Sunday, December 17, 2006 Mt. Hood
This Sunday J. and I drove up to Timberline Lodge. This hotel is famous for its scenic placement high on Mt. Hood as well as being the setting for the exterior shots in the movie The Shining. The drive itself was bland in the beginning as it wound through strip mall town of Gresham into other smaller towns named Sandy and Boring. Soon enough, the road worked its way into a snowy wooded valley that weaved upwards towards the mountain. The roads were graveled but still icy on the shoulders; the lanes were ambiguous but safe.

A view from the shoulder with Mt. Hood in the background. Timberline Lodge gets it name from literally being on the timberline, where trees can no longer grow. From that elevation, the sense of scale is thrown off and the whole mountain actually looks a lot smaller than from this view.

The Lodge. Inside, we ate a delicious meaty $ meal with a $$$ view.

If Russia had designed SUV's, they would look like this old, stubby snowcat. It appears the treads can be removed for use on other surfaces. If I had enough money, I'd alternate between this and a tuk tuk for my city driving.



For some reason, I didn't think we would be walking in snow up to three feet deep. Corduroy and leather clogs are not proper snow gear. One step off the road and my feet were caked with snow. Next time, I will wear plastic bags over my socks. Or invest in boots.

The road heading down the mountain through the woods.

I think I know whose woods these are.