mount hood

Mount Hood Sunset by Sean Haselden

Mount Hood lies east of Portland and it doesn't matter how long you have lived there, you look for it every day and get excited when you see a glimpse on those rainy, cloudy winter days that can be so dreary. It would take me an hour and half to get there by car. In the winter, you have to put chains on the tires if you don't have all-wheel drive and snow tires. That is quite an experience, pulling over to put on chains while the snow falls endlessly. My children loved it from the comfort of the car while I laid down the chains, moved the car into position and put the chains on afterwards. I would have to do the reverse when we came back down. And of course, they couldn't wait to go skiing while their flatlander mother relaxed at Timberline Lodge, built by the WPA during the Great Depression. The lodge is the highest point you can drive to on Mount Hood and they have great skiing there even when no other ski resort on the mountain has snow. Because of the glacier on Mount Hood, you can ski all year round.

I found both of these photos on the Timberline Lodge website. They have a strong community and encourage their clients to share with each other through their website. They can post photos and videos. There are some amazing shots. It's a great example of using Web 2.0 tools as both a community builder and marketing tool. This view is from up the slope and behind the lodge looking south at the Cascade Range.

Early Blue Hour by Janice L