We stopped in Sandy at Otto's XC Ski to rent our skis. After surveying our group, we were told NO SKIING IN THE PARKING LOT. I guess we looked pretty green concerned. Otto's has been kind to us for years.
After getting our gear, we did the traditional stop at Joe's donuts where the boys picked out their favorite pastry and we topped it off with a pint of milk. I was concerned about my health, so I picked one with fruit, the heavenly apple fritter. Joe picked a cream filled chocolat donut, Carson had a frosted cinnamon roll and Jake picked a traditional donut. The last time I was there, the boys had pastries bigger than their heads. This year, not quite as big, but everybit as delicious.
We arrived at White River canyon some 40 minutes later. After getting our warm clothes on (it was a beautiful sunny, cold, windy day) we walked the required 40 feet from the parking lot to put on the skis. It was the first time for the boys to go XC skiing. They seemed to pick it up quickly. I have some pictures of us up the trail a bit.
This first picture is after about a quarter mile and the boys are starting to feel comfortable about the skis. Left to right: Carson, Joe & Jake.
Here is a close up of Joe with Mt. Hood in the back ground.
Here is a close up of Jake. If you zoom in on his glasses, his left lense, you can see a reflection of me taking the picture.
These next several picture are them going up the trail at White River canyon. The snow was very icy, so a bit slicker than desirable.
A picture looking up the canyon towards Mt. Hood. Beautiful scenery.
These last few slides are Carson and Joe navigating a dip in the trail. Can they make it without falling?
The boys said that they had an enjoyable time and would like to do it again some time. Hopefully, we will get to do this next year as well. We made it back, got the skis turned in without skiing on the parking lot, got the car turned in without wearing out the sunroof and got kids back in time for other family activities. It was a pretty fun Saturday.
