Today just had to be Sunday :-(
I was so prepped to hit the Super8 B'fast bar hard this morning and get rolling early. As I reached the door to the cafeteria at 6:05 am, I saw the sidesign that said something to the effect that the only-on-Sunday opening time was 7 am! Well, on the road with black coffee and 2 cups of OJ. Thru a very quiet downtown, then south on SR 11 and suddenly "Welcome to Oregon" (and blank ag fields and a headwind). Thru Milton-Freewater (home of this odd frog theme which has the town adorned with at least 50 wooden carved and joyously painted frog statues and an exit slogan of "Thanks for hopping through". (oh well, musta been one those art grant type things).
More fields and Weston passes soon, then it's up,up,up, into the Blue Mountains, and I see the far off snowline. 20 miles and 3500' of hard climbing later, I reach Tollgate ski area still buried in 10 feet of snow and the Summit Blue Mountains (5158'). What goes up must come down, so we test (and tap) the brakes all the way to the Stampede Inn in the picturesque logging town of Elgin, which is our home for the night. Elgin has suffered badly from both the change in the logging industry over the last decade and the more recent economic downturn. People are super friendly, but one can detect the underlying depressed tone. I helped the local economy by purchasing a large pizza, 2 Pepsis, a bag of Fritos and a tub of Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudgechunk ice cream. (Anyone else like that flavor? I find it intoxicatingly good.)
I was so prepped to hit the Super8 B'fast bar hard this morning and get rolling early. As I reached the door to the cafeteria at 6:05 am, I saw the sidesign that said something to the effect that the only-on-Sunday opening time was 7 am! Well, on the road with black coffee and 2 cups of OJ. Thru a very quiet downtown, then south on SR 11 and suddenly "Welcome to Oregon" (and blank ag fields and a headwind). Thru Milton-Freewater (home of this odd frog theme which has the town adorned with at least 50 wooden carved and joyously painted frog statues and an exit slogan of "Thanks for hopping through". (oh well, musta been one those art grant type things).
More fields and Weston passes soon, then it's up,up,up, into the Blue Mountains, and I see the far off snowline. 20 miles and 3500' of hard climbing later, I reach Tollgate ski area still buried in 10 feet of snow and the Summit Blue Mountains (5158'). What goes up must come down, so we test (and tap) the brakes all the way to the Stampede Inn in the picturesque logging town of Elgin, which is our home for the night. Elgin has suffered badly from both the change in the logging industry over the last decade and the more recent economic downturn. People are super friendly, but one can detect the underlying depressed tone. I helped the local economy by purchasing a large pizza, 2 Pepsis, a bag of Fritos and a tub of Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudgechunk ice cream. (Anyone else like that flavor? I find it intoxicatingly good.)
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