Winter Excursions

A few weekends ago there was a nasty inversion.  Eugene had been thick with fog for over a week; we had not seen the tops of the trees, much less the sky.  Lauren and I drove to Terrebonne on Friday evening and met Peter at the Smith bivvy.  The cold was bearable overnight and once the sun shone on the rocks, it was tank top weather.  We spent a few hours climbing the routes on the Peanut before making the trek to Sunset Slab on the West side.

Ice on the Crooked River

Smith Rock Group above the Crooked River

That night we stayed in Bend with my friend, Erin, who I know from Seattle.  We had dinner at Cascade Lakes Brewery and fell asleep watching Aspen Extreme.  The next day, the three of us toured Tumalo Mountain with plentiful sun and mediocre snow conditions.

Mt. Bachelor

Sisters and Broken Top

We returned to Bend to find homemade pizza for dinner (Thanks, Erin!).  On Monday, Peter left early to return to work and Lauren and I stopped at Potato Hill on the way home.  It was frigid in the parking lot, but ten minutes into the skin, we were WAY too hot.  So for the rest of the day we skied the soft corn snow in our skivvies.

Three Fingered Jack

Some lunchtime snowy yoga poses.

The following two weekends we ventured out to a new touring locale.  Red Top Mountain is just past Willamette Pass near Crescent Lake.  The skin in is long, through flat trash forest, but when you reach the top, the view is fantastic.  When Lauren and I went up, it was cloudy and snowing, but Peter and I got a bluebird day with forgiving breakable crust.

A good smelling tree.

Trash forest gives way to spacious old growth.

Booting up the steep side.

Tank top weather!

To the south, Thielsen!

To the north, Sisters!

To the west, Diamond Peak!

On the way home, we stopped in Oakridge at the local brew pub.  It's a cozy place where the bartender knows everyone who walks in.  The walls are adorned with empty beer bottles from breweries across the state.  There's a sitting room with couches, a music room with a piano and darts, pool and endless board games.  It is the perfect place to finish up a ski day.