It’s Brad’s birthday today! To celebrate, we headed back into civilization (Sisters) and rented a cabin at a nice resort for a couple of days. It’s time to relax and recharge, warm up, watch some junk tv, and get things ready for backpacking next week.
Half the week will still be cold and rainy, then will finally turn to sunny and warm. Highway 242 has been closed all winter and is supposed to reopen on Monday. Once we are able to access 242 we can reach the trailheads for the rest of our birthday backpacking plans.
Monday we plan to take a day hike through the lava fields in the rain up to a cave in the rocks. I think it might be magical in the rain! The last time we hiked through the fields it was late summer and crazy hot. There is no shelter from the hot summer sun, so maybe hiking in the rain will be refreshing.
Tuesday, after the morning rain clears, we are heading south into the Sisters for a multi-day backpacking adventure until Friday. We did this a couple of years ago, but this time we’ll go further, into the Obsidian fields. We have a permit that lasts through the week and we really want to get out there while we can.
These cabins are really nice. The bathroom alone is easily twice the size of our bus. The one thing that we miss on the road is baths! Big, immersive, full body, warm, relaxing baths that you can just sink into and soak all of your tensions away.
We took a bath together in the giant waterfall tub. It is kind of ridiculous, this tub. The water pours out in a heavy stream from a spout in the ceiling (vaulted ceiling, no less), and into the bathtub, splashing all over the place in the process. We sat in the tub while it filled up and laughed, squinting, as the water splashed all over our faces and in our eyes. Like I said, ridiculous, but it was so much fun. Then we put on soft robes and watched movies by the fireplace. I feel cleaner than I have been in weeks.
This is the perfect recharge before going back out into the wilderness for a week.