SLC to the present

So not much happened in Salt Lake City. We stayed in a Homestead Suites with a bunch of other "displaced" families in the Sugar House district of the city. The hotel was an extended stay place so the other folks staying there were...unique.

Kris worked a few days at the local old folks home to offset the costs of the trip. Worked out well enough. It gave us the chance to see the city and ski some of the local mountains. We skied Snowbird, Snowbasin and Park City. Snowbird was by far my favorite due to the steep skiing and the unique terrain. The weather didn't really cooperate with us. We got rained on a few days on the hill and a few days we couldn't get up into the passes due to the weather. We got a few good days in all in all.

We left SLC on Saturday the 16th and headed toward Capitol Reef National Park. This required headed back down to southern Utah. The drive was somewhere around two and a half hours to the park. The temps climbed as we drove farther south and by the time we got to the park it was in the mid 70s and sunny out, exciting!

We checked into the park campground and settled in with some cocktails and a game of cribbage. In the site next to us we noticed three twenty somethings having a grand time. Within a few minutes one of them came over to request that we turn our radio up so they could enjoy the music. Since the radio in the van wouldn't go up much higher we told them they should just come over and hang out with us at our table.

Minutes later we had introduced ourselves (Aaron, Cal and Ben) and toasted fresh drinks. They were from different areas around the states but had all worked at Park City resort over the winter. They had finished up work the week before and had planned a trip into southern Utah together. We picked their brains about Park City (It's an actual town at the bottom of three ski resorts. All north of SLC and with much less Mormon influence.) They had nothing but good things to say about the town and the resorts in the area.

We spent the next few hours drinking the night away. Had a great fire, some good friends and some great slip and fall incidents!

In the morning Aaron and Cal had to head back to Park City and Ben was heading in the general direction of Zion and then to Texas. He didn't have anything much to do so we offered to explore the park with him and see about where to camp that night.

The three of us drove down into the park. Ben was kind enough to drive his truck into the trailhead we were going to explore due to the condition of the roads. We decided to hike into see a natural arch about a mile and a half away. When we left the parking lot the sign said .3 miles to the trailhead. We quickly found ourselves in the middle of a wash, out in the sun.

The tree of us got talking about whatever and were making good time. After about thirty minutes I looked up and thought something was strange. Kris and I usually walk about three miles an hour which meant that we should have been at the trailhead already... I explained this to Ben and Kris and they both looked about me with blank stares. That's when I realized the two of them were as hung over as I.

We turned around and walked back. Soon we were in the parking lot wondering what the hell happened. "Maybe it was the sign we passed back there.", said Ben. For crying out loud, of course it was. So back we walked, trying to find the sign for the third time. We did find it this time and to our credit it was slightly hidden against the rocks and bushes. The trail climbed up for about a thousand vertical feet and leveled off. By this time we could see the arch from across the way.

We kept stopping and convincing ourselves that the hike was over. This was it, once you saw the arch it was the top. Little by little we walked a further until we noticed a family heading out towards the arch on the rock. Well we didn't want to be outdone so we headed out after them and finally found our way to the top of the arch. It was uniquely Utah. Formed of red stone it spanned perhaps three hundred feet and towered above the ground. When standing on top of it you could look straight down for hundreds of feet to the canyon floor below. A worthwhile trip even if we did have to try that hard to get up there!

On the way down the family was following us and the youngest daughter's hat flew off. It flittered down over the edge thirty of so feet and landed in a depression. I figured since I was capable of going down to get it that I should put forth the effort. I slid down over the rock and got down into the depression. I found the hat and attached it to my arm. I then tried to climb out and almost killed myself trying to scale the wall I had come down. As I was standing on the wall and trying to find my footing Ben yelled from above. He was standing at the top of what may as well have been stairs that I could walk up... I got some shit for that I'll tell you, but the little girl was happy to have her hat back.

