A Be Oregon Adventure Gone Wrong

"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray"

Dillion Falls is just a couple miles from Bend Oregon on the way to Mt Bachelor, the weather had been pretty nasty for the last couple of days, so we figured there would be a bit of snow, nothing a few Oregon boys couldn't handle :)

Plowing through the snow no more than 500 ft off the main road we run into a small two wheel SUV with California license plates spinning their wheels faster than Patrick with a new idea. After 15 minutes of pushing, pulling, and eventually jumping in the driver seat we finally had them turned around and headed back to town, it was our good deed for the day and what we thought was a sign of the great day to come.

Several miles down the road we finally make our turnoff, only a little further and we reach our destination; beautiful Dillon falls. As we journey towards the falls, the snow is continuing to fall, the road becoming less distinct and, having sudden second thoughts, we decide this might not be the day to trek down a snowy, unmarked road.... So, knuckles clenched, turning white, we slowly try to make our way back to the junction... driving backwards. That's when our lovely adventure day turned into a "get the truck unstuck" day! Not to mention we are in the middle of the woods with the sun setting in just a few hours.

At least this adventurous trio came fully prepared....nope. No shovel, no rope, no chains, Conan wearing jeans and boots, Patrick doesn't even have boots and I forgot my jacket (which is ideal for a cold and snow day). Needless to say, we are less than adequately prepared and the whole ordeal is turning into a little disaster. After numerous failed attempts to get ourselves unstuck, we decide it was time to use a lifeline and phone a friend. We call out for our friend Jim Johnson to come help us out, a man with vast snow knowledge and a really big truck!

In an attempt to salvage the day and while waiting for the rescue crew, we decided to build a fire and take some photos of all our new products. We had blankets, scarves, beanies, growlers, flasks and much more laid out and ready for their close-ups (you can see a sneak peek of the photoshoot at the end of this post).

So we answered the age-old question: What;s worse than getting your truck stuck in the snow? Yep, getting two trucks stuck in the snow. Jim showed up, hooked our trucks together, but it was no match for the depths of the Deschutes snow packed forest, and he found himself just as stuck as us! To make matters even better, the sun is now deciding to retire for the day (I believe it was the second shortest day of the year). yep, somehow we have created the perfect storm, when out of nowhere, a ray of light! A couple in a land rover just happened to be coming back from their day in the snow and offer us some assistance.

After many failed attempts, we finally got Jim's truck unstuck, then began to dig out my truck. At this point we are racing the setting sun. But after some serious digging, some major pulling and one last yank, the truck finds traction and we are driving safe and sound as the sun sets.

As we drive home, darkness engulfing the woods, snow floating down and us following the tail lights and tracks of the two vehicles that spent their whole night rescuing us, we are reminded of the Oregon spirit; a passion for fellow people merged with a love for the outdoors, always ready to help one in need. And that is exactly what it means to BE OREGON!

Do you have an Oregon adventure that went astray? If so, let us know in the comments we would love to hear about it!