a large, crowded place this independent streak might make me worry. Kingvale, however, seemed an appropriate place for him to get his snow legs. I must say we arrived late in the afternoon on a weekend that was predicted to have miserable weather. The crowds were light. With only two runs, I wonder if it quickly reaches capacity here. Still, out of the three tubing places we tried, I would say this one was a great fit for our family.
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Note: I received complimentary passes to each of the three tubing locations. The review is a true reflection of our family’s experience.
Where to Wednesday: Puddle hopping
With yet more rain in the forecast, all I can say is - if you can’t beat them, join them. Today we donned our rain gear and headed for a nearby arboretum. The unpaved pathway gave us plenty of opportunities to stir up some mud and splash to our heart’s content. And may I add here, there is something about a juicy puddle splash that makes my heart content.
Mondays are for dreaming… my idea of heaven
If you are going to dream, dream big. While researching a topic I will talk more about later, I learned of a vacation spot that encompasses everything that I personally would love in a vacation: A) A beautiful spot in a corner of the world I have never visited (nor likely would have thought of), B) learning a skill I could take home, practice, and share, C) integration of a foreign culture into the daily routine, D) a place where you get to know the hosts and other guests more intimately than you normally would on a vacation, E) staying at a place where the kids can run around, explore, play with other kids, and not have to be tied to a routine of schlepping from one spot to another, F) historical field trips, and G) amazing food. To me, all this combined in one place is as close as you can get to heaven. What does it look like? It is a cooking immersion resort in Tepoztlan, Mexico called La Villa Bonita.
Here’s what they offer: The cooking school is in a six-bedroom house where the luxurious guest rooms overlook the Tepoztlan mountains. You can choose a 4-night or a 7-night package where you are instructed by Chef Ana in authentic Mexican cuisine. Ana is the head chef and owner of La Mesa de Ana, located on the same property as the resort. (She will also be starring in her first national television series this year.) She stresses fresh, local foods and follows through with excursions to the mercado (market) to teach you how to select the best ingredients. Other field trips can include trips to villages in the state of Moreles to experience life and tradition in a small town environment. Students are introduced to the ruins of Xochicalco and can take in the sites of Cuernavaca - such as the first cathedral in the Americas or the Brady museum. Also, guests can take guided field trips to Cuernavaca, Tlayacapan (the pottery village) or Taxco (the silver artisans’ village) to experience daily life firsthand and enjoy local delicacies. If all of this sounds too adventuresome, you can always lounge at the heated pool or enjoy the garden instead. The average temperature year-round, they boast, is 83 degrees.
Can you eat local foods without getting sick? I had to present this question to Chef Ana. As we Californians who have visited Mexico know, what’s affectionately called “Montezuma’s Revenge” can really put a damper on enjoying street food. Here is some information she offered on that:
“Tepoztlan is fed by volcanic-rock filtered spring water that is not processed or chlorinated, it is just very pure water. In our section of town, we have our own water rights to collect water out of the naturally forming springs on top of the Tepozteco mountains. At LVB while you can certainly drink the water right out of the tap, we have two levels of special filters before we drink it. We have never had any problem with kids or adult guests with the water. Concerning the food, when you come to Mexico you have to enjoy the market and the food on the street. What we teach people here is how to do so safely. We will teach you how to experience the great pleasure of eating on the street in Mexico on your own. As well, we give all of the fruits and vegetables that we use in the class an anti-bacterial wash beforehand just to be sure. This is good to do wherever you are in the world. In the end, we are big believers in buying from local producers as well as growing our own when possible in our garden.”
What are the reviews for this particular school? La Villa Bonita was named “One of the Five Best Culinary Vacations Worldwide” by The Food Network as well as one of “The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life” by National Geographic Books. The school and hotel have been featured in the pages of Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, The Boston Globe and Newsweek, and on television shows including “Trivia Unwrapped,” PBS’s “Food Wine and Friends with Karen MacNeil,” and “Live with Regis and Kelly.” The TRUE test is whether or not you like making the food. You can find some of Ana’s recipes that were posted online as ideas for superbowl party dishes. Now I truly love to dream about new experiences and traveling. By translating one of those dreams into smells and tastes within my own kitchen, maybe I can convince the whole family that they have to experience this too! Thanks for the recipes Ana, hope this leads to cooking in your kitchen soon.
