Ball Butte Backcountry

This weekend Emily and I headed to Bend to finally visit our buddy Aaron Hartz and his lady Jennie.  It had been since Thanksgiving since we had seen them so it was far overdue.  I had it in my head that we were going to skin up the Paulina Lake Road and ski the chutes on Paulina Peak which would have meant a very long day of backcountry skiing.  To my delight Hartz called me on our way out of town and said that his guiding buddy Henry had borrowed their boss’s sled and was going to tow us all up the road to save us about 10 miles of round trip skinning!  Hooray!

We got to their place in Bend around 10:30pm which gave us enough time to grab a few beers together and catch up.  They were staying at Heather and Grady’s 2nd house in Bend for the time being and it was pretty luxurious with an amazing view of the Sisters and the top of Broken Top from the deck.  Hard to believe anyone our age could own a 2nd house like that but that’s what you get for being an engineer at HP I guess.  

In the morning we set off from the house after some hot panini-pressed egg sandwiches towards Paulina Peak.  Halfway Aaron got a call from Henry that the road gate was closed and the road had been plowed to the pavement.... no go.  We discussed it briefly and then all suggested we head into the Broken Top wilderness across the road from Mt. Bachelor.  Within 30 minutes we were all in the Tumalo Snow Park lot gearing up and unloading the powerful sled from the trailer.  

Henry had showed up with his friends Adam and McKenzie.  There was a trailer on skis for the snowmobile to pull and racks for all the skis.  On the way across the flats we were all able to ride in the back with McKenzie towing from a rope behind until we got to the steeper hills leading up to the base of Broken Top and the wilderness boundary.

Hartz, Jennie and I waited while the others went first up to the staging area at the wilderness boundary.  We passed the 40 minutes of waiting peeing, building a crazy snowman and hurling snowballs at each other.  Soon, Henry was back and we all made it up to the others.  After a quick debate and looking at the weather we decided to just skin into Ball Butte and do some laps on it.  I hadn’t climbed it before and I was excited for the views of Broken Top so agreed and off we went.  

We had forgotten our sunscreen in the car when we all hopped into Jennie’s and they only had a small bottle for themselves that they shared with Emily.  I didn’t want to use up all the rest of it so I passed hoping that the clouds would remain overhead enough to prevent a bad burn... nope, I was wrong.  

Soon, the clouds ahead had cleared and we had amazing views of Broken Top and back towards the top of Bachelor above the clouds.  The bowl we skied was untouched after about half a foot of fresh snow the week before and we got to ski soft spring snow all afternoon in stable avy conditions.  It is always nice backcountry skiing with two professional guides :).  

We ended up skiing 3 different runs before we were all tired and headed back towards the parking lot being towed by the snowmobile.  I jumped on the back of the sled because I’m used to riding on them and know how to properly lean around corners.  When we got back we all headed to The Good Life Brewing Company in Bend for some great beer and grub.  I got the Deschutes Black Butte XXIII and the lettuce chicken wrap to try something new and also shared a bit of the giant nachos plate Hartz and Jennie got.  When Henry showed up looking like someone had painted his face red I got worried about my own face.... 

By the time we got back to Aaron and Jennie’s place I knew my face was pretty severely burnt.  The shower certainly didn’t feel as good as holding a cold beer to my face after while watching the sunset behind the mountains on their porch.  I put a bunch of lotion on my face I found in their bathroom and we had a couple more beers before Emily and I headed out.  We had a great time skiing with them and made a few new friends with Henry, Mackenzie and Adam.  Perhaps I’ll be back next weekend to bag Paulina on a bike.

Skibowl Closing Day 2013

Yet another season has gone by at Skibowl for us.  This year Emily and I came just short of making up the cost of our season pass.  This was due to my injury and my mom visiting for most of March when the skiing wasn’t that good anyway.  Next year we’ll buy the spring pass only since we’ll be on our mega honeymoon.  Still though, I’m going to miss the hours spent drinking pilsner’s and eating Otto sausages in the warming hut of upper bowl.....

Corvallis Brigade Hurling Match

Today Emily, Brendan who was visiting Portland for a wedding and staying with us, and I met up with Danielle in East Portland to watch Scott and his hurling team the “Corvallis Brigade” play a game.  This was the first hurling match the three of us had seen and to be honest we didn’t quite understand it.  Scott was on defense and they lost by just a point in a tough game that we had no sense of anyway.  After the game we headed down the road for some food at Red’s Bar and Grill while Scott waited for his next game.  It was great for us all to catch up with Brendan and his crazy busy life in the dirty south.  We then dropped Brendan off for his wedding and headed to the Gorge to meet with some Florists for the afternoon.

