• Thursday-What'sUP September 29 - 08:10 am

If you and the kids need to take a break from all the homework, now that school is back in full swing, then a must place to head to is Chutes and Ladders in Houghton. Not only will the youngsters burn off pent up energy, accumulated from sitting in the classroom, but you'll also enjoy the fresh air outside and more importantly the voices and smiling faces of children having fun. Karen and Doug Spaeth were able to capture the essence of fun and exercise in the three photos above, along with some added foliage color to match the bright orange of the slide tunnel. I think we all could use an adrenaline rush like this young lady just completed, racing down that long orange tube towards the bottom and emerging with a big grin from the sheer enjoyment of a fun run!

We had my sister, brother-in-law, and two young nephews visit us in July. We did the whole Copper Country cruise - Brockway, ice cream at the Harbor, skipping stones in the big lake, boat tour to the lighthouse, Quincy mine tour, barbecue at the house - you name it, we did it.

What do they remember the most?

Yeah, you guessed it, chutes and ladders.

*Sigh* I've reached a point in my life where I see that and think of sprained joints and splinters. Maybe I need to run up there for a weekend and take a few trips down the tube. You are never too old to feel like a kid!

My kids love Chutes and Ladders! My two younger guys really enjoyed it again this summer. (I don't know if my older guy went through it or just stood and talked to dad, watching his younger siblings. He might well have done a round, himself, while I was back at the motel room with our two 4-legged friends.) We use it as a landmark, when trying to describe where something is UP there, as well. :-)

I didn't even know Chutes and Ladders existed. Looks like good exercise for adults after eating a whopping huge Jilbert's ice cream cone too. LOL I'll have to tell my sons about it so my grandchildren can go and play. I'm sure they'd love it.

Deb would that be Cherry Amaretto Mackinaw Island Fudge Jilberts ice cream? :)

My grandkids loved going to the chutes and ladders when they came up to visit from downstate. I, myself, loved going down the chute!

We were there a year ago with my daughter (25) and her daughter (then 4). I had my DAUGHTER convinced that she needed to hurry through the chutes and ladders before the water came on! She's the gullible sort.

My kids love that place, wish it was there when I was a kid. I was tempted to go anyway.

Wow, such an exciting surprise to see our family's visit to Chutes & Ladders on today's Pasty Cam! Thanks for posting them, Mary!

This is a place that is fun for all ages, and just one of the many reasons we enjoy Houghton. In the top photo, you can also see Doug in the center, as well as our son standing on the bottom right. Our son is now a senior at MTU.

The little girl emerging from the chute is our youngest daughter. This is actually her third appearance on the Pasty Cam. See also: August 18, 2000 and August 31, 2000.

Have a great day, everyone! - Doug & Karen

Even though you aren't supposed to, as a teenager we used to go there at night. It was so fun (and scary!) to go down the tubes in the inky darkness... even better when it was raining! It felt like a tunnel water slide!

How timely...our local paper just ran an article on the sanitation concerns of the tubes. Per the article all kinds of germs can be passed around inside those enclosures.

We only had "Monkey Bars" when I was a kid, and yes Captain, that was a long time ago. lol

Looks like fun though, but I think I'd get stuck now. lol

Hello everybody! This is Stina, the girl coming out of the slide. I was 11 then, but now I'm 13. However, I would totally go back again! It is an awesome place to take your kids! Going down that big old honker of a slide is scary at first, but if you have an older brother to shove you down if you're too scared, it isn't so bad. Have fun!
Love ya! Stina

Pennie, I put my response on the wrong page this morning about the Amaretto Cherry Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream. In case you didn't see it, it was yup, yup....ooooh, la, la. I just bought my favorite ice cream this afternoon, well not quite favorite since it's not made by Jilbert's.

Oh Deb--I also love Jilbert's Amaretto Cherry Mackinac Fudge ice
cream. Maybe I'll have a chance to eat some next weekend.

Took my whole family there about 15 years ago to hear the U.S. coast gaurd jazz band. My 10 year old son, at the time, could not keep still with the great music that we heard that day. We had a wonderful day listening to music and playing on chutes and ladders. I truly believe that was the day my son decided to become a musician. Today he is professional jazz drummer. It was a day we will always remember.

In Hubbell there was a slide by the Catholic school. It seemed to be real high, and you could really go fast if you sat on some wax paper it seemed to be a giant slide.

Kosk, it seems to be a favorite with a lot of people. Out here we have a brand called Blue Bunny and they make Bordeaux Cherry Chocolate. It too has amaretto flavoring in it. It's not Jilbert's, but what I like is the chocolate chunks are smaller. It's really my downfall. If you get Blue Bunny ice cream, you should try it.

Mikie, we used to use wax paper to slide down the slides too. Boy was that every fun. We'd use cardboard in the summer to slide down the hills up behind our house in Lake Linden. More fun that sledding because you didn't get wet and cold.