Other winter play included an adventure to the Grouse Vista TH to snowshoe.  Although the road is probably totally clear and not enough to warrant snowshoes or even spikes now, this was an adventure just getting to the TH.  It was necessary to have a high clearance vehicle, big tires and even chains at times.  I was white-knuckled as I looked over the side of the road and considered the possibilities should we slide off the road.  A few obstacles needed to be removed on the way, but we were prepared. 
Skiing at Teacup Nordic near Mt. Hood was pretty nice (soon will be time for the annual Blind School Ski Day!) with the birds fighting for every scrap in my  hand.
An attempt at Dog Mountain in bad weather forced turn around due to very high winds and deep snow.

Having missed the rain (snow would have been OK) by a few days, we arrived to mild temperatures and mostly blue skies.  The Methow Trails System encompasses over 100 miles of groomed trails, most of which were in good shape considering the rain and warm temperatures.  The base diminished at about an inch a day during the 8 days we skied but still plenty of coverage in 95% of the areas we skied. I was relieved to know I still can skate ski and thankful to take advantage of the new heated wax hut at the Winthrop end of the trail system. It's a long drive, but very much worth it.  On two different days, I ran into some friends from Seattle, Bill & Sheri, and Lissa, a cycling buddy.  I think everyone we spoke to was from Seattle, except us. 
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