Mammoth Day 3

I am grateful for the good sleep we were able to get. When you take your family (especially little kids) away for a few nights, you don't really expect everyone to sleep well. But we have felt great and the kids have been total pros!

We had breakfast and got ready for the gondola ride. Rayleigh was SUPER excited about it ever since she saw the "elevators" going up the mountain. This was, again, a touristy thing that we paid for which we probably won't ever do again. But it was the perfect thing to do when visiting Mammoth for the very first time. The gondola was legit and it was so cool riding allll the way up the mountain (up to the snow!) in an enclosed vehicle! All of the staff were super friendly and so kind to us- it was very sweet.

There was a restaurant and interpretive center at the top of the mountain where the kids could learn more about the different types of rocks found in mammoth, play with magic sand, see different animal skins, and look through binoculars. We spent a good amount of time learning about Mammoth before walking the trail at the top of the mountain and having a picnic. It was super windy and made us both nervous but the kids did great and it was a neat experience. Rayleigh loved playing in the dirty snow (this girl loves the snow!) and Parker took some awesome pictures!

When we got back down the mountain, we drove around and tried to discover more cool spots. We found a nice lake with a beach but there was a warning of high CO2 exposure that was a little alarming... the kids had fun playing at the beach though. (Their happy place)

That night, we made some dinner and then checked out the festival going on around the resort. We played games and participated in the "silent dance party". This is where you wear head phones and everyone wearing them hears the same upbeat song and has a dance party but if you are NOT wearing the head phones, it just looks like a bunch of crazy people moving their bodies to silence. It's pretty hilarious and the kids LOVED it, especially Ella! ha ha The kids also found a little sand box which was the most brilliant addition to a cool Mexican Restaurant. They played there for a long time while we enjoyed the evening. Rayleigh loved the performers, especially the "hula hoop girl". The juggler guy had the kids help him with a trick and the whole festival was just super family friendly and really fun!

We all took showers and baths and wore the hotel robes which was a fun treat and Tanner went down to the hot tub with Parker after the kids went to bed. Tanner had this amazing idea to have the kids listen to his "sleep stories" app to help them relax and fall asleep. They loved it and went right to sleep!

We had another GREAT day!