Last full day of vacation--we got to go horseback riding! Well I didn't, but I know Bell likes to jump. She didn't, but the kids still had fun. Both of them want to do it again.

All think the Olson's need to take a summer trip out there--rafting, horseback riding, mountain climbing, etc., etc., etc. I will come along!

 Oh, yeah...a bee or two was after Luke, so Cindy got them out of his hood!

 Both kids sat real still to see if they could pet a cow. The cows were curious, but I don't think any one was patient enough to get one to nuzzle them.

Chasing the chickens!

Near Pilot Rock.

The Colestin Valley from the base of Pilot Rock.

Mt. Shasta in the distance, with snow on the north face.

When it isn't frozen, you can climb to the top of Pilot Rock.

 Part of the skull collection. That is a pelican on the far, far right. There are several in the ground right now decomposing the flesh (maybe an otter, beaver, fox and I don't remember the fourth). Vanessa also brought home a sea lion and that one is almost clean.

We had an awesome drive home--we stopped and looked at the Rogue River Gorge. WOW!

We were in the house eating popcorn by 6 PM. We did also shop Bend and had lunch in the park.

 

This is Mt. Thielsen! Wow!!  From Wikipedia:

 

Mount Thielsen, or Big Cowhorn, is an extinct shield volcano in the Oregon High Cascades, near Mount Bailey. Because eruptive activity ceased 250,000 years ago, glaciers have heavily eroded the volcano's structure, creating precipitous slopes and a horn-like peak. The spire-like shape of Thielsen attracts lightning strikes and creates fulgurite, an unusual mineral. The prominent horn forms a centerpiece for the Mount Thielsen Wilderness, a reserve for recreational activities such as skiing and hiking.

Thielsen was produced by subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate under the North American Plate.^[4] Volcanism near the Cascades dates back to 55 million years ago (mya), and extends from British Columbia to California. Thielsen is part of the High Cascades, a branch of the main Cascades range that includes Oregonian volcanoes less than 3.5 million years old; it is also a member of a group of extinct volcanoes distinguished by their sharp peaks.

The area surrounding the volcano was originally inhabited by Chinook Native Americans, and was later encountered by Polish settlers. One of the visitors was Jon Hurlburt, an early explorer of the area who named the volcano after the engineer Hans Thielsen. Later explorers discovered nearby Crater Lake. The volcano was not analyzed until 1884, when a team from the United States Geological Survey sampled its fulgurite deposits.

This ended up being 9 miles of visibility. 

  Cinder cone is the tall hill in the back and lava fields in front.

 Mt. Bachelor and the Three Sisters... Bachelor is the big one...pretty sure...

 Lunch in Drake Park in downtown Bend, OR.

We had another great day of skiing! The weather didn't really cooperate with us, but we managed. Having the right clothing is paramount. Our coats would sometimes freeze to the back of the chair lifts on the way up. But we would get hot on the way down. There was kind of a freezing rain at times too.

Here are the pictures of the day.

I had Luke's GoPro running on my helmet when Lilly was helping an adaptive skier get back upright. He said had it been steeper, he could have gotten himself up.

Here is Luke on a jump or two!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some videos from today 2/19/2014.  There were some dogs for dog-sled rides. The owner let us come pet them.

 

 

 

The dogs come to the mountain in this truck and this box did not have a screen, so you could receive kisses!

 

Today we made it skiing!  We had a great time and all our dogs (legs) are barking from being sore!  Cate made us a great dinner and now many are playing games (I have homework)! Or maybe in the hot tub.

Trouble getting photos from Luke, so here is one! I will work on it more later!