An Awesome Day Sledding on Berthoud Pass (+ Chicken Tenders, Gluten Free Recipe)

Today was the last day of winter break and I wanted to spend it doing something fun. I had hoped that it would be a whole family affair, but Larr and Ethan were not feeling all that well so we left them at home. Yesterday Ethan purchased a Toyota 4 Runner. He is pretty excited about it, so he spent the day cleaning it up. Ellie and I were happy that Kohlton could join us for the wintery adventure.

It has been pretty warn in town, so we had to head to the mountains. Thanks to webcams, I was able to pick an awesome location. We drove up to Berthoud Pass near Winter Park.

The snow was dry, but nice. It was also very deep in some places. Many people were walking up the hill and skiing, snowboarding and sledding down. Others were enjoying a bit of telemarking.

The photos above were taken from the mountain side across from the parking lot. The kids had their best run of the day by taking what looked to be a ravine of some sort that Ellie found just off of the parking lot. The kids said that it was the best sledding - ever. But certainly not for novice sledders as some parts were very fast. In some parts they even caught air. They went very far, walked the road a bit and had me pick them up by the side of the road. (It is not uncommon for people to ski or snowboard down the hill and then hitch hike for a ride back up to the top.)

I had a very serious sledding accident a few years back. I lost control at the top of Loveland pass and nearly ended up on the highway much farther down the hill. I was on crutches for about 8 weeks. I have not gone on a sled since then.

While the kids were sledding I spent my time knitting a bit and walking around. I met Gerald, a 7 month old black and white kitty who loves to explore vehicle tires. I spent a bit of time petting Hazel Mae who was a yellow lab that did not know that she was not still a puppy. I also petted many other dogs who darted around. It was clear that most of the dogs were having as much fun as their owners. The lone exception was a poor whippet that was rail thin. He sported a lovely winter jacket, but his paws were so cold that he tried to alternate between just three of his legs, holding one up for a longer period of time to warm it up (I presume).

The kids are very cute and funny when they are together. Their affection for each other can make you forget that there is anything bad in the world.

I am sure we will find our way up there again some time soon.

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Connie and her family recently moved. I made the following Chicken Tenders for them. I also made gluten free brownies from a Bob's Red Mill mix. It was awesome and super easy.


Chicken Tenders, Gluten-free


1 lb Chicken Breasts, boneless, cut into bite size pieces

1 whole egg
1-2 tablespoon milk
2 cups gluten-free Corn Chex Cereal, crushed (I used my foot processor)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika- if you don’t have this, you can use regular or just omit
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup Baking Mix, Pamela's Gluten Free



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In one bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.
On a large plate, combine Corn Chex, Baking Mix, garlic powder, onion salt and smoked paprika, and oregano. Mix well to combine. Place this in a large baggie.

Season chicken strips with a little salt + pepper. One chicken tender at a time, dip into egg/milk mixture – let excess drip off before dipping into the dry mix. Coat the chicken tender with the seasoned cereal mixture by placing it in the bag with the mix and shaking. I do coat many pieces at a time. Place directly on the prepared baking sheet. Continue process for remaining chicken strips.

Bake on a foil covered pan for 20-25 minutes or until chicken has cooked through and coating is nice and crispy. You can also saute them in a frying pan with enough olive oil or coconut oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook on medium until done, turning as needed.