Sandwiched
I’m not a winter person by any means. Summer always has been and always will be my favorite season – I’m a Leo, after all. But I live in Indiana where winter can last anywhere from three to six months.
Every year I TRY to embrace the joys of winter. I do pretty well from December until about mid-January, but then I get a cranky and impatient and am ready to see the sun and green grass again.
This time I was determined to beat the winter blues and have some fun outdoors with my family. So we marked our calendar to go tubing on Sunday, Feb. 17 and try out Koteewi Run Seasonal Slopes in northern Hamilton County.
Koteewi appealed to me thanks to: 1. The individually carved-out tubing lanes and 2. The towline that takes you to the top of the hill.
While I liked sledding growing up, there’s one incident that my sister loves to tease me about. When I was eight, I went sledding down a hill at Wilson Park up in Mishawaka. At one point the snow started to blind me and I couldn’t see where I was going, which explains why I slammed right into a tree. Thankfully I was okay, but the sled, well … not so much. This incident naturally left me a bit paranoid about sledding or tubing.
Individual lanes so you can tube safely and not hit other people or objects? Count me in!
The towline is also wonderful because the last time I went sledding with my boys at Forest Park, I only went down the hill four times. Why? Because that meant going up the hill four times. On the last trip up, my 40-something-year-old body screamed “no more!” Being towed back up the hill and avoiding overexertion at Koteewi sounded right up my alley.
Yes, you pay for these features for your two-hour session. But these benefits and more are so worth it!
My son Jonathon ended up having to stay home to work on a school project, so Jacob invited his friend Christian and off we went. They skipped the towline most of the time and climbed up the hill, an easy feat for most teenagers. My husband John and I, however, were happy with getting towed despite the lines.
We all loved the experience, especially when the lanes started to get slick from use and some freezing drizzle that afternoon! Thanks to that combination, we went faster each time. All four of us grabbed on to each other and went down together near the end, which left us screaming and laughing.
In addition to the excitement and fun, the staff was friendly; the hill is near a warm building with restrooms, hot chocolate, and other drinks and snacks available for purchase; and the slopes are just a 15-minute drive from Noblesville. It’s a great time for all ages!
To learn more and sign up, visit koteewi-adventures.com.