I spent my day off doing one of my very favorite things: exploring!
Brad had an appointment to get the snow tires on my car, so that left me with his wheels: a first-gen electric car with a shorter range.
I looked for trails closer to home and decided to check out a couple Lake Oswego spots.
First stop: Iron Mountain Park:
This park, right next to the Lake Oswego Hunt Club, looked almost brand new! There was a sign and defined trails at the base of the hill but no map. I turned right and figured I'd see where it took me.
The single-track trail started flat, paralleling Iron Mountain Boulevard.
After a bit, it climbed the steep hillside, and then a wide trail took me to a lookout with signs explaining the old iron-mining operation:
I popped out into a neighborhood and checked Google Maps. Seeing that Springbrook Park was close, I decided to take a detour:
I wandered the tangle of trails for a while, stopping to swing on the Uplands Elementary School playground.
The weather was cold and crisp, and I was all smiles. High overcast skies is one of my very favorite!
Armed again with Google Maps, I made my way back to Iron Mountain Park and the westside trails near the hunt club stables. Several horses greeted me as I hiked past :)
Next, I drove to Hallinan Elementary School to check out Hallinan Woods:
This guy greeted me:
It's a small wooded area with lots to look at:
I spotted another neighborhood park on the Google and had to check it out, too!
Freepons Park was my fourth exploration of the morning:
History:
I spotted trails in the steep hillside above the park and had to see where they went.
I ended up in another neighborhood in a much different tax bracket than mine! I walked to the top of the hill to take in the view:
On a clear day, Wy'East must look amazing from here!
What a perfect day off :)