You! Tube!

RICK MACDONNELL

- Feb. 23/10

There are certain activities that, when doing them, one can't help but feel like a kid again: Go-Karting, watching Looney Tunes, pouring milk in a bowl before cereal ("it tastes better...").

After my afternoon excursion, I feel the need to add tubing to that list.

Tubing is something that has no business being as fun as it is. I've done it a few times now, and I still get permagrin each time down the hill. A grown man shouldn't be this delighted to spin down a hill in a tube. It makes me laugh so hard – every run – that it's downright embarrassing.

After two hours, the park operators were starting to give me strange looks.

Totally worth it

"I'll never tire of seeing the stupid faces you make, though," hollered one.

"You look like you're being tickled," said another.

That was an acute observation, I thought. It's a very similar feeling. The uncontrollable, childish laughter is much the same in both cases.

Although, tubing has yet to make me wet my pants.

Tubing is truly an activity for the entire family. There are very few activities that both five- and thirty-five year-olds can enjoy together, to pretty much the same degree.

Professional wrestling is one, Duck Hunt is two, and tubing is three.

Fun for the whole family

It's very cool to see people from every age group enjoy something together. There were five year olds, 10 year olds, 20 year olds, and 40 year olds all tubing together, all having a great time.

Activities like this can't be emphasized enough. As marketing gets more and more targeted in pretty much every activity these days (thanks for that, Internet), it's nice to be able to find some harmless family fun.

Or not even family ... seriously, go by yourself and you'll be too excited to miss them.

If your children are less than 10 years old, I beg you to take them tubing. I can guarantee that they've rarely felt so empowered in their entire lives. The independence of zooming down a hill – alone – while parents watch from the sidelines, is a difficult feeling for a kid to achieve in a safe environment.

Tubing is as safe as they come. Take advantage of it – especially if you are at the Olympics and the kids are starting to get antsy. What a great way to burn off some energy ... and get a tonne of smiles and laugher.