Haveyou traveled 60 miles on a snow machine when it is 25 degrees below zero to getto Thanksgiving dinner? That's what my family did two years ago.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving we received a phone call from friendsasking if we would enjoy spending the holiday with them at their homestead alongthe river. We already had plans, but cancelled them and drove to a trail off theParks highway to snow machine to the cabin, since that was the only means oftransportation.

We unloaded the machines and headed down the trail. Wecame across some obstacles, including a moose and broken ice on the river, but wemanaged to bypass these and kept riding. Toward the end of the trail one of ourfriends' 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 destinationwe could see a light shining and knew it was the cabin. It was dark outsidebecause the tilt of the Earth hid the sun, but the Aurora Borealis was shining sobright that night that it lit the sparkling snow with red and green. Itbrightened the Earth so that we could drive with our headlights off! We crossedour 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 ofsteaming food. We took off our coats and sat down to eat. I noticed the efficientuse they made of many items. A car battery generated the lights, a wood stovegave the heat, and much of the meat was moose or caribou that had been huntedthat 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 favoriteThanksgiving ever!