March 21 - 28, 2004

Well anyway, one of the things I promised myself this year was to get away and ski some different mountains. Scheduling my vacation was difficult because I was taking Spanish at Portland Community College. The only time I could go was during Spring break. So, I decided to schedule a road trip to Reno and ski some of the areas around Lake Tahoe. I stayed at the Atlantis and skied four days. The snow was warm spring crud for the first two days, then winter came back for the last two. I was pretty tired by the end of the trip. I didn't do much gambling still, I managed to lose $200+ for the trip. Too many aching muscles dulls the mind at the blackjack table.

This year I took a slightly different route to Reno. I slept over at the Cascade Ski Club after picking up my skis from Mt. Hood Meadows on Saturday. The next morning I headed south down US 26. After I passed Bend, I saw the sign for Reno and took Oregon 31. At the time, I didn't realize I was headed to Lakeview.

I have lived in Oregon for twenty-one years now, and I still hadn't visited the eastern part of the state. It's described as "high desert country." I didn't know what to expect. My friend Bill had been there on a migratory bird study a few years ago, he told me some interesting things.

After turning onto Oregon 31, it didn't take long to figure out that this is not the road well traveled. In fact, it made me somewhat nervous. If your car breaks down, I think it's probably going to be a long time before help arrives.

While my idea of "high desert" is sand, heat, and altitude, I think that such a designation isn't correct for this part of the state. The area contains large shallow pools of water that birds use during their migration.

The area looks somewhat like central Oregon (from Sisters to Bend) or the Klamath Basin. However, the mountains, lakes, and isolation add something that makes it much more magnificent. It is an isolated but beautiful piece of country.

Copyright June 2004 by Gary Terusaki
Last modified: Sunday, June 27, 2004

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