Once In A Blue Moon & Creating Adventures
Blue Moon Yurt
We believe that life is all about experiences. That’s just one of the many reasons we love doing what we do. Offering families an outdoor experience that may be just beyond their comfort level or something they don’t get a chance to do very often is incredibly gratifying. There’s nothing better than listening to the excited chatter of kids at the end of a river trip.
8 pitches later…
When it comes to our own family we look for unique opportunities for our kids to experience, which means we sometimes have to break out of our routine and our own comfort zones. For example, last summer we let our then seven year old, Miles, join Sawtooth Mountain Guides for a six session rock climbing course that culminated with an eight-pitch climb. Gulp! We are water people! Talk about out of our comfort zone. But he did it! Not without setbacks and some hesitation, however the sense of accomplishment was palpable and it turned out to be the highlight of his summer.
We recently had an opportunity to experience a winter adventure with Miles that he’s wanted to do for a quite some time. A friend of ours runs a unique operation in Ponderosa State Park in McCall, Idaho called Blue Moon Yurt. It’s a dining experience like no other that you have to see to believe. Our kids have heard us talk about “the yurt” often and we’ve always told them they have to be much older to make the trek there (it’s ski or snowshoe in only). Wouldn’t you know, the other day Lisa called and said she had three spots open at a table with another child and wondered if we’d like to come out with Miles. Our initial reaction was “no” for several reasons, the main one being that it is a really late night and Miles is the type of kid that really needs his sleep. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized that we need to break out of our routine and make memories with our kids before they up and move out.
For the last two winters Miles has joined the McCall Nordic “team” and has become a great little skate skier. In fact, they often train in Ponderosa State Park, but Miles had never actually seen the yurt. The excitement on his face when we told him we were going was worth every minute of lost sleep. And the excitement only built over the next few days.
About to head into Blue Moon Yurt
The time finally came and the evening did not disappoint. The twilight ski in to the yurt was magical with the trail lit by tiki torches and a light snow falling. When we arrived, Miles could hardly wait to go in and practically skipped down the trail. Being off the grid, the yurt is lit by hundreds of candles and the Mongolian décor gives it a mystical feel so you can imagine the look of wonder on his face upon entering the yurt. Unforgettable. Over the five-course meal we had great one-on-one conversation and Miles ate and loved every single thing served to him. A future foodie, perhaps?
But the true test came at the end of the evening when it came time to ski back to the car. Miles’s energy was visibly waning around the entrée so after dessert we were bracing ourselves for possible whining, if not tears. But wouldn’t you know he was just as excited to ski out as he was to ski in. It was his first night ski and he said he had really been looking forward to it.
Ultimately, the memories made that night at Blue Moon are worth a decent night’s sleep anytime. Whether rafting, rock climbing, yurting, or otherwise, creating experiences and memories is what life is all about.