Today’s challenge was snow. And hail. And rain.

We knew the day’s route would be pretty short. 1500 feet of climbing over 12 miles, then a 4000 foot descent. We also knew the weather would make things interesting. It was chilly at the start, and would be colder at the summit. There was also a chance of snow.

With the climbing start, the grownups would generate their own heat. Rain jackets, arm warmers, and waterproof socks would be enough. The kids got layered up in just about every piece of clothing we had with us, including pajamas.

There was scattered light rain from the beginning. As we climbed, it got colder and there got to be more and larger patches of snow at the sides of the road.

And then it started hailing. Small, like table salt, but still hail. It didn’t last long or get larger, but returned from time to time.

Unfortunately, the weather meant we didn’t get the nice views of the mountains we were looking forward to. Though there’s something to the mountain disappearing into the clouds.

We decided to stop for lunch at the summit. We would need to stop to gear up anyways, so it made sense. As we were there, the rain turned to hail and then snow. Real, heavy, snow. It didn’t get to whiteout conditions, but it got quite thick for a time. Today is Max’s birthday, so we called it a birthday miracle.

Anne and I shared a look and burst out laughing. What else could we do? We were at the top of a mountain pass, next to a closed ski resort. In a snowstorm.

Lunch pace quickened, as we were already cold, and it wasn’t going to get better. We suited up ourselves and the kids as best we could. Anne scored some chemical hand warmers from the resort office this morning, so everybody got those in their gloves. The green torpedo actually keeps it’s occupant pretty warm, but we convinced Max to sit on his rain jacket (that he refused to wear), to give some extra insulation than just the mesh seat. Ruth got bonus chemical foot warmers in her shoes. She also put her arm warmers, which didn’t fit over her long-sleeved street shirt, over her gloves and wrists.

Then it was time to descend. The ground was too warm for the snow to stick, but was still wet and potentially slippery. We used the brakes judiciously to manage speed – no overheating concerns today. The snow stuck to my glasses, then melted leaving water drops to still reduce visibility.

As we descended, the snow turned back to rain, and the temperature increased. The sun even came out eventually. Before long, the road was completely dry.

We finished the descent into Bend, cutting through on an extremely bumpy multiuse trail, and checked into the hotel.

While we were walking to forage for supplies, we heard thunder rumbling and it started to drizzle. While we were in a game shop to pick up another Exit game for the next rest day, it started to pour. Soak-yourself-in-minutes pour. Enough that water started running into the store.

I asked the shopkeeper whether he thought this would just be a few minutes or stick around. He thought it might be awhile, and suggested a nearby department store might have umbrellas.

While we considered calling a cab, the rain slowed down. We made a break for the grocery store a few blocks away. By the time we were done, the rain had mostly stopped, and we made the walk back to the hotel.

Tomorrow there’s more thunderstorms in the forecast in the afternoon here, but it looks clearer along the route to Sisters. Though I think we might be due for a plague of frogs.