The Hole Tourist: The Raptor Reserve

The Raptor Reserve, is essentially our front yard. We live right up the hillside of the banks of the Snake River. During the summer months this area is closed for as a raptor sanctuary, and we can often see, bald eagles, osprey, and a variety of hawks flying around here. In the winter however it opens up for public access. Though to get here you have to drive through our neighborhood.
Anyway its a bit of a climb down to the banks of the river, and very treacherous if you don't know whats underfoot. The bank of the Snake is a huge wide river-rock bed and has a few eddy's and pools where the river calms a bit. Once it snows though all these physical attributes are hidden beneath a blanket of white.

If you do venture down here, be very careful where you put your feet and don't go alone. Any step you take the rocks could shift and you can get hurt very quickly.

This was a short little hike to get us accustomed to the weather and the cold as well as build up Kevin's sled towing muscles for the winter. We hiked down to the river by way of an old river access point that starts just across the street from our front lawn. This hill would be a good one for sledding once the snow gets deeper, but this time we skipped it.

Once we got to the bank, (about 5 minutes) We let the kids run around and play in the snow and try to throw snow, twigs and rocks into the river. The bank was pretty icy and we couldn't be sure exactly where the edge of the river was so we had the kids stand back quite a ways (which they weren't happy about).

Once they got their fill of the river we headed up to the sled hill that was our purpose. We made a deal with the kids that if they wanted to sled down the hill they had to pull the sled up the hill. We gave them the first on free and they all rode down together. After that we had the kids who weren't riding wait at the bottom for their turn.

First up was Lulu, Kevin gave her a running send off and she went barreling down the hill and a bit farther than she expected and got a little frightened. The sled stopped and she climbed off crying, we told her that if she ever needed to stop she could just roll out of the sled and she would be okay. A little distraught she was more than eager to hand over the reins to Emma.

Emma knowing what was about to happen and thrilled to see if she could zoom farther than lulu ran up the hill with the sled. Kevin gave her a running start as well and she coasted a few feet further than Lulu.

Jack having waited long enough for his turn was ready to go, however he wasn't very inclined to pull the sled. Kevin held his hand and walked up the hill with him, but still had Jack pull the sled. Fair is fair after all.

Each of the kids took a dozen or so turns before the were too tired to walk anymore, so we sent them all down the hill together one last time. Emma volunteered to pull up the sled but Jack and his independent ways thought that it was his job and threw a fit until we let him do it himself.

Once up the hill Kevin graciously pulled them all home.