18 degrees Fahrenheit

When I arrived up on Mt. Hood it had been snowing since last night and was windy and about 18 degrees.

Presently it is 16 degrees and starting to get dark. Luckily I rented an all wheel drive vehicle, an SUV with snow tires on so I could make it up here. There were many people stuck along the way putting on chains or just with their wheels slipping. So, It was nice to be prepared for this. Sometimes I worry a little about car rental agencies putting in anti-freeze for these temperatures so we'll see about that because this isn't my car just an SUV all wheel drive rental. But, it handled these roads quite well.

However, we found out only the Bunny run was open and that is only about 700 feet or yards long so it isn't worth skiing on for my daughter and I. However, just being up here is wonderful once again.

My first experience at Timberline Lodge was several years ago now and it snowed about 4 to 5 feet over the 3 or 4 days we were here. That was pretty amazing to watch the snowplows moving 24 hours a day just to keep the roads open for hotel guests because the hotel is at about 6000 feet and often they will get a great deal of snow at one time near or at this altitude. When I look at the weather report they have the temperature wrong because it is already 16 degrees here not 32 as it says on the weather report. All you have to do is to walk outside with gloves, hat and scarf and ski jacket to know when you breathe that this is lower than 20 degrees by the way your lungs feel in these cold temperatures.

I might check the temperature when I get up tomorrow morning to see just how cold it gets here tonight.  (I'd say somewhere between zero and 12 degrees here at 6000 feet.

If you have never been to the Timberline Lodge it is a historical landmark and built during the Great Depression. There are huge fireplaces for everyone to sit around and if you want to you can order a fireplace room to have a private room with it's own fireplace with wood provided.