We headed to the park picnic area and had lunch. By this time we had convinced Ben to hang out for another night and continue his journey in the morning. We all decided to drive up into town and find a campground with a shower. Ben hadn't had one in six days... you can imagine what he smelled like. We found a campground and paid. Once we parked the cars Ben and Kris went to find showers and I cracked a beer. The wind was starting to pick up a lot at that point but I had other things on my mind. I couldn't find my wallet. I couldn't remember the last time I had it either. Now this has happened before while traveling in the van. Usually it falls out of my pants onto the floor when I take them off to go to bed. I didn't want Kris to freak out so I started tearing the van apart to find it. I looked in all the usual places. The floor, the basket between the seats, under the seats, in the glove compartment, in the bed, under the covers, in the grocery bags on the floor under the bed... everywhere. I spent thirty minutes looking and by that time I was really starting to freak. At that point I started pulling everything out of the van. Now remember the wind is up and I've now pulled all the groceries out of the van. I had to tie the bags at the top so that nothing would spill out and blow away. Still nothing after fifteen more minutes of searching... Just as I'm ready to call it and look up the number to my credit cards I put my elbows down on the bed and my head in my hands. I'm finished here, I'm screwed. Then my elbow hits something. I pull the sheets back, nothing. Then it hits me. I pull the comforter apart from the sheets and there lays my wallet. I have no idea how it got between the sheets and comforter but I'm glad it was there.

So now I've started noticing the wind is really blowing. I mean 50+ gusts. We're in an open field with no trees, no rocks, no shelter of any sort. At this point Kris comes out of the women's bathroom and tries to yell to me. I can see her lips moving but I can't hear anything. By the time I could make out what she was saying we were standing arms length from eachother. "We're renting one of those cabins over there."

An hour later finds the three of us sitting at the picnic table in front of the cabin on the lee side of the wind. For 15 extra bucks we had electricity, beds and a place out of the wind. Not too shabby in our opinion. We made some supper, mixed some drinks and relaxed.

Bryce Canyon

After we got down from observation point we headed up the road towards Bryce canyon. The drive was an excellent chance to relax and take in the sights from the van. Unfortunately the majority of the park population was also doing the very same thing. Slow down, speed up, stop, blinker but no turn, no blinker and turn. We also went through a tunnel that was dug in the 30s with no interior lighting. Of course all the folks in front of us had to slow down to around 8mph. I guess they all forgot that cars possess headlights that can be turned on with the flip of a switch.

We eventually left Zion (sigh) and entered the outskirts of Bryce. The change in scenario and climate was immediate and dramatic. The temps dropped ten degrees and the wind picked up. We noticed that there was snow in small patches in many places. Rock formation started appearing on both sides of the road. They looked like sculptures that had been beaten by the wind and rain so that their original details were obscured.

Once we entered the park we quickly found the lodge and sat down to dinner. Our ulterior motive was to plug in the laptop next to our table and charge it. After dinner we sat in the lodge for hours and caught up on all the things we missed over the last few days. We ended up heading back to the campsite around 930 that night. It was dark, cold and windy so we quickly changed and went to sleep.

It was probably the coldest night we've spent in the van thus far. The locals said it got into the teens that night and I don't doubt it. We were huddled together wearing whatever clothing we could find. My feet were freezing. The morning was not much warmer but the sun eventually climbed into the sky and defrosted our windshield. After breakfast we made our way into the park and found the rim trail which would lead us down into the canyon.

From the very first steps into the canyon we were amazed. The formations in Bryce are indescribable. Every shape, size and many different colors were on display. The sky was bright and blue and the temps were increasing steadily. It seemed like we were stopping to take pics every ten steps.

We wanted to get away from the crowds near the entrance so we headed down into Queens Garden and then into the Navajo Loop. As we descended into the canyon the trees became thicker and soon we were walking along a babbling stream. The day could not have been nicer. At this point it was in the mid fifties with a very light breeze. We dead ended in the Navajo Loop and traced our steps back to Picabo Loop, a 3 mile trail that ran into the lesser used area of the park.

The loop allowed us to see the formations on the far side of the canyon up close. We got some great pics along this part of the trail. The light was filtering through the rocks and creating some great illumination. The sun continued to climb in the sky until it was in the sixties. The weather could not have been better. Unfortunately my wife didn't put on extra sunscreen that day. "Do I look burnt to you?", she asked. I told her not really... big mistake. When it comes to Kristen's complexion I should know to air on the side of safety.

