Vista Butte (1/1/15)

What do you do when your aunt e-mails to say her Sunriver home is unexpectedly available during Christmas break? You pack up and drive east for some R&R!

Kari and Vicki were southbound for the Rose Bowl when their New Year's renters canceled. They offered up the house to us, and we jumped at the chance for a mini vacation. Brad already planned to take off some time at the beginning of the year, so we left after work on New Year's Eve and didn't return home until Sunday evening.

Most of the time was spent unwinding after several long weeks of work for Brad. We watched cable, football and movies, read some, ate a lot, looked at the snow, and lived in our PJs. Sean came out Thursday afternoon to join in the fun. (Karen had to stay home and work) :(

But it wasn't all slothfulness. Thursday, Brad and I moved the coffee table out of the way and did a kickboxing DVD - all three sessions. He's been training for a half marathon (this weekend!) and hadn't done that in a while. He was pretty sore after!

Friday, we took Sean up Vista Butte, a little bump near Mount Bachelor. The short jaunt with a big payoff has become a favorite for us.

It was sunny, calm and warm as we skipped the traversing trail and pointed our snowshoes straight up the hill. What was supposed to be 2.5 miles was just 1.1 miles - and 667' of elevation gain! We were moving pretty good up that hill and reached the top in 47 minutes!

Then the sun went behind his huge cloud. It looked like something from a sci-fi flick:

Jan. 1, 2015:

January 2011:

Sean, tromping around the top:

It never translates well to the camera, but we had a 360-degree view of the mountains and valley:

And the tree:

2011:

2012:

It was windy at the top, so we snapped some pics and then moved around the side to eat our lunch.

We started down the trail but quickly got bored and went off piste. Brad had marked the car with his GPS, so we basically just went straight there instead of winding through the woods.

Saturday morning, Sean and Brad went to a nearby gravel pit to shoot a shotgun that Sean just inherited from his Dad's estate. It was such a "boy" moment, and they had a great time. I turned down the invitation to join them and opted for a run.

The Sunriver trails were plowed but still had a thin layer of snow and ice. The snowy parts were fine, but I didn't take my chances with the ice. I walked in the slick parts, and near the river, the ice was so bad that I almost bit it several times just walking!

Sunriver is SO confusing to navigate on foot. But I armed myself with a paper map so I could stop at traffic circles and make sure I was going in the right direction. I went north and then along the river. It was gorgeous out!

I ended up doing almost 6.5 miles - and it felt wonderful! First run of the New Year!!

As always, a HUGE thanks to Kari and Vicki for your generosity :)