06
Oct
2019
jloomis

Deer Hunting 2019 near Three Fingered Jack, Oregon

Picture of hunting deer near Three Fingered Jack, Oregon

We didn't get our first choice draw this year and instead drew our second choice, High Cascades. We have never hunted this large unit before which starts with an early season hunt then converts to a general season deer tag if unsuccessful. We took a short overnight trip in September during the early season hunt to scout out an area West of Three Fingered Jack. It looked okay, so we decided to come back at the end of September to hunt the opening week of the general season.

01
Mar
2019
jloomis

Mountain Armor Snowmobile Bumper Review

Product Rating: 
5
Picture of Mountain Armor bumper on 2018 Polaris 800 Pro RMK snowmobile

Features:

From Mountain Armor, "Replace your stock bumper with an all aluminum Mountain Armor bumper. Fits Polaris Axys Pro RMK/Assault snowmobiles with a 155" track. The Mountain Armor bumper helps strengthen the tunnel as well as give you more hand room for when you get stuck in the deep powder. Includes mounting hardware. Some drilling of tunnel required to add additional mounting holes." Available in seven colors (bare aluminum, black, green, orange, red, blue, or white).

Specifications:

Size: Polaris Axys 155
Material: Aluminum
Weight: 5 lbs

23
Feb
2019
jloomis

Snowmobiling to Bonney Meadows

Picture of 2018 Polaris 800 Pro RMK snowmobile on FLM Quicky sled deck

I found a new snowmobiler to ride with, Jon, through a mutual friend. We took advantage of a recent snow storm and met up at Frog Lake Sno Park, just East of Government Camp, Oregon. It wasn't busy when we arrived early in the morning and there was only a single set of tracks out of the Sno Park. It was a beautiful morning and the snow was fantastic. On our way to Bonney Meadows, the tracks quickly disappeared and we were the only ones around.

15
Feb
2019
jloomis

HMK Summit V16 Pack Review

Product Rating: 
5
Picture of HMK Summit V16 Backpack

Features:

The Summit V16 is the largest pack in HMK's line of snowmobile-oriented backpacks. It's big on features and even bigger on durability. The Summit V16 sports individual compartments for a shovel, probe, and hydration bladder. It features a fully adjustable sternum strap and waist belt for added support and comfort, padded shoulder straps, padded shoulder blade and lumbar area, load compression straps, and a rugged scuff and moisture-resistant bottom. Organizing any snowmobile adventure is easy with the HMK Summit V16 pack, with its multitude of internal pickets, soft poly-lined goggle pocket, and dual zippered hip pockets.

25
Jun
2018
jloomis

Camping and Fishing at Juanita Lake, California

Picture of Fishing at Juanita Lake, California

We were lucky enough to coordinate a camping trip with my cousin Ryan and his family at Juanita Lake, California. The campground is located roughly equidistant between my cousin who lives in California and us up in Oregon. Juanita Lake is about 45 minutes South of Klamath Falls, Oregon.

10
Jun
2018
jloomis

Camping at Rock Creek Reservoir (and fishing too!)

Picture of Julian and I fishing in Rock Creek Reservoir, Oregon

I took Friday off (Katie is lucky and has all Friday's off) to have another long weekend to go camping. This trip we towed our travel trailer to Rock Creek Reservoir near Wamic, Oregon. My friend Tyler and his wife Holli joined us Friday night.

28
May
2018
jloomis

Memorial Day 2018 - Camping at LaPine State Park

Picture of Julian and I fishing at Fall River, Oregon

We had booked three nights at LaPine State Park for Memorial Day weekend back in December after we ordered our trailer. Finally Memorial Day is here and some good weather too. The State Park's proximity to Sunriver and the Cascade Lakes Sceneic Byway make it an ideal location to serve as a base camp for outdoor adventures.

30
Apr
2018
jloomis

First camping trip in our new trailer - Fort Stevens State Park, OR

Picture of camping at Fort Stevens State Park, OR

We finally received our new trailer we ordered in December. Our maiden trip was to Fort Stevens State Park during the annual Astoria Seafood and Wine Festival. Normally we have a bunch of friends who join us, but they all bailed this year. Instead Katie's mom my parents and sister from Nevada made the trek to join us for a fun weekend of camping. We took Friday and Monday off to make it a four day weekend.

