Schweitzer is one of my favorite Pacific Northwest ski resorts. It has plenty of long, gladed ski runs. It is close to town. In fact, it was only 24 minutes from my hotel! The town of Sandpoint has a lot of interesting early 20th century architecture, and plenty of unique small businesses including art galleries, eateries, bars, and sporting goods stores. It sits along enormous Lake Pend Oreille, which boasts summer activities. I’ve been there five times, but not in the past 10 years. The summit is 6,400 feet and the base is 4,000 feet, so there is plenty of vertical. I love the gladed tree skiing. Schweitzer is a very family friendly ski resort. I always see lots of kids learning how to ski.
My hotel even had its own ski tuning bench! I took full advantage!
The resort makes an effort to give guests a true outdoor experience. They have fire pits at the base, and at the Outback Lodge by the Stella high speed six-pack lift.
All in all, I like to return to Sandpoint / Schweitzer. I find the area more relaxed and a lot more economical than other large ski areas! It’s about one hour’s drive from Spokane. Check it out.
I just spent a few days at Oregon’s best dry powder ski area – Anthony Lakes, right outside La Grande. It’s a low-key family oriented ski resort with prices from yesteryear. On Thursday January 12th, it was their 60th anniversary and lift passes were $2! On other days, however, the regular price for a day pass is $50. Which is still a bargain by today’s standards. I stayed in La Grande with my friend Lisa and her husband Mike. They even put fresh flowers in my room!
Thursday was a few inches fresh snow.
Anthony Lakes has a base elevation of 7,100 ft, so it gets snow when many other resorts in the region get rain. Families set up elaborate tail gate parties in the parking lot. Friday was some kind of Kid’s Learning Day. I really enjoyed watching the kids learning.
My friend Lisa is such a super host and great to ski with! I’m looking forward to visiting again sometime this season.
Today the sun rose unveiling a day our local guides would call a true gem! Just a few days ago we started in a maelstrom with no break in the forecast. But lucky for us the weather forecast turned out to be 100% wrong. We had a series of sunny and very calm days. Perfect for a lifetime memory – a hike out on the Trotternish Peninsula amongst the Quirang.
We parked close to the sea and headed inland, up past sheep and small lakes up to the famous rock formations. Opening the images in this gallery will reveal an unlimited sea view – all calm!
This trail was a moderate challenge with some sections where careful footing was required. And a couple of over-the-fence scrambles. Our guides Tania and Susie kept saying typically there is brooding mist coming and going amongst the crags, and the view never ever this clear. Cathy Ann said last time she was here it was typically Scottish Coast moist and windy.
If this area seems recognizable, it might be you’ve seen it in films! This scene was used for Stardust, Snow White and the Huntsman, 47 Ronin, MacBeth, The BFG, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Transformers: Last Night, The Land that Time Forgot, Year of the Comet, and more!
It certainly was, on a day like ours, a memorable spot for a lunch break!
Once done with the hike, we were taken to a spot on the beach, where we all took a little dip into the North Atlantic. Some more than others! Most simply went in up to their ankles. This area is also known for a few dinosaur fossils. One very big footprint comes into view as you walk a stony surface near the shore. I was definitely taken aback by its size and shape! It really sticks out once you realize what it is! Those creatures were HUGE!
Another great weather day dawns! Looking out my cathedral window at the Uig Hotel, the sea is flat and calm. The sun is peeking through the clouds. I dress knowing we’re undertaking a mostly up-up-uphill hike to a lunch spot overlooking the sea. Which means shorts and a long-sleeved UV protecting shirt. After another sumptuous breakfast, highlighted by smoked salmon and cream cheese, I pick up my lunch and join the group for our drive to the trailhead.
We’re parked at Culnamean right on the beach, at the head of Loch Brittle. There are many other cars here parked for a hike, plus lots of caravans camping overnight at its Glen Brittle campsite. This seems to be a destination campground. I can see license plates from many EU countries. Our goal this day is a ledge just underneath 3,234ft Sgurr Dearg. Just behind us is a lagan, pretty well known, called Coire Lagan. From up there, on a day like this, the views are unlimited!
We were so lucky with the weather! Many others said to us that it’s truly rare to have this calm, sunny day! I was feeling pretty taxed after a while and decided I’d take my lunch below the final spot. I was perfectly happy there, with the view. The others scrambled up some rocks to the top where they had their lunch. I was joined by a German couple equally happy to lunch where I was.
Not too long after, my group came scrambling back down.
The rugged landscapes of mountains, dramatic rock formations, and of course the views of the Hebrides made for a truly memorable and satisfying experience. We were due for another hike on Northern Skye the following day.
The hotel has a magical view of the Outer Hebrides – and the ferry swings in from there.
We took a half day’s drive from Glencoe, over the Isle of Skye Bridge, and then up to Uig. It’s a spectacularly picturesque village clustered on a postcard perfect harbor. Our fabulous weather just kept on coming! To die for views. And the hotel? It is superbly over the top cute, cozy, everything one could hope for on a stay on Isle of Skye! There is even a Fairy Glen not far away. And then we arrived at the Uig Hotel.
My room is on the upper right! Perfect!
If anything can match, or even enhance the scene, it would have to be the Uig Hotel! Inside and out, the view, the location, the proximity to real movie scene hikes, its delectable restaurant, and its cozy single-malt whiskey stocked bar, it all just oozes authentic Scottish experience! The original building was a coaching inn built in 1831. There are newer rooms in a building out back. I totally lucked out that I got a seaside view room with a cathedral window!
