Yesterday Mom and I went to Mt. Hood to celebrate her birthday. She’d never skied Hood and I couldn’t wait to show her what my favorite mountain is all about.
We got up before the sun to pack the car and get on the road. Hood is a bit of a trek from Tri-Cities but certainly worth the drive. We watched a picture perfect northwest sunrise and naturally stopped to take pictures before making our way up the mountain.
Fast forward about an hour… Mom and I are on our third run. I rode behind her since it’s easier than stopping every 50 yards to look up the hill. We approach a flat area so I say something about speeding up to wait for her after the hump. I cruise passed, post up and wait. And wait. And wait some more. Slightly annoyed and slightly worried, I unstrap and push up the hill. What do I spy? Mom in a tree well, skis off and clearly disoriented. My mom blasted a tree (and she’s a good skier!) with her thigh, then her head. I didn’t see her crash, but she swears without my helmet she would’ve been seriously injured if not dead.
Mom said she was ok and insisted on skiing, but looking back on her fall we should’ve just called it a day. Mom took two more nasty spills, which certainly didn’t help her hip or confidence. I rode switch all day, which is like learning to ride again, and with my steezy gear I probably looked like the biggest gaper ever. To top it off, the sun sunk behind the clouds and it started to rain.
We retired for the day and drove to Government Camp for food. Mom also wanted to see the infamous Timberline Lodge, as featured in The Shining. I took a few photos but definitely want to photograph the lodge again in the summer. It’s gorgeous. “Here’s Johnny!”
Mom and I got back to our hotel in Hood River and I instantly passed out. I’m bummed, I really wanted to take a night shot from our deck. Our room overlooked the Columbia River and would’ve made for great photos. Sorry, apparently I wanted 15 hours of sleep instead…
It’s a good thing I rested up because Mom didn’t look or feel so hot this morning. Her hip swelled to the size of a softball and she has a bruise for the record books. It runs from her waist to her knee. Talk about gnarly. Mom felt nauseous, started to sweat, got the chills, then barfed her guts out in the bathroom. Concussion anyone? Welcome to Hood Mom. Please don’t let this deter you from coming back!!
Weather and injuries aside, Mom and I had a great time. We always do. My mom is one of my best travel companions. This is just another journey on our list. Something tells me it will be a more memorable trip, even if she didn’t remember parts of it. Happy birthday mom!
♥ BB
