Grace Gets Hitched! (cont.)

On Friday, we started with a big breakfast at the cabin: cheesey slow-cooked eggs, a pound of bacon, and big cups of hot coffee. Sooo good!

After breakfast, hubs, Clay, and I decided to take a walk around Trillium Lake. It was so, so beautiful. The last time I was there, a cloud hovered over the top of Mt. Hood. On this day, though, it was clear as a bell. We walked all around the lake trail and decided that camping there is on our "to-do" list for our next trip. I think kayaks might be in order, as well.

By this time, Ski Bowl had opened. We were dying to try the Alpine Slide. We pulled in, bought our tickets, and headed out. The way it works is this: you ride the ski lift AAAALLLL the way up the mountain. This part is super-fun in itself. You have great views from your little dangling chair. Then, at the top, they give you a toboggan and send you on your way. The ride is about a half a mile, and you can go really fast if you get a good toboggan and forget about the brake! We rode it four or five times, with everyone trying to beat everyone else to the bottom, before deciding we needed a quick lunch and a nap before the rehearsal dinner that night.

For some grub, we headed to the Zig Zag Inn. We couldn't resist their macaroni and cheese with bacon, and boy was it good! They serve it in a gratin dish, and the cheese is light (maybe Parmesan or Fontina?). There's tons of bacon on it, and you can get a fruit cup on the side if you are feeling virtuous. (Which we were.) After that, we headed home for a quick rest.

Grace's rehearsal dinner was held at The Resort on the Mountain, and it was lovely! There was a great, fun crowd, and we had a beautiful space in the Foliage Room. (You could see a very green ravine, with a waterfall at one end, out of the large picture windows.) And the food was scrumptious: soup, then a menu of favorites to choose from, then ice cream! Afterwards, some of the party went out to the Skyway Bar and Grill for drinks. Though I LOVE their macaroni and cheese and barbecue, we were completely full as well as pooped! It was off to bed for us.

The next day was Grace's wedding!! That morning, I took Dad, hubs, Clay, and Caleb for a late breakfast at the Barlow Trail Roadhouse. They say this place is historic, and it looks it. The walls are composed of giant logs, and the food inside is equally BIG. I chose the two-egg breakfast with country potatoes and sausage. (So did dad.) Clay got pancakes and sausage, and Caleb chose french toast. Hubs had eggs, biscuits, and gravy. For all five of us, the bill was around $40, and it was a TON of food! (Which was good, because it had to last us until 3 p.m., when the reception started.)

After we ate, we headed back to the cabin to start showering and otherwise getting ready. Then, we set our sights on Timberline Lodge. The lodge, built as part of the Works Progress Administration (as an arts project), is a lovely building. Expansive, it's full of hand-woven textiles, hand made furniture, and beautifully crafted hardware.

Grace and Ryan got married on the back patio, with majestic Mt. Hood behind them. Grace's friends played parts in the ceremony, reading poems, singing songs, taking photos, and otherwise making it a special day that I'm sure she'll never forget.

I cried like a baby.

Once the ceremony was complete, we gathered in a windowed upper room at the lodge for the reception. We feasted on salmon, fresh corn, green salad, and biscuits drenched in honey and butter as we admired the amazing views. As I sipped my Oregon wine, I thought to myself that such a room was made for eating salmon. It was just perfect.

After toasts, cake, and the dubke, the Bradshaw clan begged off a little early so Clay could play in the snow on Mt. Hood. We went on a short hike up the mountain, and we found ourselves slipping and sliding and feeling like real explorers! Since Clay hadn't eaten much of his fish at the reception, we capped off our visit with a PB&J and a hot cocoa at the Lodge's restaurant.

After that, it was packing, bed, and the return flights home the next morning! What a magical trip, and a magical day for our family. I will remember it always!