Trip to Mt. Hood

When we walk out our front door, we can see Mt. Hood. It dominates the western horizon (unless there are clouds or haze). Yesterday we drove to Timberline Lodge at the base of Mt. Hood. The mountain became even more impressive as we drew closer.

It was truly an amazing trip.

Our trailer is at 2218 feet above sea level. The elevation of Timberline Lodge is 6,000 feet. And yet, 18 miles (as the crow flies) from our trailer, they are skiing and snowboarding. Who would have thought?

Timberline Lodge was built by the Works Progress Administration and dedicated in 1937 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Unlike many of the grand old lodges in our national parks, which often were built by the Union Pacific Railroad in a rustic western style, Timberline is done in art deco (I think).

We had a delightful lunch in the Ram's Head Bar, overlooking the lodge entrance and a hazy view north toward Mt. Adams in Washington.

We could see people in shorts and t-shirts walking past others in ski togs. What a contrast!

Found a ride on the ski lift up the face of the mountain costs $15. A ski ticket for the day costs $49. John asked a couple of sno-boarders what the conditions on the mountain were like. They said icy in the morning, slushy the rest of the day. And sometimes it gets very windy. I'm sure it is interesting to ski in late July. But why would anyone pay that much for one or two runs on bad snow? And yet we saw the US ski team, Chinese visitors, and people from major Utah ski areas all doing that.