When we were kids there was a certain hill in town that was the host to almost every kid in town. Without the aid of social media, word would get out to meet at the hill just west of town with sled, or inner tube, in hand for an afternoon of fun for any age.

Over the weekend I talked to several parents who took advantage of the Minot Park District tubing hill at Souris Valley Golf course. There you can rent tubes if you wish or bring your own sled or piece of cardboard.

Bottineau Winter Park
If you have time and want a little more adventure head north to Bottineau Winter Park where Dan says the tubing is “awesome”. The hill is a little longer and so BWP has a rope tow that will bring you to the top of the hill rather than trekking up the hill by foot. BWP has both single and double tubes for rent. If you get tired and need a break head for the lodge where you can purchase hot chocolate and things to eat at the lunch counter.

The Fun Part Of Winter
Yes, I will agree that those 2 weeks before Christmas were a bit of challenge with temps and wind chills way below zero. But since then, temps has ranged near the 20 degree above on most days. Not only does the Minot Park District maintain the Souris Valley Golf Course tubing hill, but a quick check of their web site will give you a schedule of other outdoor activities like cross country skiing & snowshoeing, along with 4 outdoor rinks and warming houses open most evenings until 9:30 PM for both adult and kids skating and hockey.

Are We Done With The Cold Weather?
A recent transplant to Minot asked me if I thought we were done the cold temperatures because he had heard that we only have a couple of weeks of really cold conditions every winter.
Not wanting to sound like a long time resident trying to “sell” Minot to someone who had obviously not been through an entire, or many entire, winter(s), I said it just depends. There have been winters when we had nice days in March, and then I have seen snow in June. There was a sigh, and the young man responded, “so you are telling me that it’s a little early to put away my warm winter clothing”. I shook my head and affirmed him that January 1st was a bit early to think about switching your wardrobe to shorts and t-shirts.

Best Kept Secrets
Had a great time at the Minot Minotauros game on Friday night. Even though you may not completely understand hockey, the atmosphere and energy in the crowd was great. The Minotauros won in come back fashion, scoring 2 goals in less than a minute to take a 4-3 lead, and that was the final score.

Today’s Chuckle
What do you call a line of rabbits hopping backwards?
A receding hare line….