Beer in the Bra Tree

My ski bus season got off to a slow start.  The first Thursday of January, the bus was cancelled due to high winds at the resort.  The second week was the day after Portland's huge snowstorm, and crummy road conditions kept all buses in the barn.  The third week, a full load at work forced me to grudgingly stay in town.

By the time the fourth week rolled around, I was more than ready for a midweek ski break!

My "Men in Red" skiing companions

Boy, had I missed my ski bus buddies!  Upon arrival at Mt Hood Meadows, I connected with my good friend and ex-coworker Glen.  Midweek ski days are the only time I get to see him anymore and we instantly picked up where we'd left off last winter.

Hood emerges from the clouds

Glen introduced me to Brian, a new guy on his bus.  Brian fit right in to our little group - he even wore the correct jacket color.  (Yes, I only ski with men who wear red!)

Fantastic view of Hood from Cascade Lift

It was a gorgeous blue-sky morning.  Mt Hood emerged from the early cloud cover, showing off her full snowy glory.  Made for some stunning views from the chairlift.

Our sunny skies did not last

Sadly, after lunch we found conditions had changed dramatically.  Our bluebird skies had vanished, replaced by low, gray clouds. 

It's starting to snow!

 And what's this?  Huge snowflakes began to fly through the air.

Snow-crusted trees

 Well, if you can't have blue skies, some fresh powder would be okay.

Huge flakes began to fall

 My friends and I watched the storm roll in.  The clouds and swirling snow were lovely.

The storm moves in

By now you're probably wondering....why is this post titled "Beer in the Bra Tree?"  Well, a couple of years ago my friends and I discovered a few tattered bras hanging from an old, weathered tree off one of the resort's main runs.  Last year someone (who shall remain nameless) added a few more to the collection.  It became a Thursday tradition to stop by and pay homage to the Bra Tree.

But late last season, all the "decorations" suddenly vanished from it's branches.  (Apparently not everyone shared our sense of humor..... )

Enjoying the beauty

So late that day, as my friends and I made our way down a run, I decided to make our traditional stop at the Bra Tree.  Approaching, I noticed something poking out of the snow on one of it's branches. 

What's in that tree??

Shuffling over to investigate, I realized it was a bottle of beer!  Someone had left their beer chilling in the snow.  And it was nearly full.  I've seen plenty of weird things on my local ski hill, but this was definitely the first time I'd found beer in a tree.

An offering for the Bra Tree

After my friends and I had a good laugh, we left the beer alone (surely whoever placed it there would get thirsty and return!)  It seemed someone had decided the Bra Tree now has other uses.  Maybe next time instead of more bras, we'll find it's branches graced with a round of cold microbrews. 

We certainly hope so!