Ski Alaska at Campbell Creek Science Center

I know when people say "spring break" they think of beaches but Andrew and I took advantage of the time off from school to take the kids out for some Alaskan cross country skiing.

We may not have beaches but ski trails? Check.

Anchorage has 120 miles of paved bike trails plus another 300 miles of unpaved trails which get used year-round for horseback riding, running, biking and in winter: skiing.

About 10 minutes from our house is Campbell Creek Science Center which is a tract of public land maintained by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) for recreational and educational use. The main clubhouse has a classroom for children's nature classes but the real study starts when you head out the door to explore the Alaskan wilderness.

It's a wonderful place because while you're right there within a city of 300,000 you can explore backwoods terrain as if you're in the middle of virgin forests. It's quiet and peaceful and the trail system there is just beautiful, going through forests and over streams past beaver dams and over hills, and you can see all sorts of wildlife while you're out enjoying the clean Alaskan air.

The Center has all sorts of science classes for children but I've enjoyed taking the kids and hitting the trail. When they were small we'd go in the winter and I'd pull them behind me on the sled and when we went in spring we'd hike to the beaver dam and see bald eagles in their nests but this weekend we took the kids there for their first chance at cross-country skiing.

There is a nice mile loop run that's perfect for beginners which goes by bridges and criss-crosses the trails that the dog mushers use to train (you can see from the sign in the top picture). We packed the gear and some hot dogs to roast and headed out. The temperatures were warm without being slushy and the sun came out about half way through and in short it was a wonderful day.

Though our spring "break" ended up being a bit more literal than most.

I've haven't been cross-country skiing since I was in elementary school, it's been all alpine skiing since then and it felt a little awkward putting on those skinny long skis after so many years. Lillian too was shaky so I followed behind her and after helping her up over the initial snow berm to get on the trail I lost my balance. My hands were busy helping her so they couldn't break my fall and I forgot I was wearing nordic gear. I'm so used to the downhill stuff that locks you solidly in your boots and bindings and allows you to lean as far back as you'd like and still be upright that when I felt myself teeter I automatically leaned back in my boots like I would have done on the slopes but instead of being locked in place my boots betrayed me and dumped me flat on my behind.

I do mean flat, it felt as if someone had dumped me from a helicopter in the sitting position and I landed solidly on the hard-packed snow which left me writhing in agony for a good 90 seconds.

When I could finally breath normally I stood up and could tell something was wrong. It appears, dear readers, that I have what you'd call a broken bottom. I was able to finish out the day just fine--no more falling thank you--but the real fun came when I had to sit in the car to go home. Talk about your pain. And it's been all Advil all the time ever since.

The kids of course wanted to know if I'd have to get a cast (funny aren't they?) then they wanted to know if I'd need to be put in the Iron Butt (see video explanation here and pardon the commercial, I had no choice in that department). Yes they're supportive and sweet.

And just in case you were wondering, yes it even hurts to laugh.

"Ah, man! It itches!"

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