The upside, the upside downside, to snow

This boy knew just where to aim his sled. He took to the air on each descent.

I live in the suburb of Byron in southwest London, Ontario. At one time there was a gravel pit across the court from my home. Today the gravel pit is filled and there is now a park there. In the spring it's a great place to fly a kite and in the summer it has a well maintained diamond for baseball. But it is in the winter when the former pit really shines. It has a long, steep slope that is easy to reach and great for sledding, tobogganing, or even snow boarding, if you don't mind a short, fast run followed by a long, slow climb.

Glasses aren't much good when you have your eyes closed.

Today I noticed more than the usual number of cars in our court. This could mean only one thing: The slope is snow-covered and perfect for sledding. The word was out.

I grabbed my camera and headed into the snow. I followed the last group to arrive down the path behind a row of suburban homes until we reached the crest of the toboggan run.

. . . or when they are covered with snow.

The countryside surrounding London is quite flat. Oh, there is the occasional small hill but I do mean small hill.

The are only two ski hills in the area and one is quite close to where I live. Boler Mountain has a vertical height of a hundred feet. That's correct: A hundred feet. It is better known as the Byron Bump.

Now you understand why the small hill across from me is so popular. Heck, when I was a boy we took our toboggans to an overpass on 401 in order to find a slope.

Making it all the way to the bottom is a challenge.

Close to the ground is good. Less distance to fall.

More pictures to follow tomorrow!