Wahclellah & Wahkeena Falls with Leo & Eric

On Sunday Eric joined Emily and I for a two very rainy hikes in the lush Columbia Gorge.  We drove home in the morning from Corvallis and was able to pick Eric up around noon to head first to Wahclellah Falls which I had not hiked before.  On the way we stopped at the Bonneville Dam Hatchery to check out trout, salmon and some giant sturgeon that dwarfed Emily looking at them through the pond window.  

The hike to Wahclellah Falls is just a few miles but definitely worth it and I think I may add it to the wedding list of easy things to do.  Because it was raining it the steep walls of the gorge we hiked into were covered with numerous waterfalls.  Leo was a bit nervous at first on a few bridge crossings but then he seemed to relax a bit and enjoy the views as we did.  

It didn’t take us long to reach Wahclellah Falls where we turned around.  Leo explored all around the falls but we kept him on leash as the rocks were slippery and the water was fast.  He even got to explore a pretty deep cave set into the steep cliffside with Emily who ventured to it’s very end with a head lamp.  

After Wahclellah we headed west in a pouring rain to the Wahkeena - Multnomah Falls loop hike I had done about 5 years ago.  This hike was a bit longer and because Leo’s feet were still healing a bit we put his new booties on.  Of course he didn’t like this at first and was high-steppin’ it everywhere.  We had a great hike up into the gorge and the rain held off partially for the ascent.  We checked out the Wahkeena Springs that the water for the falls bubbles up from and continued on at about 2,000 feet towards the upper Multnomah River.  

I was surprised to pass by several huge waterfalls in the upper canyon that I had completely forgot about.  Eventually, we came to the top of Multnomah Falls were it tumbles over the massive cliff to the base.  Em and I found out Eric isn’t a big fan of heights so he retreated back up the trail with Em as Leo and I stuck our heads out over the edge to check it out.  He’s definitely like me.  

After the switchbacked descent and hike back along the road to the car at Wahkeena Falls we headed into Troutdale for some amazing Sushi at the same spot Scott, Danielle, Jason, Jenn, Em and I had stopped at a few years ago after our hike.  We didn’t get as much food this time but we were still thoroughly stuffed when we left.  Despite the rainy weather it was an amazing day in the gorge and I got some great photos of all the water.

Zombie Jesus Day & Meeting Ruby Cooper

On Saturday after Emily and I met with a possible florist and picked up some treats and dog booties for Leo, we headed south to Corvallis to enjoy the 3rd annual Zombie Jesus Day party at Kevin and Alexa’s.  Nobody we know out here is at all religious so no one ever takes offense to the funny named party.  Emily had made my mom’s lemon squares the night before and we picked up some other snacks as well for the party.  Tim cooked up an amazing Ham and there was a huge assortment of pastries.  I thoroughly stuffed myself!  

Garrett had dressed up just like Ron Burgandy for some reason and Colin and Amanda had brought Ruby over so the dogs were to stay outback in the yard while they visited.  I was super excited to finally meet the little Ruby Relaxer and both Emily and I got to hold her for a while as she smiled up at us.  Later in the afternoon the party turned to drinking and Alexa brought out her shotski she bought in Bend with Emily the weekend before.  I did a shot of the ham juice... hehe.  It was a great party as usual although we never did repeat the 20+ bottles of champagne from the first year.   We found out that Kev and Lex are pregnant though so we hope that there will be another Zombie Jesus Day party for us next year where we can try to break the champagne record set 3 years ago when we all lived next to each other.

Boys Weekend

This weekend Emily and the girls headed to Bend for the Northwest half of Emily’s Bachelorette Parties.  I was going to stay at home but at the last moment I was left with the Prius so I decided to take the new bike and Leo to Corvallis for some riding before a boys weekend BBQ night at Kevin’s.  