That 3 mile loop turned into a slushy death march on the sunny side of the canyon. We were trudging through mud and snow the entire time. Our feet were moist and we were ready for a beer. After what seemed like an eternity we found the end of the trail and hoofed it for the rim of the canyon. Bryce is unique in the way that you start at the rim of the canyon and walk down into it. At the end of the day you need to hike up and out of the canyon. Well after the seven miles we had walked in the sun the climb up was like a work out on a stair master. We passed several tourists in jeans and fleece jackets (it was above sixty) that looked at us like we were mad. We were huffing and puffing our way up the trail to the rim as fast as we could in an attempt to end the agony. Finally we hit the rim, then we hit the van, then I hit the beers! It was a good day all in all.

We ended up back at the lodge that evening working on the computer. We met the maintenance guy the night before and he was there again. He wanted to hear all about our travels into the canyon. He sat next to us as we uploaded our pics and commented on which ones he enjoyed. He was a really nice guy and a hard worker! We enjoyed your company Pat! We hit the campsite again that night. It was much warmer that night in the van, thank the lord.

The next morning we woke up and headed for SLC, to our extended stay motel! A bed and a shower! And I won't have to put my pants on laying down! Sweet.

Zion Day 2: Observation Point

So I had this great idea to wake up at the crack of dawn and see the sunrise in Zion Canyon. As many of you know I'm not exactly a morning person. I can cope with waking up early if there is a reason, I have a strong cup of coffee and I have something to look forward to. Well I thought all of my qualifications were checked off the list so I asked Kris if it would be alright to get up early and see the sunrise. The alarm went off bright and early and I immediately turned it off. It's human nature to stop that dreadful sound when one is trying to rest... We ended up getting a move on around an hour too late, but all was well because the weather wasn't great and the sky was overcast. We headed up to the museum to get a view from the back deck. One the shuttle driver was raging about. The view was amazing indeed, even with the lack of baby blue sky. The shuttle picked us up from the museum and drove us to the trailhead for Observation Point. This trail would take us to the very top of the canyon, at the northern end. At the top we would be able to look right down the gut of the entire canyon. This was the hike I was volunteering for I agreed to hike up to Angels Landing... We got down to business and quickly ascended switchback after switchback. The canyon walls were formidable and cold above us. That wasn't the only thing that was cold. The temps had dropped the night before and Zion was a cool 45 - 50 degrees that morning. The wind was up and scattered showers were the forecast. It made for some great pictures.

Soon we came to the canyon wall and the trail turned sharply. We continued into the canyon walls themselves and eventually found ourselves standing above a creek that cuts through the rock. The trail meandered into a slot canyon that eventually came to a creek crossing. The crossing was only ten feet wide but there was nothing to stand on but a rickety stick. In an attempt to keep my wife dry I went first to test the log. With a stick in hand for stability I quickly and skillfully manuevered over the log onto dry land. After my heroic deed I handed the stick to my wife and told her that all would be well!

It was way harder to cross that the picture shows, trust me. Anyway the path turned up the creek and we had to climb some low rocks to keep from getting wet. After that we found ourselves in an amazing slot canyon. The pics don't do it justice due to the light but you should check them out on Kristen's facebook.

We continued up the trail and came out into the sunlight on the other side of the slot canyon. The switchbacks continued up but the sun was now beating down on us and we were enjoying the warmth. Once we had walked for some time we noticed that we were gaining a good amount of elevation. The switchbacks were now four feet wide with a drop straight down on one side. We walked up for nearly an hour before the path leveled out. We were at the top of the canyon but the trail wound a slow circle around the top of the formation we were walking on. Eventually we came to Observation Point.

The landing we were standing on was truly at the top of the canyon and we could stare directly down its length. The wind was up so we didn't get to courageous but it was an awe inspiring moment not to be missed.

