CHRISTMAS TREE HUNTING!!

There is something about snow that turns even the most serious adult into a child.  When it started snowing the first things that come to my mind are sledding, hot cocoa and making family memories.  So, when our friends invited us to go on a Christmas tree hunt, we jumped at the chance.  I mean, what doesn't sound fun about that?!  Now, we have never been on a Christmas tree hunt (confession we are of the sacrelegious group that has a fake tree, though it does come from family traditions of my husband’s military family :) ) so we didn't quite know what to expect.  Good thing we went with some pros!

Priorities first, we stopped for some coffee and hot cocoa at Dutch Bros, to make sure we were warmed up for the drive and then we headed out to Wagner Creek Rd in Talent.  Since it was the first snow of the season we did have to drive out a little.  At the first sight of snow the kids started to basically crawl out the window so when we got to our destination they jumped out and immediately started throwing snowballs.

Once we got everyone bundled up, we broke out the sleds and fun ensued.  There was even some snow fort building and just good old-fashioned butt sliding.  The kids were also really excited to see icicles.

After about an hour of play, it was time for a break so we cooked up some campfire hot dogs and crockpot chili and refilled our hot chocolate.  The adults may have even spiked their cocoa with schnapps ;).

Where we stopped our crew couldn't find any trees to their liking so we packed things up and headed up the road.  Little did we know the adventure was just warming up to become a little more exciting.  We had a caravan of 5 cars and we were bringing up the rear, so when everyone stopped dead in their tracks and we saw our ring leader get of the car, we knew something was up.  The snow had gotten too deep for regular 4-wheel drive cars so we had to turn around.  As we went around a corner we ran into a truck whose 4WD had gone out so we decided to pull over so that Gary could see if he could help.

This turned out to be one of the funnest parts of the trip.  Since we all had to drive around the trapped vehicle the snow was of course a little deeper. So, what do you think happened?  One of our friends got stuck.  Now the whole road was impassible and soon there were five more cars piled up behind the trapped cars.  It sounds like it could be a miserable situation but it really wasn’t.  It just added to the escapade!  Fortunately a bunch of guys in a lifted SUV with a tow line came along and bailed everyone out. 

As we headed back down the mountain everyone was looking for their perfect tree and they finally found them.  We took the opportunity to do a little more sledding and have the climactic snowball fight!

  Notice the flying snowball in the right corner. Gary was soaked after that one!

It was such a great afternoon and we made a lot of great memories.  This is on our permanent Christmas tradition list!  Even if you don't want to look for a Christmas tree the fantastic views are worth a winter drive. 

This year we headed up Hwy 140 right after the Howard Prairie turnoff on the left.  You can find quite a few roads to pull onto and then get to hiking to find that perfect tree!!

If you decide to go look for your own Christmas tree make sure that you have contact the District Office where you are interested in harvesting to check for current availability before you head out for a permit.  They start at $5.

For more Holiday Festivities, Live Music & Theatre, Holiday Bazaars, and Winter Fun head on over to What to do in Southern Oregon here.

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