Tuesday, March 7, 2017

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!


23 comments:

  1. Ha. I've seen bra trees before. It seems like Oregon has its share of shoe trees also.

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  2. Well that looks like great fun and the snow looks lovely.

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  3. Hello Linda, lovely series of images from your ski trip. The views are fabulous. When does the snow stop on these mountain tops? Sorry the bra tree is no more, the beer seems weird mixed with skiing. Thanks for sharing your day on the mountain. Enjoy and have a happy day!

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  4. Very atmospheric photos. Makes me want to go skiing again. Not enough snow here though this year :o(

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  5. Love your skiing adventures. Your images are wonderful and you always look like you're all having fun. Makes me smile.
    Reminded me of the time I was offered beer while waiting in line for the lift.. said it would warm me up. I didn't drink beer back then, but accepted to be polite. Big mistake!

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  6. Looks like fun. And it's so wonderfully scenic!

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  7. There's always a way to beat the system. There are many more ideas than bras in a tree.

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  8. What a way to celebrate the beauty of winter, Linda! Gorgeous photos! :)

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  9. Very fun. The tree's shape just invites that sort of attention!

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  10. LOL at the beer/bra tree - I think every resort has something like that.

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  11. Haha, awesome! I once dared my brother to reach into a big knot on a Redwood tree. Some random tree on a hike. When he pulled his hand back out, it was holding a beer. Are all the knots holding beers? Who put them there? Similar questions could be asked about your bra tree. :)

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  12. What a magical day for skiing. I love the shot of Mt Hood emerging from the cloud.

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  13. LOL! I love the sense of humour for the bra tree, now beer tree.

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  14. Hi! It's nice for you that you can ski as much as you can. Mt. Hood skiing area is very beautiful. I thought you drank that a bottle beer. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. The title of this post and the photos that followed made me smile! Skiers have a good sense of humor!

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  16. This story reminds me of a bar in Key West where there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of bras hanging from the rafters. It's some sort of tradition.

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  17. Beer or bras in trees works for me :)
    Still very jealous of the awesome snow conditions for skiing

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  18. Wonder where all of the bras went to... maybe with the guy who left the beer?? Your shots are lovely and know you were having a great time

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