Bumps, backs and frostbitten fingers

We went sledding at USM's Gorham campus and had fun until L.'s last run ended in her flying off her tube and hurting her back and me getting frostbitten fingers (they still hurt).

The hill on the campus was tons of fun except for the man-made bump on the run. The kids initially enjoyed flying over the bump because quite literally they went airborne. But after a few runs the kids opted to avoid the hill's bump. Even on an inflated tube, it was still a rough landing to take.

The hill was just steep enough for the kids to enjoy the speed but not so hard to climb back to the top.

And yes, I can attest at the rough landing on that bump! See more photos in My.MaineToday.com from Meg.

But man was it cold!

The weather temps when we arrived home.

I have Gortex snowboarding gloves (which I put on after the first run to replace my cheaper gloves) but they don't have fleece lining. They usually keep me warm on the slopes because I'm usually sweating under my gear while I board and the gloves are great because they don't ever feel wet. But they are not so warm while sledding. My fingers got so cold that it was painful; and today they still hurt alot. I think you can tell how cold it was by simply looking at the well bundled-up kids.

L. thinks it is hysterically funny that she doesn't *have to smile* for pictures when she's got all her gear on. Both girls wore multiple layers yet they were still cold. The wind chill really was a killer yesterday.

Just before it was time to go, L. and her friend C. went down the hill and couldn't steer their tube around the bump on that run. L. flew off the tube and got the wind knocked out of her. I got video of her fall before running over to make sure she was OK. Her back was still sore last night but she was in good spirits. She spent some time on the massage chair in the living room and talked about her accident for our YouTube video.