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!

The Here And Now

So that brings us from Seattle to Bend, OR. Kris and I arrived last Thursday to beautiful weather, 70 and sunny for two days. We spent the next 4 days finding jobs and looking for apartments.

I will be working for an online outfitter doing customer service work. Hopefully that will be good and if not I'll have more time to ski... Kris has signed on with a company for per diem work which pays enough in two days to cover my entire weeks paycheck =o) I love that woman!

We found a quaint (not), little (haha) place in town for ourselves but can't move in until the 3rd. In actuality the place is a palace, four bedrooms and three baths, not to mention two decks. We will be moving into the master bedroom which is equipped with its own bathroom complete with jet tub, boohya! One of the other three bedrooms will be occupied by Tony, a good friend from the island. We may also find another roommate to make rent cheaper but it's not necessary.

Bend is sick. If you're down in the valley it's mild and usually quite nice. Up in the mountains we've already got loads of snow. We are 25 minutes from the ski mountain and other winter activities and we're 40 minutes from one of the most sweetest climbing destinations in the country, Smith Rock.

Check out the pics. The ones from Smith Rock are from Saturday, the rest are from up in the mountains Monday and Wednesday. I can tell we are going to get along quite nicely here in Bend, OR. And they are calling for the biggest winter in a decade to boot!

Scott I intend to send you that trail map of Bachelor as soon as I can get through the gates to get one!

Let's Catch Up

OK, so before I tell you about the new stuff let me get you caught up on the things we did during the second week in October.

Kris' parents flew into Seattle after our Olympic trip so we ran over and picked them up. Once out of SeaTac we headed north towards the ferry to get back to the island for a one night stay. After being delayed at the airport due to a lost bag (Kevin's stuff went to Detroit without him) we were way behind to catch the ferry. We rolled into the landing at the very last minute and after a rally inspired driving effort I put the van on the ferry in the nick of time.

We stayed the night in Friday Harbor and went out to dinner. Heard a good little set of music by some locals and drank some beers. In the morning we caught the ferry to Sidney Canada. Cheryl had the awesome idea of renting an '86 Westfalia for the week to road trip out of. We caught a cab to the spot where we were to pick up the van from the ferry. Unfortunately we had to wait over an hour and half for Arturo "the van guy" to arrive. After going through everything with us HE AGREED TO LET US HAVE EXTRA MILEAGE AT NO EXTRA COST (that was for the owner of the company who is trying to charge Cheryl for the mileage...) and we signed the contract (STATING MILEAGE AT NO EXTRA COST) and got on our way.

We rolled into Victoria for a while to get Kevin a fishing license and enjoy some local pubs and then hit the van to put some miles on. We got as far as Duncan, the city of totems, before stopping at the only place open to watch football and eat dinner. That night we drove a little out of our way to sleep at a little provincial park. The whole family was thrilled with the space of the pop top as soon as we got everything sorted out. It slept four adults impressively and had all the amenities. The next day we continued our drive towards the west coast of Vancouver Island and found Kevin a couple of fishin' holes to cast at. Cheryl, Kris and I went for a walk and had some beers in the van. We walked down to a fish ladder where thousands of salmon were trying to reach their spawning grounds. It was pretty neat to see, but also very depressing. It rained all day so we didn't get much done but it was good to relax and sit around for a change. Kevin came back late that day, near dusk, with a jack salmon that we promptly brought back to our campsite and cooked up. Had a fire, had good food and had good friends. It was a good night.
Back on the road the next morning we dropped Kevin off at another spot and went in search of showers. After our showers we walked down to see some local petroglyphs carved along the side of a nice lake. Kevin called and said he was finished so we went over to pick him up and headed up the road toward Tofino. It was a long drive down some curvy roads but we made it no worse for the wear. Once in Tofino we scouted around and quickly found there was a surf event going on just outside of town. The Cold Water Classic, sponsored by O'Neil. The surfers were sick and we watched for time from shore. After the beach we hit the locals hang out and had burgers and beers right next to the town pier. That night we poached a spot in the parking lot of Grice Bay so Kevin could fish in the morning. We awoke to some fifty odd workers being offloaded onto shore by a skiff while others climbed aboard. Apparently there is a salmon hatchery just offshore and the shifts were changing. Kevin had a few bites that morning but the best part was the sunrise over the mountains. Truly epic. Back on the road we ran to Tofino to hook up with a local kayak rental shop and get some boats. Unfortunately we had to wait around for the shop owner due to a scheduling error and didn't get onto the water until around 1:30. He cut down the price, which smoothed things over and we had a great time. Tofino is a beautiful place to kayak. The mountains come right down to the sea and you can see glaciers in the distance. The pics don't do it justice but hopefully you guys get the idea. That night we camped locally and started heading back towards Victoria the next day.
After 30 years of hoping Kevin finally got to tailgate at a Washington Huskies game. We drove down to campus, which was a mob scene, and found a parking lot we would be able to get out of when the festivities were over. We walked all over campus and finally found the area where the pre-game events happen. That was furtuitous because we saw both the home and away bands march through and play and we got to see the players coming into the stadium. All in all it was a good time. Afterwards we got pizza and watched the game at a local pub! Unfortunately we had to put Kevin and Cheryl on a plane home that same night...bummer.
The trip was great, although I would take longer next time. The van performed admirably but it did leak copious amounts of gas every now and again.

