No bad days: Part 2

Friends, as you know, I'm in Oregon now, and my scientific travel schedule is significantly emptier than normal this year. All the data for my dissertation are collected, so I'm stuck here for a while as I analyze the data and write my thesis. I'm using this period of geographic stability to re-discover and re-connect with Oregon, the state that up until now has been more of a resting place between trips than an actual home. And I'm liking it.

One of my favorite things about Oregon is its geography. The state is arranged in vertical stripes. There's the coast on the western side of the state, flanked by the coastal mountain range, then the valleys, the Cascade Mountains, and the eastern high desert. Compared to other U.S. states, Oregon is also relatively compact - even though I live on the coast, I can drive into the Cascades in under 4 hours. And that is exactly what I did yesterday.

My lab's post-doc, Luciana, and I both like to snowboard, so we packed up my car, left the coast at 5 am, and headed into the mountains. When we got there, we found perfect conditions - packed snow with a layer of fresh powder on top. El NiƱo has given the Pacific Northwest an extra helping of snow this year, and I was glad to take advantage of it.

Check out some pictures from our day in the mountains below:





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