Once we had our fill of chasing off ground varmints we picked up and started the long walk down. About ten minutes into the descent I heard an enormous roar and whipped my head to the sky. I figured there was anvil shaped clouds on the horizon and thunder was in our future. As I turned my field of vision I noticed something tumbling from the cliffs across the canyon. I honed in on the movement and noticed it wasn't thunder, but a rock slide. A small section of the cliffs had broken off and chunks of rock poured down over the ledge. The refuse bounced into a large patch of snow that had gathered in a flat spot on the cliffs and then dropped down into the slot canyon below. When everything went quiet I looked back up to Kris. "Did you see that?", I asked. "What? I heard some thunder.", she replied. I explained the commotion and we watched the last pebbles slide over into the abyss.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We got the shuttle down, listened to the annoying driver and a tourist converse in loud and obnoxious voices, and then hit the road. We headed towards Bryce Canyon, a cool 90 miles away. Last night we got to Bryce, hit the lodge and had dinner. We then plugged in and got our computing down for the night. The night at the campground last night did get a bit chilly. I just spoke with the maintenance guy at the lodge (we're here again right now) and he told us that it got into the teens last night... we had a down blanket and all our clothes on. When we woke up the front window in the van was frozen, on the inside.

But that is a story for another day... like tomorrow.

Hope you're all doing well. Talk to you soon!

P.S. Almost forgot. I was trying to teach Kris an old trick that Bear Grylls taught me on the TV. Supposedly you can bite the needle off of a Yucca plant, pull the stem off and use the entire thing to sew with. Well I decided that I'm like old Bear, why not give it a try. I'll tell you what those damned needles are sharp. And biting that son of a bitch off isn't as easy as Mr. Grylls makes it look on TV. I did eventually get the strands off, sans needle. I made Kris a nice little bracelet out of it. Top that Bear!

Zion Day 1: Angels Landing

Folks I can't tell you how much I love this part of the west. I'm amazed by so many things in this place. The landscape, the colors, the weather... it's all good!

Kris and I set the alarm for 6am hoping to get a head start on the hike we had planned. When my cell phone starting buzzing it was still pitch black outside. We elected to sleep until seven. The weather was breezy (windy) and chilly to start. We made coffee, ate breakfast and got a move on to the shuttle that would take us into Zion Canyon.

The shuttles that run in Springdale, UT are great. They come by every 15 minutes or so and they will take you into town or into the park. More on that later. Medium length story short we got to the trailhead for the hike we were planning, Angels Landing, at around 9am. On the way to the trailhead I was listening to the park information about the hike. One thing in particular stood out to me. The recording noted there have been "recorded deaths" on this section of trail. Well, people slip and fall in the bathtub and die... not going to happen to me.

The first mile or so was switchbacks up the side of the canyon. The walls above us were sheer and colorful. The sides of the trail were littered with small cactus and yucca. Light filtered into the canyon and created an intense and dynamic shading of the area. We climbed for some time and eventually came into a long hallway into the side of the canyon. The air inside was cool and moist. The walls were dripping with condensation and a small creek ran through. After more switchbacks we came to the most intense vertical gain of the hike Walters Wiggles.

We reached a large platform that overlooked the entire canyon. There was a kind looking old couple sitting on a rock on the ledge. I began wondering about where to sit and how long I had to eat my beef jerky. Just then my lovely wife pointed up an enormous rock formation. "We're going up there.", she said. Oh lord, I gazed up at the massive structure. The red rock formed a narrow walkway that turned into steep staircases at points. The top was out of my sight behind the top of the rock.

First things first here people. I'm not afraid of heights. I had one bad vertigo feeling when I was like eight in PA with the folks. We were at the Ben Franklin tower and I looked straight down and thought I was going to pass out. Since that time I've become an avid hiker, mediocre climber and all around lover of high places. This was different. This was scary. If my wife wasn't leading me out onto it I wouldn't have gone. I would have thought of a convenient reason why I didn't want to go out and gone with that. No dice.

Kris led me onto the first platform. Three feet wide, plummeting drop to my left. chain to grab on my right. Serious, people do die on this thing? Serious? Ok I make my way out and keep my head facing forward. Kris is looking all over, taking pics, pointing at things on the valley floor. I'm trying to keep my stomach from lurching. As we continue there are numerous other terrifying heights, drops and flights.

I dropped down on the last platform before the final ascent to the summit. "I'm leaving my backpack, I don't want it to throw off my weight.", I say. Kris looks at me like I'm being a baby. Oh shit, I am being a baby. I get up, shoulder my pack and get a grip on myself. On the final few hundred yards there is a spot that you step over a small notch cut out of the trail. There is a chain railing run to grab onto. As you grab the railing and look down to step over the notch you notice that for around 1100 ft there's nothing under you.