25
Mar
2018
jloomis

Fresh powder on Mt Saint Helens, a snowmobilers dream

We have received some great Spring snow in the mountains this week. We even had a light dusting at our house Saturday morning. We (Kevin and I) decided to ride Mt Saint Helens on Sunday with our friend Steve we met on Adams a month or so back.

11
Mar
2018
jloomis

Snowmobiling on Mt Adams A.G. Aiken Lava Bed

Picture of snowmobiling on Mt Adams near A.G. Aiken Lava Bed

Kevin and I decided to give Mt Adams a try on Sunday. I wanted to see if we could get up onto the A.G. Aiken Lava Bed on the South side of Mt Adams near the boundary of the Yakima Indian Reservation. The A.G. Aiken Lava Bed is just over one mile East of the popular South climb trailhead at Cold Springs campground. The weather was beautiful with mostly sunny skies and a temperature around 30°F. We unloaded the sleds at SnowKing Sno-Park which is about 6 miles Northeast of Trout Lake, Washington off forest road 82.

04
Mar
2018
jloomis

Snowmobiling from Shellrock Creek - Mt Hood, Oregon

Picture of snowmobiling near High Rock - Mt Hood, Oregon

Kevin and I decided to snowmobile on around Mt Hood on Sunday. Instead of fighting the ski/snowboard traffic off hwy 26 or hwy 35, we chose to unload our snowmobiles from the Upper Clackamas side of the mountain near Shellrock Creek campground. There was already another trailer parked when we arrived, but still plenty of room for us on the side of the road.

19
Feb
2018
jloomis

Snowmobiling near Mt Adams, Washington

Picture of snowmobiling near the berry fields West of Mt Adams, Washington

Winter has come back with a vengeance. I am ecstatic. We had some great snow fall in the mountains over the weekend and my friend Kevin and I took Monday off to go snowmobiling. I awoke to a couple inches of snow at home! It hardly ever snows down this low. It was shaping up to be an awesome day.

We loaded my sled onto Kevin's sled deck and headed East before crossing the Columbia River into Washington. We were headed to Lone Butte SnoPark again on the West side of Mt Adams. When we arrived there was no one else there.

10
Feb
2018
jloomis

Mt St. Helens Snowmobile - Icy and Little Snow

Picture of snowmobiling on Mt Saint Helens, Washington

We haven't received any new snow in the mountains the past two weeks, but it was forecast to be sunny on Saturday. My friends Kevin, Nick, and I planed to snowmobile around Mount Saint Helens and the Plains of Abraham. Mount Saint Helens (famous for its eruption on May 18, 1980) is 50 miles NE of Portland, Oregon in Washington state . Now only 8,363 feet tall, the mountain previously stood at 9,677 feet tall. The Plains of Abraham on the East side of Mount St. Helens is a popular destination for snowmobilers.

26
Jan
2018
jloomis

Lone Butte Sno Park snowmobile adventure near Mt Adams

Picture of snowmobiling near Mt Adams from Lone Butte Sno Park

Winter continues to be disappointing with the ups and downs. One day it snows then the next it rains. The forecast called for lowering snow levels Thursday and Friday, so Kevin and I took Friday off to go snowmobiling near Mt Adams. We chose one to launch from Lone Butte Sno-Park on the Western side of Indian Heaven Wilderness. It sits an elevation of 3,160 feet off Forest Road 30 at it's junction with Forest Road 32.

01
Jan
2018
jloomis

New Years snow camping at Shellrock Creek Campground

Picture of snow camping at Shellrock Creek Campground

Katie and I wanted to take Julian snow camping again this new year like we did last new year. We like to start and finish the year snow camping. It has been an odd winter so far with alternating low and high snow levels, so I went out scouting for a spot Saturday. We wanted to avoid the crowds near snoparks this year. I found about 6-12 inches of snow at one of my favorite upper Clackamas River areas, Shellrock Creek campground. And I was able to drive my truck there so we wouldn't need the snowmobiles this trip.

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