Liz and Brad's Big Adventures: June 2017

Friday, June 16, 2017

Three more!

Two more CE2 students finished up this week to round out the Class of 2017!!!

Congrats to Jennifer and Axe for not giving up and getting it done - SO PROUD OF YOU!

AND... my boss for the past 10 years is RETIRING!!!! CONGRATS, SUE!!!!!

Old Maid Flats with the New Yorkers (12/26/16)

Per tradition (2014, 2015), we took our New York relatives on a day-after-Christmas Oregon adventure! There was adequate snowfall this year, so we took Jill and Maroof on a short cross-country ski trip on Mount Hood.

The week before, Brad and I took advantage of the low snow levels and did a scouting trip to Old Maid Flats. We decided the trail would be perfect for beginners :)

So on Dec. 26, we drove to Sandy for rentals and then hit the trail.

The out-and-back trail is slightly uphill on the way out. We did pretty good at keeping everyone on their feet. Then we arrived at the "meadow" - it's really a parking lot - and took a rest.

We could barely make out Mount Hood across the way:

Then we found a little hill to ~~ski~~ fall down.

Maroof (in red):

He's up!

Then Jill (in blue):

Maroof had to get video:

We laughed a lot!!

Then Brad had to show off his tele skills:

The slight downhill on the way out posed a bit of a problem for the newbies. But we eventually made it back to the trail head - so pretty!

Everyone was still smiling :)

I'm not sure they'll want to cross-country ski again... maybe we'll try snowshoeing next year instead :)

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Dog Mountain (6/3/17)

Dog Mountain is known for its amazing spring wildflowers, but we never make it out to see them. We're usually there in the snow or other conditions. But the timing worked out this year, and we saw the gorgeous hillside in all its splendor.

Brittany allowed us to drag her out to the woods. She's a photographer, and I KNEW she'd love it!

Summit photo from Brittany:

Brad brought his "big" camera and got these amazing shots:

Because of the crazy crowds and new parking restrictions, we went in the evening. It was a nice change to have the place mostly to ourselves. Always a wonderful hike with magnificent views :)