OREGON

Crossing the Columbia River at Biggs Junction, we decided to head south on Highway 97 before turning east. However, by the time we got to Moro, it was snowing quite heavily and the road had become rather slippery so we decided to head back and take the 84 west to Hood River. We spent the night at Dallesport then set off next morning to Mt Hood. The scenery along the road was absolutely beautiful. It was hard to focus on the road as there was something breathtaking around almost every corner. We just kept saying to each other “Isn’t it beautiful?” I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Colombia River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were thinking of staying up at Timberline Lodge, an historic old ski lodge right on the timberline at Mt Hood. But a phone call revealed that the $130 a night rate was for a bunk with shared bathroom. Double rooms started at $250 with a dinner package thrown in. We decided to investigate options at Government Camp where John managed to do a deal with the Best Western for $109 (including tax). You really need to ask over here if rates include tax because usually they don’t. That means add about 10%. Anyway it was a great decision. The hotel was nice and comfy. All the prices here are US dollars so you can add another 10% or so for Aussie dollars. We have discovered that the AARP is pretty well accepted but there are still places that don’t give AARP discounts.

Icicles on the roof of our hotel.

 

Main street, Government Camp

 

The snow on this bush outside the Information Centre
looked just like bath bubbles.

First up at Government Camp we went to the local museum and information centre and grabbed our $5 parking permit for Timberline and off we went. The signs at the start of the road all said chains required but when we saw that none of the cars going up there had chains, we headed up, after picking up a local who was hitching a ride with his snowboard. Obviously didn’t want to pay for a lift pass. It was interesting talking to him as he worked in the dining room at Timberline and lived in Gov. Camp. He finishes work at 11 pm then has to get back down to Gov. Camp. As you can see by the photos the road can get a bit hairy and is also closed from 12 midnight until 6 am for snow ploughing etc.

The road up to Timberline Lodge.

Timberline Lodge is a beautiful old building made mostly of huge rough sawn logs and local stone. If you were a skier or were into snow sports, it would be a beautiful spot to spend a weekend if you wanted to treat yourself. There are three ski lifts, one of which goes right up Mount Hood. The atmosphere is warm and very old worldly, with all the comforts of home. It reminded us a lot of the beautiful old lodge at Paradise on Mount Rainier which we had visited in 2008.

Entrance to Timberline Lodge

 


The foyer.

One of the original rams head timber carvings from the exterior of the lodge.

View from a second floor window.

Looking down to the second floor - note the snow at the window top left.

 

We had a lovely night at Gov. Camp, doing a bit of a pub crawl and meeting a lot of the locals who are really friendly. We were lucky really to be there on a Tuesday night as it is quiet so we got to meet a few of them. At around 6.30 all of us in the Ratskellar Inn had to go out and move our cars across the street because the grader was scraping the street. Apparently he usually does one side each night and we were on the wrong side although he did both sides that night because there had been a fair bit of snow. After spending just one day up here, it is easy to see why people fall in love with the skiing scene. The scenery is awesome and skiing must be a real adrenalin rush.

Grading the main street, Government Camp

John standing in the snow at the front of our hotel.
Note the shimmering snowflakes.

Next morning it was beautiful and sunny so after a few more photos around town we took another quick run up to Timberline. It was worth it!

Mt Hood from Government Camp.



We're not going anywhere 'til someone finds me a shovel!!



Road to Timberline.

Mt Hood from Timberline carpark. Note the ski lift at left.

 

Then we headed south again through Indian land (home of the Warm Springs tribes) and past one of the many indian casinos which are usually found on the indian reservations.

The countryside changes quickly once you get over the mountains.

At Madras, we discovered the Black Bear Diner, a chain of diners common here in the west, but one we had not encountered before. If you ever get the chance, pay them a visit. The food is lovely and the prices are very reasonable. They have a lot of character as well.

Patrons at Black Bear Diner

Oriental chicken salad - yum!

Next it was on through Redmond and Sisters then over Santiam and Tombstone Passes. We had ridden the road from Redmond to Sisters in 08 and it was interesting to see the difference between summer and winter for example here at Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint on the Crooked River near Redmond.

 

 

Highway 20 over Tombstone Pass was quite spectacular and would be a fantastic bike ride in the summer. The wind had picked up and as we drove along it was blowing the snow off the trees. As it fell it was being hit by sunlight. At times it looked just like we were being showered with tinsel. Beautiful!!

 

Lava fields on Highway 20.

Spectacular!

 

We have discovered why there is pea gravel on the roads here. It is laid down to help with traction. It’s amazing how the traction tyres they use here can get so much grip on snowy roads. You do have to lower your tyre pressures however, just like when driving in soft sand. Driving through Foster on the banks of Foster Reservoir was quite an experience. We were looking for accommodation by this time but the place was just one trailer park after another, interspersed with lots of “homely” residences. We also came across a strange little stretch of shopfronts that looked like they had been built for a movie set. It was totally deserted, really weird and worth a look.

 

Eventually we arrived at Sweet Home, which looks like it might not be so sweet these days, and found a reasonably priced motel.

Wow how the weather can change! It looked like we were going to have great weather for our weekend at Steve & Lisa’s cabin. However, we woke up to a constant fall of snow and about 3 inches on the ground. Decided it would probably be better to stick to the more travelled roads than to take the byways so we headed north through Lebanon and jumped onto the I 5 south of Albany.

Well it was quite a drive and something we hope not to do again any time soon. We were fine because we just took it slowly. There must have been 12 – 18 inches of snow in some parts and the snow came down so heavy in places we could only see about 30 metres ahead of us. We did think that maybe we should have put the chains on but the little Hyundai all-wheel drive we had was amazing. Others did not fare so well though. At one place there were 4 semi-trailers jack-knifed off the highway, one with another smashed into its rear end. There were at least 6 other vehicles which had run off the road along the way. We were obviously pretty relieved to make it to Eugene safely and thankfully the snow had eased off there.

Driving on the I 5.

Visibility was pretty poor in places.

Our mate Steve sent us a text just as we were driving into town to tell us there had been a pile-up southbound on the I 5 so we were even more pleased to have made it. John has become quite adept at driving in the snow. It is amazing where you can actually drive. Deep snow doesn’t seem to be a problem it you take it easy. Wouldn’t want to be driving in it if it got icy though. We have learnt quite a lot about how they keep the roads passable here. First, of course there are the snow ploughs, but then there is also the pea gravel made from volcanic rock that they spread over the roads. We noticed its presence in '08 when it was scattered across the road on some of the higher passes. Also, when it is likely that there will be ice on the roads, they spread salt - and lots of it, which explains where all the salt we produce in Australia goes.