#21

Sand sledding:  you've never heard of it?  That's because we made it up.  You don't think it would work?  Think again.  When the conditions are just right and you have conquered the learning curve, flying down sand dunes on a sled is a complete reality.

It was a stormy day at the Indiana Dunes.  Sirens had gone off just an hour earlier.  People were still hiding in the bathhouse to escape the terror of the wind and rain.  We decided that the worst of the storm had passed and that we could handle pretty much anything else it had for us, so we set off on a hike...uphill both ways. No literally.  We chose a spot...took a dive...and flew off the end of the sled.  Face plant.  So we went again...chose a new spot...took a dive...and flew off the end of the sled.  Somersaults.  We finally found the perfect spot:  the sand slicked down from the rain, guarded from foot traffic by the nearby prickly dune grass.  So we took another dive.  Success.  It felt like real life sledding (except for the dune grass scuffing up our knuckles and legs).

So we left the hill champions, with sand covering our sweatshirts, down our shorts, and in our hair.  And we loved every minute of it.