We did reach the top. It was sunny and seventy with a mild breeze. As we crested the last ladder I noticed families (with children, small ones) coming onto the summit. I realized what a putts I was being and sat down to have that beef jerky. We hung out for a while on the top, got some great pics (If you want more of this stuff in pics check out Kristen's facebook page, she has them all) and watched the ground rodents try to rob food from the hikers.

When it was time to head down we packed up and moved out. Before I noticed what I was doing I was jumping down the trail like normal. The areas that I couldn't stop on before became great areas to stop and take great pictures. We had to stop numerous times to allow dozens of people up the trail in narrow areas. Things were back to normal, thank god.

After passing some of the best "hiking outfits" we've ever seen we reached the bottom. We filled our waters, had bathroom breaks and heading back up the trail to the Emerald Pools. The trail was a mild one mile into the lower pool. The sun was higher in the sky and it was getting hot. Like Maine in the dead of summer hot. We were hiking up a sand trail, with very little cover, and the sun was bearing down on us. We went up to the top pool but it was like Mario World. People everywhere. Kids without shoes on that were climbing the rocks (first aid nightmare), fat dudes without shirts. Typical town pool type stuff. We got pics of the waterfall and headed down.

The other pools were cool but we ended up heading back to the campground to shower and get some dinner. By dinner I sort of figured out the alcohol laws in Utah. State liquor stores and package agencies sell full on normal beer, wine and spirits. Any bar or restaurant you may go into only sells heavy beer 4%, light beer 3.2% (by weight, not volume. haven't figure if this makes a huge difference, I'll get back to you) wine in small glasses, or one oz. shots or drinks that contain only one oz. of spirits. Some restaurants don't have a full license. They sell only 3.2% beer, that's it. I think I've got it, if I have something wrong please tell me.

I was off on a tangent there, sorry. Anyway we had dinner, hit the packy and headed back to the campground. After we read our books and had a beer we hit the hay so we could get up and do it all over again.

April Fools???

Hello again! Remember me? I’m that guy (friend, relative, fried of a relative, co-worker) that used to blog…

Well I’m that guy again and I’m here to tell you that Utah is gosh darn beautiful! That’s right. I’m sitting in the side seat of the van again and this time we’re rolling through Utah. South of SLC and on our way to Zion for 5 days!

“But how did you get there?” you ask. Well now that is a story in itself. A fairly long one, which I suspect would be boring to tell, and one that I can only summarize at this point anyway. I guess it was just that exciting. I’ll give it a try…

As you know Kris and I arrived in Bend, OR sometime in mid October of last year. We spent some time staying with a friend that I worked with in Maine. We then found a beautiful house in a nice quiet neighborhood and prepared for winter. What a winter it turned out to be. The first six weeks of the winter were the snowiest I’ve ever seen. It was a great introduction to PNW skiing due to the snow levels but something was missing. I couldn’t decide what was wrong until Kris reminded me that for the fifth or so ski day in a row we couldn’t see where we were skiing…

You see Mt. Bachelor is a lovely little butte of a mountain but it has a large problem with low visibility. This can be caused by wind blown snow, fog, rain, patchy rain fog mixes, clouds low enough to envelope the mountain, or numerous other factors (in Oregon). I began noticing that there weren’t very many days where one could see in front of ones ski tips. Shortly after I noticed the phenomenon it went away… due to the longest period of zero snowfall I’ve ever seen. The sky was blue, the wind was gone (some days) and the groomers were hard and fast. So I traded one malignant problem for another.

Finally when March began the snow gods looked down upon us and bestowed unto us the gift of snow. It fell in sheets. It came in storms that would last an entire week. It dumped, nuked, schralped and puked snow. March was a good month, I couldn’t see again, but it was a good month. By the time March rolled around I had learned to ski with my other senses. I no longer paid attention to anything but the snow at my ski tips. I learned the mountain well enough that I skied even when I couldn’t tell what trail I was on. Bachelor will do that to you.