I’m participating in the Mondays are for Dreaming series hosted by Mara at Mother of All Trips. Check out her site for other travel dreams.
Photo Friday: Connecting with a Skink
We recently took a trip to a local science museum called Explorit. You can read more about that trip here. I always consider it a bonus when someone pulls out an exotic animal that can be pet, particularly at a science museum where I am not expecting it.
I love the look of adoration this young girl has for this creature she has just met. It appears the feeling might be mutual. Awwwwww.
Check out more travel photos at Delicious Baby.
Where to Wednesday: Explorit
Once again, I must admit in print my fear of science museums. Oh I love the playing, the gadgets, the things that make you go hmmmm. But when I am in charge of two energetic boys, the ratio of time to understand and explain how to work a display compared with the time they actually stay there can make it more frustating than fun. I know that Davis has an excellent science museum. Explorit is quite popular among locals and they even moved a few years ago into a fantastic more appropriately sized building. But I have not entered with both kids in tow. How could it possibly go well?
My motivations for today’s visit were not entirely pure. It was “Where to Wednesday” and I needed a spot to check out that was close to home. Also, I have had in mind to later on go to the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and figured that by buying a membership at Explorit I could both support a local business and save on admission to several SF museums. If our visit to Explorit only lasted an hour, I could at least consider it an investment into other spots later. So let me speak to all the parents who would not consider it fun to chase your child from one brilliant but unpronounceable invention to the next… this place is fun! I’ll give you more details, but let me mention first off that the space is well designed. You can be in one area with one child while other kids are exploring different things and still be able to keep tabs on everyone. I think this was a key benefit for us, and can make taking kids of different ages a more pleasant adventure.
Here are a few highlights of our trip. When we first arrived a staff member was giving demonstrations of forces in motion. She had adults and children both participating as volunteers, and everyone in the room was focused on her questions and answers. The same room also held bug terrariums, puppet toys, and things for pre-verbal kids to explore while the demonstrations were going on. When she had finished with the forces in motion part, she brought out the resident blue-tongued skink for the kids to touch. Here again she engaged the kids in talking about habitat, camouflage, skeletal characteristics, etc. Presentations such as these are scheduled for noon and 3pm each day. Its worthwhile to time your visit to catch at least one.
Other parts of the museum both kids loved included a metal wheel that spins. You can balance objects on the spinning part and watch them roll around or fly off the wheel, depending on how they are placed.
In another location there is a small wind tunnel where you can place objects and see how well they float, depending on their design and weight.
The place my boys spent most of their time was at the sand trough. The base of the container that held the sand was tilted downward on one end, to allow the water coming from the faucet at the top to flow downward. With sand, rocks and play trees in the trough, one can’t resist building dams and water canals, observing erosion in action.
There were plenty of other great things to play with, but those were the ones that best captured my kids’ attention. In addition to the standing exhibitions, there is a second floor with rotating exhibitions. The next, “Wild Planet” runs from March 6 – May 23rd. Following that will be “Take Matter Into Your Own Hands.”
Admission to the museum is only $4 per person (ages 3 and under are free). You can enter for free on the fourth Friday of every month. Even if you’re a science-museumphobe like me, Explorit is worth checking out. I know we will be back. (I had to promise the kids we would in order to get them to leave.) If you live anywhere in the area (Sacramento and bay area folks, this includes you) consider investing in a membership. The list of museums that offer free admission to card-carrying Explorit members is significant.
Lead photo credit: cabayareakids.blogspot.com/
Mondays are for dreaming of… a dude ranch
Maybe I have been cooped up in the house too long, but lately I have been dreaming of wide open spaces. In a conversation with my father recently, he recounted that in his youth during the summer he and his sister used to ride their horses out to the local pool for swimming lessons. This was in the same neighborhood where I grew up, one that has been filled with streets and homes for as long as I can remember. When our family gets out to nature, it’s often a destination surrounded by mountains, forests, or the ocean. I wonder what it would be like to see nothing but blowing grass for miles and miles, or to trust a horse to lead you on a trail you’ve never been on, or to look up at the sky at night and see more stars than you’ve ever seen before at one time. It occurred to me that what I’m craving might be … a dude ranch. This may seem quite funny to those friends who know that I cringe at country music and can hardly get my dog to walk in one direction, no less a horse. Still, I thought it worth researching the three dude ranches closest to me here in northern California and to share what I have found. If anyone has had any experiences on a dude ranch, I’d love to hear your stories.
