After visiting with Paul and meeting the the fine folk who live there, we met some of the animals--including quite a few donkeys who were getting shoed. This fuzzy fellow was awfully sweet!
We then piled back in the car and went off in search of snow. We were already out in Corbett, about twenty miles from Portland, so I decided we'd head up Larch Mountain, a mountain I hiked up years ago, hoping to find some flurries. I saw a little patch of melting snow near a driveway and took it as a good sign to keep going. Sure enough, the higher we got, the more snow there was, until suddenly the road was no longer clear and there was at least one foot of snow on the branches of the trees. After passing the "DANGER road no longer maintained sign," I figured I should probably turn around and find a safe place to park heading back down the mountain. And then it happened. As I was turning around, the car slid off the road and landed in a big snow drift. No problem, I thought, both girls were still asleep, I'd just pull out of there. Or not. After several failed attempts at digging my back wheel out, I began to assess. We had food. We had water. We had blankets and lots of warm clothes. We did not have cell reception. We did not see any other cars. I could hike down the mountain carrying two small children, right? Just as I was planning how this was all going to play out, a car came! We were saved! Or not. He didn't have any rope to pull me out. I didn't have any rope to pull me out. But then, when there were no cars for almost an hour, all of a sudden there were lots of cars. People with shovels and tow ropes and extra arms to push. Knowing we were safe, that I would not have to hike down a mountain with my babes in arm, or sleep in the car on top of a lonely mountain, I quickly grabbed my camera and tried to capture the beauty (because now it was beautiful again and no longer scary) and then we got the hell out of there!!
I'm still hoping it snows tomorrow--I'm not sure I'm ready for another snow hunt for awhile!
