hot springs on a cold day

Hello everyone!

I had a really great weekend. I stayed in Friday night watching Netflix & reading my book. I also watched a really disturbing PBS special on meth, a huge problem in Oregon.

Saturday morning I was up early and over at Gina’s house. We drove up the Gorge and crossed over the Bridge of the Gods to the Washington side. We drove north 15 miles only to find increasing amounts of snow. The hike we had intended to do turned out to be unhikable. The road was closed due to snow. The guide book indicated it was open April-November. I’m normally very good about checking these sorts of things but I didn’t think about it with the trail being so close to the Columbia River. We went to another trailhead just a few miles away (one that’s supposed to be open all year). It was also full of snow. We even saw someone cross country skiing down the trail. Brrrrr! On to Plan B. We went to the town of Carson and went to the mineral hot springs. For $15 you get a 25 minute soak followed by a wrap. It’s a bare bones operation here. There is a women’s and a men’s bathhouse, each with lots of big clawfoot tubs and privacy screens. Gina and I got tubs next to each other. The water was wonderfully hot and makes your skin feel so soft. After our soak we walked into the other room where the bath attendant wraps you up and you relax for another 20 minutes or so. It was heavenly.
After quick showers we got dressed and left.

Back in the car we headed back to the river. A short drive west and we were at another trailhead (part of the Pacific Crest Trail) with no snow around. It was quite windy and cold though but it was fine when we were hiking. The trail was one of the less scenic ones I’ve been on, crossing through several clearcuts. Ugh! Our goal though was worth the ugliness along the way. Gillette Lake is an amazing teal color. It would be a great place to hike into during summer for lunch and some swimming. Gina & I walked by the edge of the lake and tried to eat but we got cold pretty quickly when we weren’t moving. We hiked back out and cranked the heat in the car. It was 5 miles round trip. Before taking the bridge back to Oregon we stopped at Bonneville Hot Springs a few miles up the road. This is a full resort and spa, quite different from Carson’s rustic accommodations. We are going there later this week to celebrate Camille’s birthday so we wanted to pick up brochures about what they offer. Mineral hot springs twice in one week! I am spoiled!

Back in Portland I got my pictures off my camera and Gina started cooking up some spaghetti. We both really wanted hot food after our cold hike. We ate then headed out to the Expo Center where we would see our first roller derby ever. Kyle is a volunteer for one of the teams so he got us on the VIP list, free entry and free beer. The whole thing was quite the spectacle. The roller girls go all out in their outfits and makeup. This was an exhibition match between the Rose City Rollers of Portland and the Rat City Rollers of Seattle. There were 4 teams for each city and the bouts were about 20 minutes long. It looked pretty rough. Those wipe outs have got to hurt! After two bouts Gina and I had been there for almost two hours and while it was fun (and funny) we were sort of on sensory overload after out long day (and we knew it wasn’t over yet). We left the Expo Center, running through the cold and windy parking lot back to my car. Back at Gina’s house Jimmy and Andrea were in town from Trout Lake and were playing games with Dave & Elaine. I joined in for a few rounds of Liar’s Dice before we all rallied to head out to a birthday party. My friend Matt (also Jimmy’s younger brother) was turning 30 and invited us over. We showed up and drank a few beers and watched the guys play some ping pong related game before deciding to go home. What a long day! I slept like a champ!

Sunday I took it easy after my crazy long Saturday. I slept in then finished my book with my coffee in my cozy bed. I showered then headed over to Elaine & Gina’s house where I went through some more of my photos. The guys got back from frisbee golf (Andrea & Elaine had left after the first round. COLD!). Elaine cooked up some Spanish rice and quesadillas for lunch which were delicious with the fresh pico de gallo from the other night. Jimmy, Andrea, Dave, Elaine & I played a round of Shanghai Rummy which was really fun. I then went home were I read my book and listened to music. In the evening I went out to sushi with Gina at Ichidai. The salmon toro is the best thing ever, it melts in your mouth like butter! It was delicious and great treat on a Sunday night (thanks Gina!!!). I went home and read and listened to more music before going to sleep.

So that was my weekend. Please let me know how you are and what you’ve been doing!

xoxo,
carolyn