Kris worked all season as a per diem PT for a few different companies in Bend. I worked at the mountain in the rental shop. Work for me was, well, work. Not mind blowing that I didn’t have to apply myself much. I think Kris enjoyed herself and discovered that working part time for multiple companies is a good way to make more money and work less! I like that equation, I think she does too.

The skiing was… variable. I will say that there was a lot of it. As of today I have in 64 days total this season. I’ve registered over 750,000 vertical feet skied not including three days Kris and I skied in Tahoe, CA. That reminds me of something I wanted to tell you. Skiing in Tahoe is figan awesome! It was sunny and warm with light or no winds the entire time we were there. Nice job CA! Thank Arnold for me when you talk to him next. Kris has a respectable 20 days in so far this season. She apparently dislikes skiing when she can’t see... go figure.

So that is the catch up synopsis. Now on to the fun stuff. Back in late January we decided to get on with our lives and get out of Bend. We wanted to see and ski Utah for a while and Kris recommended we head out first of April. Which brings us right back to today! We are around an hour and a half outside of Zion National Park. We plan on soaking in the sun, biking, hiking and relaxing over the next fives days. We’ve never been to the desert of Utah (or Utah for that matter) and we’re both pretty stoked about it. So far the landscape has been amazing and the Wasatch mountains are some of the most rugged I’ve seen from a car. Can’t wait to get up in them!

After Zion we head back to SLC for 10 or so days. We’re checking into an extended say motel for the duration of the SLC part of the trip. Kris is going to work a few days while we are there to offset vacation costs (love that woman) and we’re going to ski a few different areas we’ve never been to. The plan is to ski snowbird, park city and snobasin while staying in SLC. I can’t tell you how excited we both are to ski something new in the spring! The weather here is amazing so far and the sun is just beaming down on us!

After we finish up in the city we are heading back south to hit the Moab / Canyonlands area of Utah. This will also be National Parks Week, which Kris and I love. “Why do you love it so?” you ask. Because we love it when things that should cost money turn out to be free… like getting into national parks! That’s right, we can hit as many during that week as we want, no entrance fees! We used this to our advantage last year and visited Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons National Park and Craters of the Moon National Park. All extremely cool!

So that pretty much catches you up eh? Oh yeah, we will be coming home for the month of May. I believe we have our full itinerary written down somewhere so I’ll catch you all up before we get back to the ol’ East Coast! Can’t wait to get home and see everyone!

Well as of today the blog is back up and I plan to keep it updated for this entire trip and update it periodically while back east. So please take a read, drop me a comment, and enjoy your spring!

The White Room

Kris and I got into the mountains again on Sunday. We spent about two and a half hours cross country skiing. Since we had just had over a foot of fresh snow we got to explore a lot more of the trails. It was beautiful out there. The snow was still falling and everything was covered with a foot of powder! Only problem we can see is that our xc area shares space with a lot of snowmobiles. I'm not too fond of the machines, they make too much noise and the people who ride them are normally dangerous as hell! We came across one sitting in the trail, flipped over with nobody around it...strange. Tony and I went out to Bachelor yesterday to hike the cone again. Another foot plus of fresh. As we started boot packing up through the trail we noticed just exactly how much snow we have. We both plunged up to our waists in powder numerous times. The first hike up must have taken around 45 minutes. It was snowy and cold (10 degrees, maybe less) at the top. We pulled our snowboards off and strapped in.
Tony went first and I followed a ways behind him. My first turns were met with light and fluffy powder that seemed to have no bottom. On the third turn I cranked the board hard over on my heel side and a plume of snow went up and over my head. I couldn't see. I was still moving fast but had no idea where to. I dug another turn, this time toe side and launched out of the powder cloud. Amazing, I just had my first face shot. At this point I was hooping and hollering as loud as I could as I slashed turns down the face of the dome. Before we shot down into the trees we stopped to catch our breath and laugh our faces off. I stopped and accidentally sat down. The snow was far too deep to touch the ground with my arms, I didn't make that mistake again.

