Jeremy had to work today, so our family, my dad, and Jayden went to Mt. Hood to do the Alpine Slide at Skibowl and to take a hike around Mt. Hood. We all got to sleep in a bit which was nice, and we grabbed donuts from Joe’s Donut Shop on the way to Mt. Hood. We had been told to check out VooDoo donuts while in Portland but that wasn’t going to work with our schedule and Jeremy told us Joe’s Donut Shop has a big following. I got their blueberry fritter, Michael got a maple bacon “log,” Andrew also got a blueberry fritter, Carolyn got a powdered donut and cinnamon sugar donut, and Matthew got a powdered donut and chocolate-covered donut. Dani, who consistently doesn’t like donuts (not sure how), picked out a chocolate covered with sprinkles. Sure enough, she ate the chocolate frosting and the sprinkles but not the donut itself. We all thought the doughnuts were delicious and a great way to start the day.


I wish I had a picture of our donuts!

We got to Skibowl right when it opened and were some of the first people in line to do the Alpine Slide. We took a chair-lift to the top which was fun in and of itself. It offered great views of Mt. Hood. The kids thought it was fun. Dani rode with me the first time and she loved it. She made me nervous because she wanted to lean over the bar but she restrained herself and hopped right off with the help of the attendant at the top of the chair lift. 









Ready to Go!


We let Andrew and Carolyn go first - which turned out to be a mistake. They went nice and slowly down the hill - which meant the rest of us had to go nice and slowly down the hill. Poor Dani and Matthew (who had to ride with me and Michael) wanted to go faster but we were held up by the slowpokes! When we got to the bottom we told Andrew and Carolyn they had to go last next time. So, we got back on the chairlift for a second ride. 


Jayden really wanted to go fast, so we let him get in front on the second ride down. Unfortunately, the people who had been in line before us and had gone on the previous take-off were going SO SLOW we caught up to them. They were going so slow that they were pushing themselves down the hill with their arms (not using the slide mechanism at all). We inched our way to the bottom. Meanwhile, Michael and Dani, my dad, and Andrew were on the other slide and whipped right past us. When we got to the bottom we asked if Jayden and Carolyn could get another ride (we only bought a 2-ride pass) since their ride was so bad. The people at Skibowl were great and readily allowed them to go again. Apparently, after our 2nd ride, the line got significantly longer because we waited forever for them to come down the hill - but we got a great video of them both coming down. Jayden came flying…Carolyn was still cautious. 


Next we went to Timberline Lodge (the lodge that the movie The Shining uses) where we hiked up a trail that gave us great views of Mt. Hood. It crossed a ski path so the kids got to play in the snow and throw ice snow balls. There were actually lots of people skiing considering it was in the 70s. Mt. Hood has a very majestic peak - I thought it was prettier than Mount St. Helens. On the trail we could look out and see the foggy blue/green of the mountains surrounding Mt. Hood - it was beautiful. The trail was sandy (a gray sand) and there were purple and yellow wildflowers that scattered throughout the mountain side. The sun was strong but it wasn’t too hot - however, we all got a little sun on our faces since we forgot to put on sunscreen at the beginning of the day. 








Watching the skiers...and then throwing ice balls





After the short 1 mile hike up the side of Mt. Hood we headed back to Jeremy’s house. Jeremy had planned a nice dinner for us that night - he smoke salmon on the Traeger (it’s a conspiracy for us to buy a Traeger after this trip - ha!). He also put corn and broccolini on the Traeger and baked potatoes. It was all so delicious. The kids even said “Dad…why can’t you make corn and broccoli like this!” He was kind enough to share his secret - a truffle seasoning for the broccoli and an Elote seasoning/butter/mayonnaise concoction for the corn. The seasonings were from Trader Joe’s so I guess we’ll be making a stop at Trader Joe’s when we get home. The salmon was coated with a honey and sriracha glaze and smoked perfectly. 



Unfortunately, after dinner, we had to start doing laundry and packing up - always the saddest part of every stop of our trip. After making a dent in the packing we enjoyed one last night on the back porch. Jeremy poured me what he considered one of the most “sour” sour beers - Sour in the Rye - and I liked it - which continued to confirm my like for sour beers. I won’t lie - it was sour and I couldn’t drink it as quickly as others, but I liked it. I preferred the Blueberry one from Cascade Brewing though. We stayed up later than any other night - partly because Melissa was coming home from Mexico and we wanted to see her. Luckily, she arrived shortly after 10 pm so we got to hang out with her for about an hour before we all called it a night. Jeremy kindly complimented our kids saying that they were great kids and he was impressed with their ability to “hang with the adults” on all the hikes - especially Dani. It was nice to hear (and a great reminder) that we’ve got good kids and that our frustrations with them on the latter half of the trip are mainly the result of being crammed together in a tight space for almost 4 weeks in a row! 


Jeremy and Jayden - you were great hosts. Jayden - you were patient with our kiddos - especially Matthew who just wanted to give you hugs all the time and karate-chop you (sorry!). It was so fun to spend time with you in your part of the country. We can’t wait to repay the favor and have you visit us on the East Coast. It’ll be sad to leave but we had the best time and loved all the sights and the quality time together in the evenings. 


Next Stop - Twin Falls, ID