I talk to myself all the time but take solace in the fact many do the same. It started freaking me out when I heard “Let me out of here man” while recently climbing Mount Hood. Let me start at the beginning of this story so you understand I am not fresh out of the asylum.

Seven years ago my lady and I gnome napped for the first time from an abandoned home. Enjoying the adventure we began ‘gnoming’ friends and clients by leaving, instead of taking, these lucky little guys. For the last three years she has been telling me to take Mookie the gnome on a summit trip. The reason it took me so long is the thing weighed ten pounds. So after years of this looming over my head I decided to make it happen while enjoying all the cool places between Portland and Mount Hood.

The adventure began at 9.30pm at one of my favorite restaurants and Portland icon, Le Bistro Montage Dinner consisted of their world famous green basil pesto mac and the best mojito in town to wash it down. The staff from Steve the bartender to Josh the owner, are all wonderful but take no bull from customers with the creed “the customer is not always right.” It must be because Montage is the late night place to go whether on the way to climb a mountain or stumbling out of a club with a new friend as they are open with a full menu till 4am on weekends.

With our bellies full we got on the road and as we were passing through Sandy around 11pm I could smell donuts in the air and sure enough there was a warm glow coming from Joe’s Donuts. The sign said closed but we decided to knock and as luck would have the proprietors, Sherry and her daughter Stephanie opened the door. I explained why we were bothering her and she was super kind while inviting us in to give us one of the best maple bars I have ever tasted. Joe’s has been around ever since I was a kid and a pit stop for true Oregon locals on the way up to the mountain.

On the road again we were coming through Government Camp and realized we were running early for our climb; so we decided to stop at the infamous Charlie’s Bar. Charlie’s has been a staple for the party crowd on Mount Hood since 1977. We were greeted with a smiling face by Mel the bartender while pouring us a pint of Ice Axe Ale from Mount Hood Brewery. Mel even smiled for a photo with the gnome before we got on the road to Timberline.

Mookie the gnome and I signed in at Timberline to obtain our Forestry Service permit to climb around 12.45am. The late hour along with all this food and drink started to make us a little sleepy before our climb and gave me second thoughts of continuing the adventure. Falling asleep in the parking lot started to seem like a better option than climbing until…

And, there you have it! Asit has completed his Foodie Stuff, Attractions and Your Choice categories. Stay tuned for the rest of his challenge!

The gear is ready, the car is packed, and the family is excited to hit the slopes of Mount Hood to fulfill all their riding dreams.  You call the snow phone half way up to the mountain just to see how much powder you will be enjoying and in the most cheerful voice you hear “It is 32 degrees and snowing at the top and slightly misting at the bottom.” The smile turns into a clenched jaw and the Bob Marley playing on your stereo no longer sounds so ire.  What do you do?

Last holiday season we had two cars filled with family in a similar situation.  Turning around and taking a nap seemed to be the best solution but the look of disappointment on the young ones of the bunch stopped this from happening.  I decided to shift gears and rent cross-country gear and go out on a trail.  My lady being the brains of our dynamic duo suggested we rent snowshoes as she explained it is much easier to walk rather than balancing on cross-country skis.

The trails we could do started through my head: Trillium Lake, The Snowshoe Trail, Tea Cup Lake, Sahalie Falls Loop and my childhood favorite Ski Bowl West/Multorpor Lodge. We chose my old favorite for the simple reason that at the half way point, Multorpor Lodge, we could warm up and enjoy hot chocolate, cinnamon rolls, and french fries.

We stopped at Mountain Tracks, in Government Camp, and with the assistance of a great staff were on our way with snowshoes, boots, gators and poles.  The laughs started the moment we got on the snow and I pushed my lady over for making fun of my love of boy bands.  A few miles of snowshoeing, many hot chocolates and an endless memory of laughs later, we were singing Backstreet Boy songs on our way to a family dinner in Molalla.  The fact that all we could do over dinner was tell stories from our day and laugh made me realize that 32 degrees and snowing really is pretty fantastic.

SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY
Leave your Blackberry or iPhone at home and head to one of Oregon’s many resorts and lodges for a weekend of priceless family bonding. Which resort would you like to visit?

Wallowa Lake Lodge
This winter take the family to northeast Oregon’s Wallowa Lake Lodge, at the south end of beautiful Wallowa Lake. Stay in the 1920s lodge or rent an entire cabin to yourselves. Either way, get ready for some snowy fun adventures in an area known as Oregon’s Alps. >>more

Out ‘n’ About Treesort
Spend your nights as Swiss Family Robinson in one of 14 family-friendly tree houses, and enjoy hiking, horseback riding and swimming while on the ground. >>more

Timberline Lodge
Stay the night at this historic WPA-era lodge located at 6,000 feet on Mt. Hood. Sign the kids up for a ski or snowboard lesson (lifts are literally right outside the rooms) then soak in the heated outdoor pool before dinner in the historic lodge. >>more

Salishan Spa & Golf Resort
Located near Siletz Bay at the central Oregon coast, Salishan has a stunning spa that features an open-air pebble-lined spa pool and Brazilian walnut plank floors—a great spot to take older children. When you’re not relaxing at the spa, you can swing a club at their championship course, or take a walk on a nearby sandy beach. >>more

Sunriver Resort
Just south of Bend in Central Oregon, Sunriver Resort is a huge playground for the whole family. Rent a luxury house or condo or reserve a room in the beautiful lodge. Take the kids ice skating at the outdoor mall, or drive the short distance to Mt. Bachelor Ski Area for a day on the slopes. Then come back when the snow thaws for the resort’s three, 18-hole championship golf courses. >>more

Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard
This is a great spot for families with older kids (as, in over 21) as this nine-suite, luxury inn sits in the heart of Yamhill Valley wine country, close to well-known wineries including Erath, Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene and dozens of others. >>more

Diamond Lake Resort
Winter recreation at Southern Oregon’s Diamond Lake Resort brings a snowy playground perfect for snowmobiling, snow cat skiing, cross-country skiing—there’s even a tubing hill with an uphill tow. The resort has 91 guest lodging facilities, a café, and a snow-cat pizza shuttle, which zooms guests to the nearby (3 miles) South Shore Pizza Parlor. >>more

Redrum. Redrum. Redrum! If you still haven’t figured out what to do on Halloween, our friends at Timberline Lodge want you to spend a bone chilling evening celbrating The Shining with them!

In 1980, Stanley Kubrick came to the Timberline Lodge to film one of the all-time great horror classics, The Shining. In the film, Jack Nicholson slowly loses his grasp on reality and loses himself in a hallucination of a 1920s era ball.

Head on over to Timberline for a Halloween evening of dinner, live music, drinking (not sure if “redrum” is on the menu however) and a midnight screening of this timeless classic. For more details and packages check out The Shining Party.

And if you’re looking for even more Halloween options, check out our Harvest & Halloween section.

~ Happy Friday!