Beards at Bachelor

Everyone loves a good ski vacation, and nothing builds the anticipation like a particularly bad snow year.  Carl and I managed to squeeze in a total of two days of skiing before packing up Vera the Volkswagen and heading over to central Oregon for a week at Mt. Bachelor.  Carl's friend Eric and Eric's dad met us there, as did my parents a few days later.  Although there was very little in the way of fresh snow during our stay, we got to hone our skills in the variable conditions and enjoy a hot tub every night.

Rocking the beards with Mt. Bachelor in the reflection

Carl taking a break on the way down

The view into the main bowl from the top of Mt. Bachelor

Look, the Three Sisters!

I took a break on day 5 to go snowshoeing with my folks.  Dad took us on a trek up Mt. Tumalo, which sits at the foot of Mt. Bachelor and afforded some awesome views.

Mom and Dad at the top of Mt. Tumalo with the Sisters in the background

Bachelor, as seen from Tumalo

We stayed in the resort town of Sunriver but made a couple excursions into the bustling metropolis of Bend (pop. 80,990) to check out the extensive microbrew scene.  Our favorite was 10 Barrels Brewing Co, a smaller place across the Deschutes River from downtown.

The beer sampler at 10 Barrels Brewing Co. in Bend

The last day of our stay ended up being Valentine's Day.  In anticipation of our journey north, Carl and I decided to try out some cross country skis.  I haven't been in at least 5 years and spend most of my time with both feet strapped to one board due to a certain lack of coordination; Carl hasn't been since he was 7 but has the benefit of being a skier.  The conditions on the mountain were horrendous anyway so we had nothing to lose.

Captain Awesome out to save the world on some skinny skis

Rocking the all black look

A couple of goof balls

Captain Awesome post-skiing

Blizzard!

Somehow we managed to find our way back to the nordic lodge in one piece with all equipment accounted for.  To celebrate, we returned to 10 Barrels with my folks for a little Valentine's Day lunch.

Mom and Dad at 10 Barrels, enjoying a Valentine's Day beer



Happy Valentine's Day!

Winter Frolics

It's been a pretty disappointing winter so far.  The snow pack is at 63% of normal, the local ski area closed down for lack of coverage, and there wasn't even enough white stuff to go snow shoeing on New Years.  Thankfully Mother Nature decided to redeem herself with a heck of a storm that made it feel like winter once again.  We celebrated by taking the dogs out on a snow shoe in the shadow of Mt. McLoughlin.

Carl is excited and ready to go!

And they're off!  It was Luna's first snow-bound expedition, and she was in hog heaven.

The furry kids licking their chops over snowballs

Candid moments in front of Mt. McLoughlin

At 8 and a half, Bubba is still going strong and loving life.

Teaching Luna the fine art of catching snowballs.

Family shot!

Onward, noble steed!

Cheese factor 8.5

Uh, guys, it's time to go

King of the hill

Two pooped puppies at the end of the day.

With that storm Mt. Ashland was finally able to reopen.  Our first time there we were greeted by Sierra cement and snain (translation: warm, wet, heavy snow and precipitation that wavered between frozen and not).  It was still good to take some turns.  The next week it was like spring skiing, in February, with a sunny blue bird day and lots of groomers to cruise.  Even though Carl was coughing up both his lungs, he still rocked the slopes in some serious style.

Mt. Ashland Extreme himself

Looking good in the sun

Mt. McLoughlin in the background

Mt. Shasta this time

The view of Shasta from the parking lot.  What a gorgeous day!

Luckily winter is far from over.  In a few days we're taking off for Central Oregon to shred Mt. Bachelor for a week, and then the end of this month we're travelling to the far northern reaches of Alaska to visit my sister and the frozen frontier.  If the snow won't come to you, you just have to go to it.