Greenhorn Creek Ranch, Quincy, CA.
Activities: This ranch advertises that it “offers a lot of riding with progressive instruction to develop your riding skills and confidence”. There are also horse-drawn wagon rides, trail rides, swimming, fishing, exploring, and rodeo games.
Lodging: The main lodge has about ten rooms, and additionally there are 16 one- and two-bedroom cabins. During the summer, stays are for a week (some partial weeks are available). During spring (May 2nd – June 12) you are invited to stay a few days or several weeks. I am unclear how long their fall season is. It appears this season also offers flexible dates to stay and opportunities for large groups. On their posted weekly activities there is one event especially for kids, but otherwise I don’t see on their website anything designated specifically for the younger crowd. They are dog-friendly.
Highland Ranch, Philo, CA
Activities: Fishing, boating, trail riding, clay pigeon shooting, yoga classes and massage, tennis and other outdoor sports. The ranch borders Hendy Woods State Park, an old-growth redwood forest along the Navarro River, which additionally offers hiking and mountain biking trails. They advertise a wide variety of trails and that guests can expect at least one, often two trail rides each day. For kids there are pony rides, frog catching, and fruit picking. Arts and crafts materials, ping pong tables, and board games are also available. Children under eight are invited on special rides led by a wrangler in place of trail rides.
Lodging: Eight guest cabins offer extra long king or queen beds and a wood-burning fireplace. Cribs and rollaways are available. Though their website didn’t state directly how many people each cabin can accomodate, there is a link to see a 360 degree tour. From this video you can view a cabin that has two bedrooms, one with a king and one with a twin bunk. They look rather spacious. They are dog-friendly and guest horse-friendly.
Hunewill Guest Ranch, Bridgeport, CA
Activities: Horseback riding is the main attraction. Aside from the grassy pasture ride, other horseback activities include splash rides, a breakfast ride, moving cattle, an obstacle course, and games on horseback. Yes, you did read “moving cattle”, as in City Slickers. Hunewill Ranch is a working cattle ranch and guests get to move cattle throughout their season. However, during a few special weeks cattle work is offered as the featured activity. For kids six and under there is a Buckeroo Ride program offered during the two trail ride time periods (at 9am and 2pm). This includes a staff-led horseback ride for kids able to ride, games, picnics on the lawn, visits to the ranch bakery, and strolls to see ranch animals. Ping-pong, horseshoes, and volleyball are also available.
Lodging: Cabins have two connecting rooms, each room has a queen and a twin. No pets allowed.
From what I have read, dude ranches struggle with the balance between staying rustic and the competition from resorts and spas. Consequently, there seems to be a wide variety of services that are offered at dude ranches. Some promote their intimate cowboy feel while others highlight some of their luxuries that vacationers crave. Because there is so much variation between ranches, it seems particularly important if you are planning your own dude ranch stay, to be clear about what you want out of your vacation. Whether it’s to strengthen your horse-back riding skills or to casually explore mother nature via horse, it is sure to be an experience you may never forget.
This is part of the Mondays are for Dreaming series hosted by Mara at Mother of All Trips.
lead photo credit: buckandspurs.com
The New Children’s Musuem
On the rare occasion that it’s raining in San Diego, what do you do with the kids? We headed to the New Children’s Museum. The museum’s website posts that Mondays are a great time to visit. That may have been true on the Monday we arrived, had it not been raining AND a school holiday. This was a popular place to go, which can say a lot for the activities at the museum. But I have to admit, the crowds made it difficult to move around and we did not end up staying long.
That said, there were some great things that were memorable from our trip. The main floor of the three story building had an area where kids can drive these mini chariots. There was enough space to have five or six of these trikes zooming around. Our kids couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel. Unfortunately, there was no time limit for the drivers and no line to indicate who’s turn was next. If someone happened to leave his vehicle and another child was closer, we had to continue to wait. Finally I managed to encourage the boys to explore other parts of the museum with the hope it would be less crowded later.
