Council Crest, Multnomah Falls, Horse Feathers brew pub, tire chains, and Ski Bowl

I woke Wednesday morning around 730am PT (you can take Jimmy out of the ET zone but you can't take his body clock away). I exercised and made coffee. I also fiddled with Glenn's TV for several minutes hoping to catch the news/weather for the mountain. It hadn't dawned on me that Glenn's didn't have a digital converter attached to his cableless TV. There was no hope of over the air TV. I eventually figured out how to log on his MAC as a guest and checked the mountian weather via the net. I was a little worried that our rented SUV was only a two-wheel drive. It didn't come with tire chains either, which often are a necessity up on the mountain. Oh Boy! The forecast called for up to 7" of new snow, but most of it up around Timberline Lodge - not down at Government Camp. I was still a little concerned. I left for my run down to and along the Columbia River. It was a nice run under very mild spring-like conditions. The temp hovered near 50 degrees in the city. Flowers and trees abloom everywhere. It was raining lightly but I didn't let that dampen my spirits. In fact, I enjoyed it. Mindy was up when I got back to Glenn's place. I was anxious to get our big day underway. Glenn will never be considered an early riser. I'm thinking he wasn't up until 9am or so. Everyone showered by 10am, Mindy first. While Glenn showered I loaded the rental, a Ford Escape, with all of our ski gear and suitcases. We were taking everything we flew in with along with Glenn's stuff. We had quite a bit of food & drink going along too. I was worried about having enough room but we managed. Glenn was pretty adamant about stopping for some tire chains, sharing how costly and unsafe it can be if they're required and you don't have 'em. We headed out of town towards Council Crest located just above downtown Portland. It's a quick drive from Glenn's place. To get up there you drive up through a posh mountainside village with beautiful homes and lush, moss covered gardens. Just as Mindy predicted, the sun busted out a few times as we arrived at the park. We took in the sights, snapped some photos, and briefly reflected on our marriage vows three years ago yesterday. We didn't stay long. Next stop, Multnomah Falls. Actually, we made a brief pit stop at Glenn's bank so he could make a car payment. Said he doesn't trust online banking. The drive through the gorge was as lovely as ever. We must've seen three or four rainbows as we weaved in and out of themany low hanging cloud bursts and sunshine. Multnomah was her usual beautiful self. But just like Council Crest, we didn't stay too long. Almost on queue we found ourselves in a cloud burst of rain. We hit the restroom, snapped some photos, then bolted back to the Escape. Next stop, Hood River. We wound our way through the gorge towards Hood River. During our drive, I decided that it made sense to try and pick up some tire chains. I was hopeful that we could find a tire chain retailer in Hood River. Glenn shared that Les Schwabb, a regional tire retailer, has a full refund policy if they remain unused - sorta like having an insurance policy. I spotted a Wal-Mart as we entered town. Thought we might stop after lunch. And speaking of lunch, we had to decide where to eat. I shared that there were three brepubs in Hood River, at least according to my internet research. We'd eaten at Full Sail brewery the last time out. I was eager to try another. I couldn't remember the names. We ended up at Horse Feathers brew pub that sits high up on the Oregon side of the gorge overlooking the Columbia River. The windowside table provided a breathtaking view of the river and downtown. We were their only customers for a short while. Cynthia, our server, was very kind. She helped us pick out souveneir t-shirts and a pint glass. When asked, she shared that a Les Scwabb tire center was just down the road past the Wal-mart. Also echoed the return policy that Glenn remembered. Mindy & I shared a reuben quesadilla, and all three of us had a cup of clam chowder that was to-die-for delicious. This will come as no surprise; I drank their IPA. Glenn and Mindy enjoyed the Porter. All of it good. We left happy! We found the Les Scwabb easily. A kid outfitting a car with tires when I walked up was quick to assist. Very friendly, very helpful. I got a lump in my throat when he shared that the chains were $100. He reiterated their return policy. He insisted on running them out to our waiting car. He did it with an unusual amount of enthusiasm. I shared his eagerness to help with Mindy, who was waiting in the car. Glenn shared that all Les Scwabb employees go through Disney-type training and tout customer service as their number one priority. I could tell. Worth mentioning is the gift they give customers who buy a set of new tires - steaks! Onto Mt Hood and our condo. It was just before 3pm, and given that our condo check-in time was 4pm, we were right on schedule. It remained warm and green on the backside of Mt Hood. However, about 15 miles from Mt Hood the temperature started dropping like a rock. It went from a balmy 48 degrees to 34 in no more than ten minuntes. We pulled into Government Camp at 345pm. I was surprised to see relatively little snow in the village. There have been times when the snow's piled over the roof tops. We pulled into the Collins Lake condos only to find a note on the door indicating that the manager left to run a brief errand. Undaunted, we headed to the Mt Hood brewpub essentailly next door t oenjoy a quick beer. It started to rain pretty hard, although the rain was said to be pure snow up at Timberline. The only problem with that was that we planned to ski Ski Bowl tonight, which is just across the street from our condo and low on the mountain. In other words, rain! We met Anna at the Mt Hood Brewing Company. She was a cute 25 year old server. We WERE the only customers in the place. Naturally, she was very attentive. She made Mindy an ice cream float with their Stout. Mindy couldn't finish her beer, and even took a brief nap by their fireplace - a familiar spot for all of us. :) We headed back to Collins Lake condos at 430pm. Check-in went without a hitch. The kid checking us in said we were the 2nd group to check-in from Columbus, Ohio. The other couple was from Upper Arlington - last name Spence. Our condo was everthing we hoped and even more. What was especailly nice was the private lower-level heated two-car garage affording us the opportunity to pull inside to unload our gear in comfort. The private garage also has a ski work bench complete with racks and tools. Nice! The condo itself is finely appointed wiht everything we'd need - 3 bd rms - 2.5 baths - 3 flat panel TVs - iPod dock, BluRay player, etc. Very nice! The pool and hot tub are located just across the private drive from our condo. It was still raining. We all decided to rest before heading off to ski. Glad we did. All off us did some reading. By 5:30pm the rain changed to heavy snow. I pointed that fact out to both Mindy and Glenn. That's all we needed to see to get motivated for skiing. We geared up and headed just across the street to Ski Bowl West. It was snowing harder than I think I've ever seen. We could hardly see - literally. The lower levels of the mountain were slushy and lacking the amount of snow one would typically want/expect. It was deeper and dryer as we ascended the mountain. We were completely reliant on Glenn guiding us up and down the mountain. We were a little creeped out by the aging double ski lift with no bars and no meaningful side rails. yikes! Not only that, the seats were covered in 2-3" of fresh snow. We essentially had the The ski park all to ourselves. Glenn lead us up two lifts to the top of the mountain - about a mile or two up. We took a green trail down winding through a gorgeous pine forest in an absolute blizzard of heavy wet snow. We looked like snowmen getting off the lift - literally. We had to keep Glenn in check. It was now clear how Mindy & I ended up on a difficult black run on Mt Hood Meadows two years ago. It almost happened again. Glenn said he hadn't skied SkiBowl since 1993. The skiing ws slow and challenging, our skis buried deep in the thick wet snow. Despite the difficult conditions, we had fun. It was a winter wonderland like no other. After a couple of runs, we took a break in the Bier Stube lodge. I was hungry. However, because of the low patronage, the food staff was reportedly done for the day. The bartender saved the day, offering that that they still had chilli and chicken noodle soup available. My stomach barking for food, I opted for the chili. It was goooood! Mindy went with the soup. Glenn and I shared a pitcher of Broken Halo IPA. Mmm, good! We watched Olympic downhill skiing, where the conditiosn looked similar to ours. Lindsey Vonn wrecked into the snow fence in the hard to see conditions. Ouch! Meanwhile, Mindy said she was done - tired, damp and cold. Glenn and I finished our pitcher then headed back out. It was again snowing like the dickens. My gear was wetter than its ever been. We headed up the same two lifts we took initially, all the way back to the top of the mountain. The snow stopped for a while making the trip down a litle faster than earlier, but still a challenge given the depth of fresh stuff easily covering our ski boots. I called Mindy at the mountain's base. She settled our tab then met us outside at the ski rack. We loaded into the Escape and then headed back to the condo. It was closing in on 10pm. Mindy was quick into her PJs. Glenn and I made Jack & Cokes and then watched the DVD, Step-Brothers. I fell asleep mid-way through the movie.