The trees were filled in nicely so Tony and I put our mark in the fresh snow there as well. We got to the bottom and shouldered our boards for another lap. The second time was even better than the first. We both sped down the mountain throwing fountains of snow in all directions. This time we picked a longer route through the trees and came out lower on the mountain. At the bottom we quickly decided on a third run. My legs had all they could do to carry me back up to the top. More and more people had shown up as well.

We let everyone drop in first to make sure we had the dome all to ourselves. As we started charging big turns down the mountain we noticed a head and shoulders sticking out of the snow. Farther down the hill three skiers were stationary and peering in our direction. Apparently their friend had fallen and basically buried himself in snow. Tony and I swept past the buried man, carved huge turns uphill of the other three and then dropped into the woods without so much as slowing.

At the bottom of the mountain we congratulated each other with a fist bump and headed off to see Tony's girlfriend Kaitlin at the rental department. I picked up my pass paperwork and found out that Kristen, as my wife, can get a half off pass this winter as well (great news). Opening day is today, but we can't get our passes until both of us can head up there. Tomorrow perhaps, I'm dying to get more vertical in!

Total snowfall for this season is 96"!

Bend And Beyond

Well at this point we've been in Bend for around three weeks. We did finally get into our own apartment on the 2nd of November and it has been great. Getting back into a routine has been really nice. Bend is a neat "little" town and we've met quite a few new friends. Here's a pic of our Halloween celebration for those who haven't yet seen them on Kristen's facebook. Bunch of weirdos eh?

The day after Halloween Kris and I headed up to the Great Pumpkin Factory north of Bend to see some good old fall stuff. It was cool as hell. They had a corn maze, all kinds of weird pumpkins, and a air cannon that shot pumpkins at like 90mph. All in all it was a good afternoon, just wished they had more apple cider to sell me... Below you'll see my lovely wife in her fall finest.

We've been exploring the mountains lately too. There was a big snowstorm that hit the week we arrived in Bend. The pic below is from Tumalo Mt. after that first snow. It was around 50 degrees and sunny that day. Enough snow that we couldn't find the trail since we were not familiar with it. Was fun to just hike around in the snow though. Quite a few people were skinning up, or hiking up to ski / snowboard down. It's obvious to me that I'm going to need some new equipment to access the terrain all the locals hit. You can see Bachelor in the background looking dominant!

Tony (our roomate) finally arrived and he and I got out into the mountains with our equipment last week. The pic below is what we hiked (red lines) and skied (blue lines). We started up to the dome, a local favorite, which is attached to the mountain but not accessible by the lift. It was around a 45 minute hike up in our boots. The weather that day (not pictured) was great. Sunny and in the mid 50s. At points when I was going up I was in a t-shirt. The first run down was good, but Tony and I hit a few rocks, sticks and other stuff due to the lack of equipment. Once we were done our first run we were on our way back up when we met a local who knew the mountain. He was on his way up the mountain higher so we tagged along and hiked up to the mid-mountain area and then skied down. This was a nicer run due to the lack of traffic on the runs. All in all it was a sick day and I can't wait to get out again.

Yesterday I was by myself so I decided to hike Tumalo again. These last two pics are from yesterday. It was slightly overcast, cold and windy. Once I got above treeline I was astounded at the wind here. Tumalo stands at 7,775 ft so it's getting up there. On top the wind was howling and rime ice was blowing around like snow. I was there to inspect the backside bowl which the locals have been telling me about. I was excited by what I found. The pic below doesn't do it justice but it's a snowfield that must be around 45 degrees (maybe more?) and extends the entire width of Tumalo. It ends in an area with no exposure that is dotted with scrubby, little pines. Can't wait until it fills in, this is going to be a sick stash!

I had to get out of there after I grabbed the pics since the snow was like ice and I was in danger of being blown down the slope. The walk down was a lot warmer and the sun even started coming out.

So there you have it. As I sit here it's snowing in town which means it's more than likely dumping in the mountains. Bachelor is scheduled to open up next wednesday. I've got a free pass lined up for working at the mountain (rentals, not glamorous but we just want to ski!) and we will get Kris a mid-week pass to save a bunch of money. Now we just need to get fatter skis!

Hope everyone is doing well, drop me a line next time you get a chance. Scott I have your trail map, but I don't have an address. I'll get it from Cheryl or Nan. Talk to you soon!