Also on the first floor was a rainbow colored bouncing tunnel. This area was well-staffed and groups of about six or eight kids were given three minutes or so to bounce to their heart’s content. It was one of the highlights of the museum for our two bounceaholics. The other area of the bottom floor had houses made from a felt-like material. I truly didn’t think this would hold much interest for the boys, but my three-year old enjoyed crawling in and out of them. Nearby easels with attached trays of cranyons and a bench stood ready in case any budding artist was so inspired to sketch. (Many were, in the time we were there.)
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The second floor is where an artist can really get busy. There were several craft tables where projects were being assembled. On the day we visited, one table was dedicated to making birdhouses. It had a particular time-slot to be there and a limited amount of participants, so needless to say we missed that activity. Nearby was another craft table dedicated to allowing kids to come and go at will. This, too, was full, so we kept moving. Further along was a six-foot high wall of felt. Shapes were available to stick around the wall. There was also a rock-climbing wall which held more interest for my five-year old. Not to be missed was also the gigantic sized Trojan horse. You can enter the inside of it from the third floor. Another interesting feature in this museum was that throughout the entire place little tv screens showed different animals in their own habitat. For example one mini tv showed what you’d see from the end of a rabbit tunnel. The rabbit hopped around in its tunnel, sniffed the camera, twitched its nose a little, and hopped out of its tunnel. Owls, lizards, and other animals were recorded by a video camera, just hanging out or doing what they might normally do. I didn’t see any kids noticing these tv screens, but I thought it was interesting to watch.
All in all, this is a place that taps into creativity. Perhaps if I was more creative by nature or if it wasn’t so crowded on the day we visited, I might have enjoyed it more. I understand that artists are brought in to create centerpieces and play areas that inspire creativity in kids. The things we found to explore were interesting, but in the end did not hold the interest of our kids for a significant amount of time.
Note: We received complimentary tickets to this museum, but the above review was based solely on our family’s experience.
Photo Friday: Dine and Spin
I am reviewing some photos of our day at the New Children’s Museum in San Diego. Though the photo isn’t top quality, it brings to mind one of the most entertaining moments within the museum: lunch. Naturally we got hungry around noon, and the not-so-large cafe was completely full. Just outside the dining area was a place designed for young kids to pull up a kid-sized chair or a … bowl to sit in and snack. Smaller bowls were available in tubs (or anywhere on the ground) for playing with, I assume. Hunger was all but forgotten as the kids became engrossed with rocking/spinning/scooting in their bowl chairs. A few adult-sized chairs were available, but seemingly placed as an after-thought. Not a lot of snacking happened, but we did leave the dining area with some renewed energy. If chairs could be designed by kids, I think we found the prototype here.
Check out more travel photos at Delicious Baby. Happy Photo Friday!
Where to Wednesday: Bring on the Bugs
As part of a university town, we are fortunate to have a fantastic Entomology Department. Housed in their quarters on campus is the Bohart Museum of Entomology, the second largest collection of insects on the west coast. (Our guide also mentioned that it’s probably the seventh nationwide.) Walking in is much like walking into a lab on campus (in fact it is a lab). Along the tables, however, are encased collections of colorful beatles and butterflies, among other flying things. There are also racks of terrariums with rare (and hairy) spiders and walking-stick bugs from around the world.
Much of the department’s collection is secured in locked racks which are not visable. There is a nice variety on display, and truth be told the kids were mostly interested in the live critters. The department’s staff will come out and answer questions for anyone coming in between 8:30am and 5pm (aside from the lunch hour). A special thank you to Tabitha for her patience and assistance in letting us hold some bugs. If you’d like to have a group tour you need to make a reservation in advance and the charge is $2 per child, adults are free. They have also set aside special weekend hours from 1pm – 5pm on 3/21, 4/17, and 5/8.
If the words, “hold some bugs” haven’t enticed you, here are a few stick bug facts that may persuade you to come out and learn more:
- There are over 3000 varieties of walking sticks worldwide. Several examples of species exist at the Bohart Museum and show how much variation there is within this single insect.
- They can produce without mating. Only one in one thousand Indian Sticks are males.
- Stick bugs can regenerate legs if they become damaged or lost. They shed their skin and eat their own molt.
- Adulthood is achieved after five or six months. Adults generally live another six months.
- Some walking sticks can change colors.