Hawaii Sun and Oregon Snow

We are back from the Big Island. The weather was grand. Water was clear. Fun was had. Now, we're back to windy, rainy, gray times in Oregon. Folks who live on the Big Island are still shaken from the recent earthquakes. And the Mauna Kea Resort has been closed indefinitely because of structural damage. They said that about 400 people are out of work because of the closure.

While we were gone, there have been more Oregon tragedies. At Thanksgiving, the Kim family traveled from California to Seattle. On their way back to California, they drove through Oregon, intending to cross over the coastal mountains in order to stay on the coast. Unfortunately, they chose a bad winter road over the pass, took a wrong turn onto a snowy mountain logging road, and got stuck in deep drifts. The husband took off on foot while the wife and two small children waited in the car. After nine days, the wife and kids were found alive. Unfortunately, the husband died of hypothermia out in the elements.

Now, there are three mountain climbers lost on Mt. Hood and rescuers can't get close because of blizzard conditions. They've been missing for a week. Another mountaineer was stuck in a snow cave on Mt. Hood for 13 days before being rescued, so there is still hope.