The Winter Trek Toward Home

In my last post I shared about a few days we spent with our son and his family at a wonderful vacation house in Central Oregon.  When we all said our goodbyes and exchanged hugs we headed different directions to get back to our homes.  My sweetheart and I took the northernmost route home over Mount Hood, my favorite mountain in the Cascade Mountain range of Oregon.  The roads were clear when we started our trip home. We traveled down a steep grade to the bottom of the gorge where we passed through a Native American reservation.

Not long after we passed through that little town we drove up another steep grade on the other side of the gorge and drove on a flat plateau for awhile. It always seems as if we're on top of the world here. The sky seems so big!

We began to notice more snow along the side of the road and we were pretty sure there would be quite a bit of snow on the mountain pass ahead.

It wasn't long and the terrain changed.  We were in forest land - and beginning to climb to higher elevations.  The world around us was beautiful. Snow-covered trees stood in the shade on side of the highway while trees on the opposite side stood tall and green in the sun.

The scene kept changing as we continued to climb the mountain pass. We were definitely in a winter wonderland!

It wasn't long before we came to a line of trucks and cars alongside the road. A highway sign let us know that tire chains or traction devices were required for the road ahead.

My sweetheart is a very good driver in snow and ice. He knows how to handle the vehicle - and he's not a fan of putting chains on the tires of our car. But, when it's required, he complies. I felt bad because he wasn't feeling well and there was nothing I could do to help.

While my sweetheart worked to get the chains on our car I walked my little dog. He's not a big fan of snow - especially when it comes up to his tummy! Across the highway from the chain-up area where we stopped was an area for cars and trucks that had come over the top of the pass to take off their chains. I noticed a family across from us. The father had already taken the chains of of their car and he patiently waited while the kids finished making a snowman beside the road!

Soon we were on our way again. Slowly we made our way up the mountain pass. The road was packed with snow that had frozen. My sweetheart taught me long ago that it's wise to drive slowly when chains are on the tires. And that's exactly what we did!

We got to the top of the mountain pass safely and began our descent down the other side. It wasn't long before the pavement was bare. Chains were no longer needed.  The sun was setting as we drove down the mountain and into the valley below.  Our time away with our family was wonderful and our winter trek toward home had been beautiful but we were very  glad to get home again. No matter where we go - there's just no place like home!