Sometimes, it pays to be spontaneous

Cabin fever.
It was a typical foggy, grey winters day in Corvallis.  G and I were both getting a bit of cabin fever around 3 PM, so I said to him "Get your shoes on, we're going for a walk".  It wasn't a request, it was a "we need to do this".  As we're walking out, M asks where we are going, and I tell her "to downtown to walk along the river."  She says that she thought we were going to Marys Peak.
Marys Peak is the highest point in the Coastal Range of Oregon, at about 4000 feet.  The view from the top is extraordinary.  On a clear day, you can see the Cascade Mountain Range from Mt. Rainier near Seattle to as far south as southern Oregon.  It's rare, but it happens.  The problem with Marys Peak is that the road to the top in winter can be tricky to get up, it's not maintained during the winter at all.  Also, a cloud at the top can mean that you are seeing nothing but cloud.  It's always a risk, but when it pays off, it is always worth it.
As we're driving out of the neighborhood, I noted that we could see the Cascades, and mentioned that if Marys Peak is clear, we're going there.  From our far-away view, you could see lots of clouds, and Marys Peak poking out from the top of them, clear as day.  Off we went!
Marys Peak is often extraordinary.  Tonight was phenomenal.  The sun was setting, giving a gorgeous sunset over the Pacific (which is also visible from the top).  It was turning all the Cascade mountains a nice shade of pink and orange.  On top of all that, there was a gorgeous full moon.  We took the path to the top of the hill, and at every turn, it would take your breath away.  This was one magical trip.  We were almost alone at the top, except for a couple of photo-buffs that knew better than to stay down in the valley on a night like this.  There was enough snow at the top for some excellent sledding, and one family was taking full advantage of their good fortune.  We would be doing the same the next day, I was sure of it.
We came off the mountain a little lighter on our feet.  It was difficult to describe the beauty at the top.  Words could not do it justice.  Cabin fever was wiped out.  I took as many pictures as I could, fully knowing that they would not match up to what we could see, feel, and experience.  We got home, I thanked M for her 'suggestion' and said we're going back the next day to go sledding.

Sledding Day
It was another foggy day in town, but I knew better.  Once we got over 1500 - 2000 feet, the sky would clear up and we were in for a real treat.  We took G and S, wore better winter clothing, and brought the sleds with us. Unfortunately, it had been sunny on Marys Peak as well, and a majority of the snow had melted.  But, we found a good shady location that still had plenty of snow and had a blast sledding down the hill.  Another family with 2 boys from Newcastle, England were on the hill with us, and fun was had by all.  We are definitely going to keep Marys Peak in mind when we want to go sledding in the future.  It's a lot closer than going up to the Cascades!  The view today was extraordinary.  You could see Mt. Rainier and all the major mountains in the Cascade Range today.  Another phenomenal day on the hill, definitely not to be missed!