The day was quite warm, but I still got a nice ski in with my friend, who showed me the trails along the Methow River.

The drive to the Methow Valley from Seattle is half the fun. I love the scenery on the Columbia River, especially in the winter.

Climbing Rendez-Vous at the Methow. Huff and puff, but it is worth it.

It is not a great ski year for the Pacific Northwest. Snowpack is seriously below seasonal averages. Skate skiing this season is mostly a bust in western Oregon. So I thought about past trips, including one I took to the Methow Valley in December 2010, and that turned out to be a great trip because I reconnected with someone who I had not seen in years who showed me the trails. This weekend, the Methow Valley is predicting warmish weather for their annual Tour of the Methow, a great race with many distances, including 80 km.! This is a lovely place, and I always tell my good friends who have not been there, try and go once during ski season.