A Day At Da Hood

I can feel that our sunny, rain-free days are numbered here, so yesterday we went east to Mt. Hood to explore. Don't worry, no helicopter rescues or search parties were needed, although we did have one minor injury and a hit-and-run incident, but I'll get to that later.

My parents flew out last Friday, and as I had posted earlier, they brought along with them our dog, Penny. She made it through the four hour plane ride with flying colors and has acclimated to her new surroundings quickly. She did seem a little skittish the first few days after the trip, but I think she was wondering if she had to leave when my parents did, because now that they are gone, she seems much more relaxed and willing to explore the house and back yard. On the farm, we couldn't easily convince her to come in the house, and now we can't get her to leave without the promise of a ride or a walk.

While my parents were here, we went into Portland to the Japanese Gardens. They are so manicured and serene, I hope my four-year-old didn't disturb the chi or whatever it is they are attempting to maintain in there. No time for reflection when you're trying to keep a little boy from spitting (or worse) into the koi pond. If you know my son, you know that it takes him a while to warm up to people--even close relatives--so about the time Mom and Dad left, he was very chatty with them and giving out hugs and giggles. Hopefully he can warm up quicker next time or they can stay a few more days so we can enjoy the truce a little longer.

Little Zigzag Falls

Saturday, we (finally) went out to Mt. Hood. It was a warm, beautiful day and I was itching to enjoy every last ray of sunshine. We picked out a few easy hikes for the kids, packed our picnic basket again, and headed down Hwy 26. We started out at Little Zigzag Falls Trailhead. It's a short walk to the falls and the parking lot is actually part of the old Hwy 26 that was once all switchbacks down the hillside. It gave us a chance to enjoy our first hike with the dog. And by "enjoy", I mean tripping over and receiving multiple rope burns from her retractable leash. We're still working on her manners.

On our way to the second hike, Dave spotted the entrance to the Skibowl Alpine Slide. It's basically a bobsled run down a ski slope in the middle of summer. The freakiest part was the ski lift ride up to the top of the slide, an experience that was new to us all. We gleefully sped down the run a couple of times and then were duped into upgrading our wristbands and headed over to the Adventure Park on the other side of the hill. And by "adventure park", I mean deathtrap/lawsuit waiting to happen. I'll sum it up with the following conversation that my husband and I had:

Me: Sorry we didn't catch up with you. Your daughter fell and skinned her knee and I had to break into the first aid station to get her cleaned up and bandaged. What's the matter with D?

Hubby: He got into an accident at the kiddie karts. I got a guy fired and our money back, so I think we should leave this park and go back over to the slide.

Me: What?

Alpine Slide at Skibowl

Long story short, my son ran into the attendant with his mini kart at the understaffed mini kart ride, the attendant started shouting at my son, got into an argument with my husband, and is now no longer an employee of the adventure park. My daughter tripped on the wet pavement at the top of the hill, skinned her knee up pretty good, went into hysterics, and we wandered around the First Aid area looking for help until I finally just went in and started rummaging around for towels and bandages myself. We were able to end the day with a few more rides down the Alpine Slide and everything was right in the world again. If you ever get a chance to try the Alpine Slide at Skibowl, I highly recommend giving it a whirl, but don't bother with the Adventure Park pass. Your sanity will thank you.

This week, we are in the middle of an awkward game of musical mattresses as we try to re-arrange the sleeping quarters in this house. It's finally the master bedroom's turn to get organized and officially unpacked as well. Hopefully it won't take a helicopter rescue and search party to find the rest of my socks.


~Paula