Friday I drove the motorhome with Cedar and Willie over the mountains to a sno-park near Mt. Bachelor ski area. We were part of a checkpoint crew for a 150 mile sled dog race. The mushers had completed 100 miles by the time they got to us and had a mandatory 6 hours rest before they could leave.
When we got to the sno-park, the pavement was bare. After setting up the motorhome, I took a challenging 4 mile sled run with the dogs. The trail had been packed by snowmobiles. Imagine the worst washboard gravel road; then widen each of the bumps by a foot across and down. The sled bounced along, often airborne, over the hilly terrain. Some of the downhill S turns had me hanging on for dear life.
Several of the checkpoint crew showed up by the time we got back. It had also started snowing - Hard. A canopy was sacrificed to the fire sparks to keep us covered and the fire going.
The first team got in about 2 a.m. Over 2' of heavy, wet, snow fell during the 50 mile run between checkpoints. Even with snowmobile support, he had to break trail much of the way. Everyone was suffering severe vertigo from the tunnel vision of driving over a very rough trail, in a blizzard with only the light of a headlamp. The first musher has done all the big races, including the Iditarod 3 times, and said that this was one of his worst nights ever.The other team got in around 6 a.m. His team was bedded down as the first team prepared to hit the trail.
tired dogs
My sled in the morning - who knew one inch wide runners could support over a foot of snow? 
The snow was the consistency of mashed potatoes. The sun came out briefly as dogs and I took another 4 mile ride before packing up to go home. 
Even though I had had no sleep I wanted to get back over the pass before the weather worsened again. Ten inches of new snow was predicted throughout the day. Just in case the mandatory chain requirement was still posted, I wanted to be prepared. I dug the motorhome out of the snow and tried to figure out how to put on the new Les Schawb chains. Some of the guys took pity and tried to help me. After 5 guys and no success, I left the sno-park with fingers crossed that I would not have to put them on while being slush splashed on the side of the mountain highway. Luckily there was a Les Schwab store in a small town on my way to the pass. It only took three guys there to figure them out. At one point the manager came out with a bolt cutter but I nixed that. I stuck behind the sander plow all the way over the pass and slowly made it across chainless.
Even though I had had no sleep I wanted to get back over the pass before the weather worsened again. Ten inches of new snow was predicted throughout the day. Just in case the mandatory chain requirement was still posted, I wanted to be prepared. I dug the motorhome out of the snow and tried to figure out how to put on the new Les Schawb chains. Some of the guys took pity and tried to help me. After 5 guys and no success, I left the sno-park with fingers crossed that I would not have to put them on while being slush splashed on the side of the mountain highway. Luckily there was a Les Schwab store in a small town on my way to the pass. It only took three guys there to figure them out. At one point the manager came out with a bolt cutter but I nixed that. I stuck behind the sander plow all the way over the pass and slowly made it across chainless.The next stop was a beautiful Oregon rain forest camp ground. I let the dogs run and caught a nap. 
Willy in the ferns
