From the Surf to the Snow

The Tillamook Cheese Factory was just off the road to Manzanita and they did free tastings. That alone is probably why they have over 1 million visitors a year. They produce 171,000 thousand pounds of cheese every day! Something for Whitestone to aspire to.

Cheese tasting (or early lunch for Kiwis).

For the surveyors in the family. Surveyors get better memorials than dentists!

The main street of Manzanita.  This laid-back little village was popular with surfers.

A 1km walk through old Douglas Fir forest brought us to Short Sand Beach. Lots of surfers.

First walk I've been on where I have to leave my fireworks behind.

Short Sand Beach

The naming of US towns never fails to amuse us.  We did stop at "Boring".  The coffee was good, after we explained we didn't want the double espresso in the usual 1/2 pint mug.

Our accommodation for the next couple of nights was the Best Western at Government Camp. This  rather dull name was misleading as the town was looking good in full winter snow, and bright lights shining through the windows of vibrant cafes, restaurants and bars. 

A full scale blizzard hit soon after we arrived making driving and even walking a bit dangerous.  Our plans for a high altitude walk the next day were not looking good but there was good news in the form of a Mt Hood Brewing Company bar across the driveway 1 minute walk away in the ankle-deep slush.

So much for autumn colours, it's more like winter.

A selection of beer cocktails at the Mt Hood Brewing Company. We haven't been brave enough to try one.

When the weather cleared in the morning, Mt Hood certainly dominated the landscape.  As much as I would like to have climbed it, the icy roads and 2 feet of new snow brought out my sensible side and we opted for great day walk starting at the famous Timberline Lodge.  This historic lodge was used for all the exterior shots of the hotel in "The Shining".

The area was very popular with ski tourers, most of whom seemed to have dogs. The dogs appeared to have plenty of fun in the snow but couldn't always keep up on the run down. Watch out for brown snow.

There were also quite a few topless ski tourers.

The smoke from the forest fires has blown away.

We reached the top of the Palmer chairlift on the left, half way in height gain to the summit. The Timberline ski area has the longest season of any ski resort in the USA.  This was their opening day and we saw a few good dress up outfits. The volcano is active and I could smell sulphur from the nearby vents.

On a stunningly clear day like this we could see Mt Jefferson on the right and The Sisters to its left.

Mt Jefferson

 "Wendy, I'm home"

The next day, an early morning walk to Mirror Lake avoided the crowds - this is one of the most popular walks in the region and the car park overflows with hundreds of cars.  It was  nice to have the place to ourselves and watch the sun rise. No mirror though due to the wind.

The photographer caught.

No apologies for the number of photos of Mt Hood. After all, we were in Mt Hood State Forest, and it just so photogenic that you try and get it in every photo somewhere. 

The autumn colours mixing with the first taste of winter.

Back to the hotel for a late breakfast. Then it was off on another hike. This 7-mile loop took us a little way along the Pacific Crest Trail, made famous in the film "Wild" with Reese  Witherspoon. The chipmunks around here are known to steal your lunch. We definitely had the worst lunch at the popular lunch spot. Half a peanut butter muesli bar each.

We paid homage to my Aunty Ramona, who died recently at 93 years old, by visiting the Ramona Falls.

It's good bye Mt Hood and next stop Bend.