snow tubing!

I have never picked a word at the beginning of a new year, but I recently decided my word for 2021 is adventure. Adventure, to me, is trying something exciting, especially if I’ve never done it before — and getting to do it with my family makes it even better! None of us had ever been snow tubing, and we all had an absolute blast! It’s a lot like sledding, only faster, smoother and more expensive ;-) But you don’t have to walk uphill!

We went to Seven Oaks Recreation in Boone, which I think is the only place to do it in Iowa this winter. They also have skiing and snowboarding options. With the ages (8 & 5) and interests of our kids, we went with snow tubing, but Finch says he wants to try skiing next time!

We had originally planned to go a couple weeks ago, but they were sold out, so we made advance reservations for this past weekend and crossed our fingers it would work out weather-wise and COVID-wise (you never know!). Thankfully, the stars aligned and we were able to do it. The “feels-like” temp was in the single digits, so I was nervous we would be cold, but we actually got warm from walking the 200ish meters back to the lift each time.

They have four tubing lanes — single riders can go down any of them, and two lanes also allow double riders where you hang onto each other’s tubes and ride down together. My favorite way to go down was doubles or by myself on my stomach. I overheard someone say they clocked in at 32 mph. It was a thrill!

It was cute to see Rooney and Finch go down together, and this was definitely a time/place when we felt like we could let out their leash a little and let them do their own thing, although we mostly stayed together.

The minimum age for tubing is 4 years, and all tubers must ride in their own tube. Finch is 5 and very independent (he can sled down a hill and walk back up with his sled several times in a row without complaining), and he did great, but I could definitely see age 6 being more of a good age for this if you don’t want to assist your child with hauling their tube back to the lift each time.

We took a break midway through our tubing session for a quick snack (they sell food and beverages). Next time we think it would be fun to go at nighttime! We will definitely be back.

What adventurous thing should we try next?