This is a teen-written article from our friends at Teenink.com.
Have you traveled 60 miles on a snow machine when it is 25 degrees below zero to get to Thanksgiving dinner? That's what my family did two years ago.
The Tuesday before Thanksgiving we received a phone call from friends asking if we would enjoy spending the holiday with them at their homestead along the river. We already had plans, but cancelled them and drove to a trail off the Parks highway to snow machine to the cabin, since that was the only means of transportation.
We unloaded the machines and headed down the trail. We came across some obstacles, including a moose and broken ice on the river, but we managed to bypass these and kept riding. Toward the end of the trail one of our friends' family members came to greet us. He showed us some short cuts, and ledus around snow mounds as high as five feet.
As we neared our destination we could see a light shining and knew it was the cabin. It was dark outside because the tilt of the Earth hid the sun, but the Aurora Borealis was shining so bright that night that it lit the sparkling snow with red and green. It brightened the Earth so that we could drive with our headlights off! We crossed our last river and were finally there.
We were so cold after the ride thatwe rushed to enter the warm cabin. The first thing that hit us was the smell of steaming food. We took off our coats and sat down to eat. I noticed the efficient use they made of many items. A car battery generated the lights, a wood stove gave the heat, and much of the meat was moose or caribou that had been hunted that year. There was everything you could imagine to eat in addition to the game: roast beef, turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, cranberries, green beans, corn, biscuits, and stuffing. We ate and talked, sharing stories and singing songs. Since then we have done many things together, but that was my favorite Thanksgiving ever!
This piece has also been published in Teen Ink's monthly print magazine.