After a quick stop at REI in Portland to put on new clipless pedals Leo and I arrived at the Lewisburg Saddle around 2pm.  After some adjustments to the bike and wiping all of his fur off the chain we were on the trail and Leo seemed like he knew what to do, excitedly running ahead of me down the gravel forest service road.  After again, stopping at an old quarry to adjust the shocks and settings of the new bike to my body we were off again.  In a few miles Leo began to slow down and tire, and by the time we got to the turnaround point about 4 miles through the trip he was moving very slow.  This worked out fine as we had to bike up hill to start the descent but even at the top of Vineyard Mountain he didn’t want to move.  I sat down with him for a few minutes in the shade and gave him some water.  When he stopped panting hard I got up onto my bike and headed down the trail, happily opening up my suspension to test it out.... nope.   I ended up walking the entire 3-4 miles back to the car next to my bike encouraging Leo along who seemed to then acquire a small limp.  

We headed into town to Kevin’s and Leo continued to limp around.  I had completely exhausted our new dog!  He didn’t even care as Dromi bounced all around him wanting him to play with her.  We all had a great BBQ and Jason joined us later in the evening.  It was Mischa, Colin, Garrett, Tim, Kevin, Miwa, Jason, Brian, and I.  The debauchery continued late into the night and Tim even hurled a knife into Kev and Lex’s wedding announcement surfboard!  We all played a bunch of rounds of asshole and before I knew it I was passed out in the spare bedroom.  

When I got home on Sunday I found out that it wasn’t Leo’s joints that were hurting him but instead were the bottom pads on his paws which he had shredded on the sharp stones of the forest service road!  I felt horrible!  I put bandaids on his paws and after I picked a very hungover Emily from Lindsay who drove her back from Bend we picked up some treats for him and new toys.  Definitely going to buy him booties!

Holm Opening at Bomb's for the Farm Stand String Band

Tonight I drove all the way down to Corvallis directly from work to see my Best Man open for the popular Farm Stand String Band at Bombs Away Cafe across from the OSU campus.  Jason joined me as well as Kevin and Alexa.  This was great as none of them had really seen Holm play before and I enjoyed their shocked reaction as Chris rocked out three different types of stringed instruments and blew them away with his guitar skills.  He clearly is very talented.  Near the end of his unusually long set a member of the main act joined him with her washboard on stage.  Her voice complimented his deeper voice amazingly and I hope to hear them play again together some other time.  After the set Holm hung out with his new lady Paris and his childhood friend who had driven down from Portland as well to see the set.  I had a couple more beers, said hi to Paris, then headed over to Danielle and Scotts to hang out with her, the animals and Layne until Scott got home.  I had already dropped off some popsicles for her before heading to Bombs as she wasn’t feeling well so I thought I’d go visit before heading home.  I left there place around 10:30pm and was in bed just after midnight making it a very long weeknight for me but well worth the drive.

Arley's St. Patty's Day Party

Tonight Emily and I again left my mom at home to go over to my good friend, and division lead, Arley’s place for an old fashioned St. Patty’s Day party complete with corned beef and debauchery.  There was a ton of food people had brought and flip cup was enjoyed in their spacious garage.  Emily and I brought a giant cookie from Safeway and some gold coins for the Irish there besides Em.  Nate and his roommate where the funniest part of the party, especially when he convinced us that Nate met girls secretly on Craigslist... ha!  Great party, and I’m glad to have only done one car bomb before leaving for home with Emily!

Dominique's Birthday Party

This evening Emily and I met up with Arley, her roommates, and a bunch of my other co-workers at Dominique’s place to celebrate her birthday.  Although we didn’t drink much or stay too long because of my mom in town, we had a great time and could tell Dominique was lovin’ it.  At one point I handed her a honey bourbon ginger I had made and she just stared at me with awe saying, “Jon, you just changed my whole world with this drink”... hehe.  

Mom Visiting

For the past several weeks my mom has been out to visit Emily and I.  It was a scouting mission for her to see how well she would like the Portland area.  We also used the time to meet with some wedding caterers and show her the Hood River area and our wedding venue.  She was happy to stay with us and helped us out around the house with cooking, dishes, laundry etc.  A truly awesome house guest.  Although she got lost a couple times in Portland, I think by the end of the trip she had a pretty decent idea of where all the major arteries of travel area and how to basically get around.  We aren’t sure where exactly she will move to but we are targeting the summer of 2015 to get her moved out to the area, possibly sooner if we have the time.

Big Sidecountry Cliff Drops and Painful Injury

Today Emily, Chris and I had a great day of powder at Skibowl on Mt. Hood.  The outback was open by about 11am and we got to hit up some first tracks back there.  I found that my favorite 30-35 foot cliff wasn’t touched yet and was amped to point my fat boards off the end of it.  Visibility was a little low so I hollered down to Holm to see what the landing was like.  He gave me a thumbs up and I pointed it.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten that my boots were still in walk mode and I ended up rotating onto my back in mid-air.  It was more air than I expected too as I popped off the top of the cliff.  Thankfully, it was fluffy powder and my DSLR in my backpack wasn’t damaged from the impact.  