Settled in, I chose to grab a pint of stout from the bar and wander the grounds. The lighting, the view of the harbor and bay beyond, are pretty much over the top intoxicating beyond the brew I had in my grasp.
On this evening, it was the wedding anniversary of two of my fellow trekkers, Cassie and Taylor Graham! FYI Cassie is the niece of Don Martin, of my Annapurna Sanctuary Trek in Nepal trip! Halfway through happy hour, we met up outside their room for a toast! I brought along my Scotland flag from home, which I proudly fly from my home. I have a LOT of Scottish heritage!
And then? It’s time for supper! Over there, a “dinner” would be mid-day. Supper is the evening meal. Once again, we were at liberty to order anything on the menu. No restrictions! I LOVE seafood, and on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, that is plentiful. So, I ordered baked salmon for the main course. But WHOA wait a minute. The starters! One cannot allow oneself to neglect an opportunity indulge! I noticed one of my absolute rarely indulged favorites, steamed mussels in white wine sauce with lemon! And I was not disappointed. What came to my place set was huge! So delish it was, that I ordered it again the next night.
Cathy Ann and our local guides Tonia and Susie announced our hiking plans for tomorrow. We’d head south, to the Black Cuillens, to a place named Culnamean, which is at sea level. We’d hike straight up to a spectacular lunch spot Coire Lagan, under Sgurr Dearg, the highest point on Isle of Skye. If we were lucky, we’d have completely unlimited views from there!
With that, in my typical fashion, I bid everyone good night! Each night I needed ‘me time’ to write up the experiences of the day!
View from the Glencoe Visitor’s Center. Improving weather!
We were staying two nights at the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe. Since I was still mending from my summer-long bout with shingles and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, I decided I’d take a rest day. The group decided to hike the Pap of Glencoe, a relatively short but steep climb to a breathtaking view of the lochs and mountains nearby. A quick read on information about the area revealed that there is a Glencoe Visitor Center down the Glen. I could learn some of the area’s history, take an hour’s hike, and then catch a taxi back to the hotel. There, I could catch up on my journal, read my novel, and maybe hang out on the picnic tables outside and meet fellow travelers. As it turned out, it went by so fast I was really surprised, and enjoyed it immeasurably.
After another hearty breakfast, we piled into our vans with our local guides Tania and Susie, and headed down the Glen Coe. As the road winds, iconic green mountain vistas open up, many with waterfalls cascading down their slopes.
This was where I learned how popular Scotland is with hikers and international tourists! At pull-outs with views, many vehicles. Later in the day, with my taxi return, it was just packed! And why not. It’s very beautiful. And, of course, it has been captured in many films and is rich with history.
The Three Sisters of Glencoe
We stopped at a pull-out in front of the Three Sisters of Glencoe. Somewhere in this valley, a dreadful event occurred. The Massacre of Glencoe. In 1692, the newly crowned Protestant King William III of England was anxious to secure the loyalty of all Scots once and for all. He issued a decree in which he required all Scottish clans sign loyalty to him, or face punishment. Allies of William, Clan Campbell quickly signed. But local Clan MacDonald had not. Clan Campbell was sent up the Glen to speak with the MacDonalds about the issue. Although they were not friendly to one another, the MacDonalds played host to their visitors. The Scottish government had offered to pay 12,000 pounds to the Scottish clans to sign the oath. But many clans, as in typical fashion, disagreed on how to divide the sum amongst themselves, delaying signing. This delay led to William’s impatience, and an example was made to demonstrate the consequences of a lack of signing. The story goes that the MacDonald chief was on his way, but delayed. William III delivered an edict to liquidate the MacDonalds. The Campbells got that instruction and massacred 30 MacDonalds in the Glen.
I was dropped off at the Visitor Center and bid my comrades a good hike and that I’d look forward to their stories later in the day. I checked out the information to be learned, including a film on the region. There is a nice forested garden out back with a view up the valley. It has a house built exactly as they were hundreds of years ago, which visitors can check out. I paused for a bit to enjoy the sun’s warmth and take in the view.
Next, I hiked the longest of several available trails within the Visitor Center property. It was pleasant, if a bit muddy from recent stormy weather. It only took about an hour to complete. Then I waited for a taxi which I’d arranged prior to my arrival. He arrived right on time, and just like that I was on my way back to the Kingshouse Hotel.
After lunch, I went outside and picked out a spot at the picnic tables, one which had a shady roof. It was getting nice and sunny! I went into the nearby pub and got myself a coffee. I didn’t get much of my journal written, as not before long, two Swiss hikers showed up and we spent the next two hours visiting. The Kingshouse is a multi-functional institution. While it has 4-star rooms and some top notch table service cuisine and a bar with over one hundred Scottish single malt whiskies plus local gins to try, it is also a genuine hiker backpacker shelter/lodge with complete facilities for them as well. Camping is allowed on the grounds. There is a large heated room to dry out tents, boots, and camping gear. It has a budget bunk house. Well, my new Swiss friends were in a pickle, because something was delayed with their bunk house accommodation. However, their luck turned golden whilst we chatted. Something was wrong with the bunk house. And so the Kingshouse Hotel gave them one of the 4-star rooms instead! They had just hit the jackpot.
Meanwhile, my trekking comrades had hiked up the Pap of Glencoe. They surely got the view promised! The evening cocktail hour and dinner was full of tales of their adventure that day.
Cabin Fever Chronicles - Getting Outdoors with Rod 