Perfect day off

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 :)