Cruising In Crater Country
9 WINTER 2023 VOL . 04 / ISSUE 02 SNOWGOER . COM
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The group at the summit of Paulina Peak with the
“ snow ghosts ” behind them .
Peggy Spieger , executive director of the Oregon State Snowmobile Association ( OSSA ) who lives in nearby La Pine , coordinated arrangements for our visit with the Visit Central Oregon regional tourism office in Sunriver , a dozen miles south of Bend . Their recommended hotel , the Best Western Newberry Station in La Pine , was an eminently comfortable base of operations , just a short drive from the Newberry trailhead .
Cruising In Crater Country
After two consecutive winters of poor conditions , Oregon was blessed with numerous heavy snowfalls during the winter of our visit . A foot of fresh powder blanketed the region in the week prior to our visit , creating ideal conditions . With sunny skies and afternoon temperatures in the low 40s both days , it couldn ’ t have been any better .
Our hosts were members of the local club , the La Pine Lodgepole Dodgers – groomer operators Rick Bice , Bob Keller , Ivan Katter and several others . The Dodgers maintain 155 miles of trails throughout the area