The place we rented from "WestfaliaRentals.com" out of Victoria (seems to be a franchise company) is run by unprofessional, untrustworthy business people. As I said we waited for over an hour and a half for them to come to the location to give us the van. They told us over the phone they would "be there shortly"... The employee of the company waived the mileage fee and put it in writing but the owner of the company tried to make Cheryl pay it after all. I set a time to meet the same employee on the drop off date and he never showed up...

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS FOOL, HE WILL TRY TO TAKE YOUR MONEY AND HE IS UNPROFESSIONAL AT BEST!

Up To Date...

Hey everyone. At this very moment I'm living in a Wal-Mart parking lot and staying (sort of) at a friends house in Seattle, WA. We're sitting around a table and debating douche bags at MIA concerts (you know who you are a-hole).

I have finished updating pics for the old posts. I've been in touch with a great company in Bend that is willing to give me a interview and we are heading there tomorrow morning. Until then we are having good times with good friends.

I'll catch you all up on the rest of the week in Tofino Canada ASAP and post pics.

Hope you guys are still with me!

The Beaches

Woke up with a splitting headache this morning. Immediately went to the cooler on the porch for some day old pizza, which only made things worse. Went back to sleep when it was evident that everyone was still asleep.

We got moving around 11am and Matty cooked up some killer breakfast of home fries, eggs and bacon. After we all ate we stared to come alive and got the fire going again. It’s been windy and cold all day, overcast with some rain showers. We mustered a trip down to 3^rd beach for some hiking and saw some great sea stacks, a waterfall and some gnarly beach break.

Came back home and Kris and I headed to 2^nd beach for an hour or two. If any of you ever get a chance to come out to the Olympic Penn. And want to hit the beaches I would highly recommend 2^nd. The landscape just off the beach is amazing with sea stacks and crashing surf and the tide pooling is great. We saw three varieties of sea star, sea anemone and loads of other creatures.

We walked around for a while before heading back to the cabin and rousing Matty and Taryn out of bed. Once up the three of them went on a search for fresh salmon (this is an Indian community that thrives on fishing for food and commerce) and I chilled to do some reading. When the got back, sans fresh salmon but some home smoked salmon from a local, we all ran over to the RV park for some commando showers. In and out and clean and nobody noticed that we weren’t staying at the park…sweet!

Clean and dry and warm, I have a feeling the drinks will start flowing again. Tomorrow it’s off to the Hoh Rainforest and then staying farther south on the coast again tomorrow night. Picking up the in-laws on Saturday afternoon to head to Tofino! Can’t wait to see you guys, hope you’re in for some adventuring.

La Push

Kris and I woke up early and got out of the dark campsite heading toward the beach. We figured there would be more light on the beach and it would be more pleasant to eat our breakfast. We were wrong on the more pleasant part. It must have been down around forty degrees and the wind was whipping to boot. I could hardly get the water to boil for coffee due to the wind and we spent a very long time standing next to the pot shivering. After I finally got coffee prepared we sat on the beach for a few minutes before my hands finally went numb and we called it.

Back in the van we drove out of Moria and headed back towards The Forks area to get cell phone reception and wait for our friends Taryn and Matty to show up. I blogged a bit, got some messages on the phone and tried to upload pics. Unfortunately this stupid blogger program is slow as death going up hill on crutches and I didn’t get my done in the way of pics. I’ll post ASAP!Matty and Taryn arrived and we headed back towards La Push. The surf was going off, over head high, and Matty suited up and went in to get pounded by some waves while the rest of us chilled on the beach. By noon the temps had risen into the mid seventies and we were in t-shirts drinking beers before we knew what happened. Got some great pics of the beach and the waves. Matty was in for around two hours and almost caught a couple of waves. The surfing was tough and he is new to the sport but he put in a good effort out there.
Once he was done we headed to the little “resort” where we would be renting a cabin for the next two nights and checked into our place. A little 12X10 A frame with a wood stove, running water (no hot water, no showers) that sleeps four. Nice little place, reminds me of huntin’ camp up Maine way.

We quickly got some food into us and began making cocktails. It was nice to have a place to hang out inside with some amenities. It was warm and dry. Good friends, good food, good wine was the course of the night. We got in the worlds smallest dance party and checked out the stars before we decided we needed to sleep.