Sunday, Jan. 04, 2009

Families, groups flock to foothills for zooming fun

Nearing the end of winter break, hundreds of children and adults clutched sleds and toboggans in every size, shape and color and whizzed down hills in the area known as Little Sweden, nestled just off Highway 108 between Long Barn and Pinecrest. They also tailgated in impressive fashion. Children, their bodies scraped but their spirits not broken, smiled and went for another run down the hill. Here are some of the winter warriors at Little Sweden on Saturday:

Anthony Valenzuela's children had never seen snow until Saturday. So he made sure they would have a memento of their sledding trip. Valenzuela, 30, shoveled snow onto the roof of his Cadillac Escalade, just as his father had done for him years ago, for the drive back to Modesto.

He was convinced it would stick for the 70-mile ride. And what would be done with it back home? "Snowball fights," said Valenzuela, with a smile, who was there as part of a larger family gathering.

The snow was stained with chili and hot chocolate where one party was going strong. A group of 60 from Hilmar's Victory Christian Center didn't think of going sledding without all the comforts of home: a boiling pot of water for warming hot dogs, flavored syrups to add to coffee and bubbling vats of chili and hot chocolate. The group's gastronomical specialty? A "Frito boat," which consists of corn chips covered in hot chili and cheese. Keith Simmons, 43, had some advice for parents doling out candy to their children. "Let's get the sugar in 'em right away so they can wear it off before they get home," he said.

While children's thoughts were on getting their toboggans to the hill as quickly as possible, a California Highway Patrol officer in the making saw potential parking tickets. Nic Peterson, 27, was on a ride-along with a CHP officer who already had doled out a dozen tickets. Peterson pointed out at least 100 cars left near "No Parking" signs along the highway. The tickets cost $100 each, but that didn't stop people who had gotten tickets from coming back and parking in the same spots. "They're more interested in playing in the snow," Peterson said.

By 3 p.m., the afternoon's worst sledding injury was to a 49-year-old woman who injured her lower back and was carried by rescue workers to an ambulance. Capt. Ron Fink of the Tuolumne County Fire Department said the woman was conscious and doing "quite well." Fink said he's seen many head and back injuries when people sled on snow that's frozen and icy without powder to soften the blows. "The gentle hills turn into an ice rink," he said. While there were some scraped chins and some tears, the children seemed to bounce back up easily after a tumble. "Kids seem to do better than adults in the sledding," Fink said.

Bee staff writer Merrill Balassone can be reached at mbalassone@modbee.com or 578-2337.