Time for an adventure!

As with many others our holiday plans were disrupted.  We made the best of the time that we had with my bonus daughter and twins.  We have ideas on how to incorporate my bonus sons into the family photo at a later date.

When the husband is over it! - Chris & Sophia Reamsnyder Officers Gulch

The perfect location for family photos was found at Officer’s Gulch just outside of Frisco.  Now it was time to plan the adventure!  It was going to be cold with snow hitting the area a few days before.  One of the best (and FREE) places to have fun near Frisco is Frisco Adventure Park!  There is a hill that has free access for sledding.

Our family has used this hill many times over the years.  It is a ton of fun!  Beware of the hill!  You will go flying and it will hurt.  Take a moment to watch everyone else first.  There are spots that are much safer to use.  After much trial and error, it seems like the best sled for this hill are tubs.  Which brings us to the next activity.

Right in the same area is the ability to go tubing.  I highly encourage this activity as well.  Tubing can be a blast.  Make sure to reserve your spot ahead of time, there is unfortunately a fee.  Well worth it in my opinion.  Don’t forget to stop in Old Town Frisco for a bite to eat.  There are restaurants for everyone.

So, lets go down the check list of the plan for the big day!

1.       Kids – 3 out of 5

2.       Clothes – Cream/white tops with black leggings and Uggs for the ladies.  Black bomber jackets with green collared undershirt, jeans and hiking boots for the guys.

3.       Location – Officer’s Gulch

4.       Food – Day of decision!

5.       Fun Activity – Sledding at Frisco Adventure Park

We decided to go on Friday morning to do photos to avoid the crowds.  Leaving much earlier would have been a good idea!  As with anytime you travel into the Colorado mountains, there was traffic.  Our two-hour drive quickly added two additional hours!  People + icy roads = crashes.  It would all be fine.  We would still get there before the clouds were to move in…..

Many hours later and finally at our location, it was FREEZING.  There was a mad dash to get the photos done and get back in the toasty truck.  We were not dressed appropriately to be out in below freezing temperatures long.  While the children and Chris lugged camera gear to the designated location, I began to cycle kids through individual images.   

Officer’s Gulch - Winter 2022

Let me say a little bit about these kids.  They are troopers.  There was minimal complaining during the photos, we just won’t talk about the car ride, haha. They were excited to get to sledding!

We quickly worked through my shot list.  Prior to a shoot we design a shot list to make sure we capture exactly what we want.  Example for our family shoot:

1.       Family photo 5/7 family members

2.       My twins and bonus daughter

3.       My twins

4.       Individual photos

5.       Chris and my bonus daughter

6.       Chris and I

7.       Twins and I

8.       Bonus daughter and I

Chris & his daughter - Officers Gulch

Officers Gulch

Officers Gulch

Now that we all are frozen like Audrey Griswold, it was time to thaw out and feed the hangry family!  My twins can be very picky eaters sometimes.  One could survive off cheeseburgers, French fires and pizza, the other chicken nuggets and salad. Naturally every suggestion was given a, “meh”.  Then tacos were mentioned.  This suggestion made my mouth water. 

My bonus daughter found this cute little restaurant in Old Town called Tocko.  Everyone found something to eat here.  We needed to be rolled out the door, five people walked out stuffed!  Delicious street tacos, loaded queso fries and so much more.  Although they are a little pricey and not the only option in Friso, I highly recommend giving Tocko a try.    

Tocko’s in Frisco

We were stuffed, warmed and ready to sled!

Did I mention it was cold?  On any adventure make sure you have proper supplies.  For this outing at Frisco Adventure Park we needed:

1.       Sled x2

2.       Warm weather gear

3.       If you think you packed enough warm things pack extra!

4.       Boots

5.       Snacks and drinks (you will thank me later!)

We trickled down in ones and twos, walking from a side gravel parking lot to the hill.  See my previous comment about leaving earlier in the morning.  By the time we arrived at Frisco Adventure Park there was no regular parking left, it was super busy!

Frisco Adventure Park

I did not partake in going down the hill, my body is just too fragile for those kinds of bumps and rolls.  I do mean bumps and rolls!  The first time I took the twins here when they hit the bump at the bottom of the hill, they flew like cartoon characters.  Take a moment to watch others sledding, this will reveal the spots better suited for your family’s ability.  The kids eventually talked Chris into taking a turn….he flew!  The next time we go sledding here different sleds are in order.

Now that we were all truly frozen and beat it was time to make the trek back to the truck.  The kids and I headed to the bathrooms while Chris took some items back to the truck.  I recommend using the bathrooms before leaving, traffic can get back up.  We all met back up at the truck, where the first of many “I’m hungries” were mentioned.  We had packed snacks and drinks.  We chowed down before the long journey home.  I say long as there was much traffic on the way back as well.

Even though this was not our exact plan and it went wrong in everyway possible, this was an amazing day.  Even when things began to get silly on the way home, it still was a great day!