It’s a week long bachelor party!!!

Bend, Oregon February 3^rd-10^th Recap By Curt Johnson

Y Early February, our club, in conjunction with the Ski Kouncil of Illinois (SKI), which also consists of the Peoria, Champaign & Springfield clubs, took over Bend, Oregon for a week of skiing at Mt. Bachelor, sightseeing, relaxing, and socializing. 99 people made the trip, and the entire town, as well as Mt. Bachelor made us feel like we owned the place. 

Y We had our own busses to & from the mountain, we had merchant discounts, we had our own shuttles in the evening, and we had our own Super Bowl party in our fine Riverhouse Hotel. It’s not something you get in big places like Aspen or Vail. They’re great resorts, but a group of 99 people isn’t enough for them to unroll the welcome mat like we had.

Y With 32 people from our club, it’s hard to mention what we all did, but here’s some of the things I recall, I hope I got things right.

Y First, just getting everyone & their luggage from Central IL to Bend & back was an operation. They said it couldn’t be done, but w/ great teamwork, we did it.

Y I thought the skiing was great. Every day was different, warmer early in the week (65 in Bend), and cooler w/ new snow later in the week. Ed E. had someone mistakenly take his skis after lunch, despite the fact that his poles are unlike any others. Let’s just say that the Smithsonian would like them. They were later returned.

Y Other recollections:

Y The High Desert Museum was popular w/ many, including Shirley B., Bill V., Dawn D., and Cynthia K.

Y Connie G., Joanna D., Sandy N. and Diana H. did some snowmobiling, which I wish I had time to do.

Y A bunch of us, me, Steve P., Brad D., Lee T., John W., Sara S., Charlie & Barb L., Ken E., Wanda C., John P., and Ed & Fran E. took the drive on Tue. to Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the U.S. The scenery was extraordinary, w/ tons of snow, the bluest water you’ll ever see, and a sky to match. Tom K. & Roger G. went on Wed – they were a day late & a dollar short – it was foggy that day. (Either that, or they never found it, since I remember Roger & Bill V. had trouble finding Grand Targhee on our Jackson Hole trip.)

Y Gil & Jodi S. did some dog sledding. That sounded fun to me too. And Gil, despite not having skied for years, had no problem on any slope, though he did get bloodied from a mogul spill. It was a minor cut, but it looked good.

Y Joel & Esther H. kept busy skiing, and Sherrill L. really skied, not taking any days off.

Y Ken & Sandy B. were part of a group that hiked up Mount Pilot, er Pilot Butte, for great views. Sandy was also the best player on our team when we played Catchphrase one night. She is now able to distinguish the Osmonds from the Osbournes. Garry & Pam G. also joined in on the action. Ask Garry about his Charo imitation while playing. He may have once been with the Chippendales!

Y A few of us took a tour of the Deschutes Brewery, after sampling a few of their refreshing beers.

Y There was a nice Italian dinner at Ernesto’s just for our club in a building that used to be a church. We had the entire 2nd floor to ourselves.

Y We can’t forget the apres ski/Happy Hour every night at the Riverhouse. Our club was active there too, especially in the little contests. Many from the other clubs participated, which made for a great way to have fun and meet new people.

NEW!! Mt Bachelor Video From Steve Parke on YouTube

See Trip Photos Submitted by Various Club Members