What to do, what to do...

Man I miss the snow! I’m going crazy trying to find things to do that wont hurt my knee. So far my doctors tell me that I can’t snowboard, surf, run, ride four wheelers, hike and all of the other fun outdoor activities.

One thing I can do is fish. I’ve been trying to go at least once a week. I’m not really getting any better, but at least I’m out of the house. Most of my friends are snowboarders, but they’ll take a day off on occasion to come down to the river and fish with me.

I like fly-fishing the best, but I’ll use a regular pole and bait or a spinner when I feel like taking it easy, or if fly-fishing isn’t a possibility. I feel like I’m more at one with my surroundings when I fly-fish. It’s fun to try new casting techniques such as the roll cast and side cast. I am borrowing a graphite pole right now because my boyfriend sat on my pole and broke it. I am having a bamboo pole refurbished, and I can’t wait to use it.

There are some good spots for fishing if you don’t mind driving a little ways. One of my favorite spots is a few miles up the north fork of the Santiam River and another is a spot to bank fish at McIver Park near Estacada. Panther Creek, by Mt. Hood has some good holes also.

My favorite spot to fly-fish is the Chewaucan River. It has amazing fishing, but don’t forget the bug spray because the mosquitoes are ruthless! I also like the McKenzie River, the surrounding are lush and the fish always seem to be biting.

So, I hate that I can’t snowboard, but at least I can still be outside.

And, no matter what anyone tells you there is no such thing as a good fishing dog!

The Pond Skim

Saturday was Mt. Hood Meadows 4^th Annual Pond Skim. Kona Brewing Company hosted the event. It was a great day minus the high winds that whipped through the event at times. The sun kept threatening to peak out, but then it would cloud over a snow for a few minutes. The smell of BBQ hung in the air from the food in the VIP tents that were closely guarded to make sure that people like my friends and I didn’t sneak in and eat the food!

Many of the contestants went all out with their costumes. There was a guy dressed as King Kamehameha and one dressed as a Kona Brewing beer bottle since there was a Hawaiian theme. One of my favorite costumes was a guy dressed as an 8-foot tall snowman, complete with a blue spike mohawk and a carrot nose. He didn’t make it very far across the pond, and it took about 15 minutes for the Meadows crew to fish him out of the water. He was hands-down the most anticipated rider of the day. Another clever costume was a guy dressed as an Oregon Duck football player with an Apple computer in his hand and the name “Sticky Fingers” across his jersey.

The guys who took the top three prizes were dressed as Borat, Jesus and King Kamehameha, and first prize was a trip for two to Oahu courtesy of All About Hawaii.

With my torn ACL I couldn’t compete this year, but next year you better believe I will try skimming my way to Hawaii!

Oh and here’s the snowman.

Ahhh the mountain

I am starting a snowboarding blog, I know, it's a little late in the season to start, but I love boarding and can talk about it for hours. My blog will include topics such as where to stay on Mt. Hood, what products I like and don't like, how-to tutorials and pictures and videos. I'll also cover events that happen on the mountain such as the Pond Skim at Mt. Hood Meadows. Also, I tore my ACL at the beginning of the season so I will post things to do on and off the mountain when you can't ride. One of my favorite videos to watch is a Burton video at a park they built called the Stash all of the features are made from natural materials, similar to the log in this photo. It is one place I plan on visiting before I become old and crippled and can't ride any more! I encourage people to comment about everything on my blog. If you don't like a product that I do, tell me and tell me why..you might just persuade me to change my mind!