Portland Recon

Well, I have just had an absolutely wonderful day. First off, I slept in, that was divine. After a totally awesome gourmet breakfat here at the lodge we walked around and learned about the history of the lodge. Built in the 30's by the WPA, every chair, beam, and curtain in here is hand built. The craftsmanship is sturdy, warm, and beautiful. Thousand of workers worked for 90 cents an hour during the depression to build this lodge and you can feel the opportunity that was provided by this structure. If you ever get a chance to stay here, I highly recommend it. After our history lesson mom, dad and I headed over to the race site. Mom went for a snowshoe hike, dad went to scope out a place to photograph the race, and I ran the course. It's a two loop course and very scenic. There isn't much climbing to it, it's all very runable. But the entire course is single track. Passing will be tough. The course meanders through the trees and I guess it's a popular place to build a snow cave. I saw a good 6 people building caves to stay the night. One guy even invited me to come check out his cave. It was pretty sweet, but a little small, clearly built for one!

After a nice soak in the hot tub, and a call to talk strategy with Steve-O, I am curled up next to a huge window watching the snow dump. I'm so excited for tomorrow and can't wait to put in a good effort and make my PC crew proud!

On tap for tonight is a meet and greet for the snowshoers, and dinner reservations at the cascade dining room here at the lodge. Until next time...

I miss you Troy, and Annie! Happy Birthday Chris, party it up for me.