We headed back up again for a second drop which I landed a bit better.  Holm went for it too but caught a rock on the edge and fell off the click to Emily’s dismay filming below.  After the 2nd drop I decided to not push my luck any further.  But... 20 minutes later while following Holm out of the outback down a steep face I jumped over some bushes into a small area of powder and the slope slid out from under me, flipping me onto my back and upside down.... headed straight for a stand of Doug Fir trees.  This is pretty much the worst position a skier can find themselves in as I had no way to slow myself and just braced myself for what I thought would be a life changing neck or spinal injury.  

Thankfully, I bounced off the first tree, crushing my shoulder in and not my neck.  It knocked the wind out of me and caused me to drop one of my poles.  When I came to a stop I just lay there moaning trying to catch my breath before joining a concerned looking Holm and Emily below.  We skied down to the base and took a chair up again to the warming hut but by then I was ringing in pain and barely able to move my arm.  I asked them to keep skiing and look for my pole while I had a beer in the hut and rested.  They never found my pole but while in the hut in misery I happened to sit next to an orthopedic doctor’s assistant who rotated my arm and tested out my shoulder.  While doing so I felt as if my spine slid back into place from where my shoulder had wrenched it free, thus feeling enormously better.  

For the next couple weeks it was very painful to cough, especially to sneeze and I believe I tore some cartilage in my rib cage and possibly also bruised/cracked a rib on my left side from the impact that could have been far.. far worse.

Harlem Shake Cocktail Party

This Sunday after skiing with at Timberline and taking Leo down his first descent of Alpine Trail to Government Camp Emily and I got dressed up a bit and headed into Portland to attend Anna’s cocktail party.  We didn’t know what to expect so I picked up stuff to make mojitos and a bottle of Jack Daniels Honey.  Ryan was there and of course made some amazing food (pulled-pork sandwiches) and there was plenty of other snacks to go around.  I contributed some pound cakes and set to work on the mojitos as soon as we go there.  

After just a couple hours there the booze was being consumed very quickly and people got a dance party together.  Anna then decided that we all had to film a (Harlem Shake - youtube it) so I set up my iPhone 5 on the fireplace and we put a helmet on Arley to start it off.  After several drunken takes I figured we had enough film and the party continued.  I’m a bit blurry after the Harlem shake but I know that at some point Em decided to be the DD and I began taking Eric, Katie and some other friends out to the Prius to get refills from the Jack Daniels.  Then someone showed up with liters of coke for the Captain Morgans and that is about the last thing I remember.  Emily says I was really funny and good natured despite my giggling sleep walking all night but Monday at work was dreadful.... I’m definitely on a cleanz now.  If you want to see the Harlem Shake we created check it out in the videos I have posted to Facebook.  

Winterhawks Game with Adam & Sarah

Tonight Emily and I joined Sarah and Adam for a Winterhawks game at the Rose Garden Arena.  We had never been to the Garden before and haven’t seen them in a few weeks so it worked out great.  They came into the city early and I was able to get a beer with them around 4pm at Lardo before heading over to the Spirit of 77 bar to wait for Emily to drive in to the city.  We were a little late to the game but I was thoroughly entertained by their unbelievable story of their friend Bill who apparently is a super-genius and the news of Sarah leaving her job for bigger pursuits.  Unfortunately, the Winterhawks lost big to the Tri-City Americans but we had a good time and good beer with good friends.

Twin Day work Shinanigans & A Special Delivery

A typical day of shinanigans at WSI with a lot of people dressing up as twins in the office.  I found out that half the office seems to have bought maroon sweaters that they all love to wear overtop a white collared shirt.  Anna dressed up just like Anderson although their mustaches were pointed in opposite directions.  There was also a unique delivery to the office next to my desk of Erin.  Not sure where she came from but she was definitely in a giant wooden box that had been screwed shut... pretty trusting.

Valentines Sushi

Just a quick note that on this Valentines Day Emily surprised me with ingredients for sushi making - because I love sushi!  Although she had bought the wrong type of rice, thought that I had bought avocados when they were actually plums, and had bought Winco Salmon instead of the special sashimi salmon, we made it work and had a great meal with baked salmon on the side. :)