Last night as I was working at my desk, I heard an unusual sound in my neighborhood......it was four snowmobiles coming down our lane. My nextdoor neighbor could not get his car up the hill, so he managed to get a ride home with someone who was out riding their snow machines.
That brought back so many memories of the times we had spent in the Blue Mountains near Pendleton, up at Oliver Calhoun's cabin having so much fun with our snow machines. One year we even spent Christmas up there. There's nothing quite like the beauty of the mountains at night when there is freshly fallen snow and a full moon. Breathtaking, is the only way to describe it. (above photo: ready to head back to Oliver's cabin, Stephen sitting on my lap on the front snow machine, with Michael sitting in the sled, Jenni riding with grandma Lindsay, and my dad and Ron bringing up the rear.)
I rummaged through our old slides and found a few photos of those past events, and thought that it might be fun to share them. Stephen was about a year to a year and a half old, so these pictures were taken quite a while ago. I remember that I couldn't find a snowsuit small enough to fit him, so I found some insulated fabric and sewed him one.
Riding a snow machine in the back country of the Blue Mountains, is one of the most enjoyable experiences that I can remember. The above photo was taken in April on a warm spring day. Only Ron, myself and my dad went up to the mountains that day. We rode back to a place called the Bones Springs Lookout Tower, (Forest Sservice lookout) and climbed the tower. You could see across three states; you could see The Seven Devils Mountains in Idaho, we were standing in Oregon, and the opposite direction you could see Mount Rainier in Washington. Throwing a snowmobile around is no small effort, but on a day like that, the rewards of your work were incredible! The above photo is my dad, Derrell Lindsay, enjoying the sun and snack near the Bone Springs Lookout Tower.
As the kids got older, they got to steer the snow machines. Michael thought this was a pretty big deal at the time. He was about 8 years old in this photo, sitting here with Ron.
My dad had a truck which he had built a platform on the bed, that he carried three snowmachines on. Then he had a trailer he pulled with more machines, so he could carry a total of 5 or 6 machines. The snow would get so deep along the side of the road, that there were times it was difficult to find the spot where we started into the back country.
I miss all of those activites, but I'll be able to keep the memories forever. Those were times of family, friends, fun, beauty, exploration and exhilaration! They were unforgettable!
4 comments:
Wow, Mom, I wish I could remember that, it really does look like a lot of fun. I can't believe how young everyone looks in that picture! Especially Grandpa. I was a fat little kid by the way from the looks of it. So how exactly did you get the snowmobile onto that platform on the back of the truck? I miss all those activities we used to do as a family. Not that I can remember that trip, but I do remember some things like the boat trips, camping trips, beach excursions, etc.
Stephen, I'll try to explain how grandpa got those snowmobiles up on the back of the truck. The place where the middle snowmobile sits is a type of ramp that can be set at an angle. Grandpa then backs the truck up to a snow bank, and drives the machines onto the inclined ramp and onto the level platform. Then when all three machine are on the truck, he props up the middle section with wood to support the middle machine.
We've been up at Tollgate when there has been so much snow, that he didn't have to use the ramp at all, but we just drove off a snowbank straight onto the back of the truck.
Those were some fun adventures!
It was great to see those pictures again. We have so many slides that need to be converted digitally. thanks for posting that...I have good memories of snowmobiling too. :)
How fun! I think there are more snowmobiles than cars here in Yellowstone.
Post a Comment