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.

Today was a rest day. We had hoped to rent kayaks and go out on the lake. But, as I may have mentioned, it was too cold.

We explored around the lake a bit before heading across the highway to the Elk Lake Trailhead for the Three Sisters Wilderness. We didn’t really plan for anything, but figured there would be some hiking trails.

After filling out the permit (including listing where we’d be for search and rescue purposes), we headed on the path, planning on a loop including part of the Pacific Crest Trail.

There were patches of snow along the trail. As we got higher, the patches grew more frequent, including some blocking the path. They were mostly hard, though some parts you could still crunch through. It’s possible my sandals were not ideal footwear for this particular adventure.

We reached the intersection with the PCT, and the snow blocked the path for as far as we could see. Anne scouted ahead and reported it cleared up, so we tromped through. After a bit further, another patch of snow for as far as we could see. Anne scouted again, out of sight but still seeing no end to the snow. We decided it was time to turn back.

As we hiked, Max played a game we’ve done in various hikes and rides. He acts as game master in a freeform RPG, going between us to advance the sometimes hard to follow story. Last time we were all deer joined by Chitchat, an NPC rabbit the size of a bear. I had led the party to a radish field, and somehow Ruth had transformed into the Queen of Radishes. By the end of the hike Anne and I were in Chitchat’s burrow being attacked by a pack of arctic wolves, and Ruth was frozen on Mars.

We got back in time for lunch at the resort restaurant, followed by an afternoon in the cabin. We played an Exit escape room board game and I taught the kids how to play Crazy Eights.

We explored the lake a bit again before dinner, including some fish heads that had been dumped near the boat launch.

There’s not really any services between here and Bend, so we ordered a double dinner – one to eat now, one to pack for lunch tomorrow. We already bought pastries from the resort office for breakfast.

Tomorrow should be exciting. It’ll be cold again, with rain and possibly snow in the forecast. We should have enough gear, though it might make the long descent less fun.

Today’s ride was moderate in distance and climbing. The challenge came from being the third day in a row, and weather.

As we got started, the temperature was hovering around 40 and overcast. This is colder than we’ve trained in, though I’ve had some experience commuting. We layered up (including Max with his pajamas under his bike clothes) and prepared to go.

We didn’t sort out lunch last night, so we biked across the street to the market. Anne went in and ended up finding some breakfast sandwiches we could stash.

Nearly the entire day was on the Cascade Lakes scenic byway. This cut through the forest with only light traffic. We rode past rivers and lakes, with mountains in the background.

It never really got warmer. It sprinkled a tiny bit from time to time, but not enough to really matter. We put up the green torpedo on the trailer to help keep Max warm. Ruth was jealous.

We had a number of small climbs, with descents to break it up (and get cold).

Lunch was at a pullout, and cold. Since we stopped moving, we put on more layers to try to stay warm. The kids seemed snug, but I was cold.

The sun came out for a while later in the day, which helped. Max got a turn on the tandem, letting Ruth enjoy the green torpedo.

We arrived at the Elk Lake Resort with just enough time to shove everything in the cabin and take quick showers to get to the restaurant before last call. Eating in the room wasn’t appealing, nor was eating outside (have I mentioned it’s cold?). So we ate in the restaurant. It’s the first time any of us has done so in 15 months. We are truly exciting people.

I’m looking forward to our rest day tomorrow. It’ll probably be too cold to do anything on the lake. But just hanging out and giving our bodies a break sounds pretty good.