We used every last bit of the nice weather in September and October, knowing that a REAL winter lay ahead, and for each of us it would be for the first time in years. So, what did we do?

We went camping, of course...

This is Elk Lake, high on the Cascade Lakes Hwy in the shadow of Mt. Bachelor and the South Sister (above).

and here's Mt. Bachelor, free of snow for maybe one month a year...

We went hiking on a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, and found a shallow high mountain lake. So of course, Marcus had to swim...

with Mom and Dad Gillette's trusty mountain dog Tilley, who is a part of many of our stateside adventures.

On Labor Day weekend, we went hiking with the parents, up toward Broken Top, a craggy mountain in between Mt. Bachelor and South Sister.

And Broken Top...

So as you can see, September and the first part of October were busy months for us. Somewhere in there, Marcus started his job as a banker at the La Pine US Bank, just a mile down the road (not pictured, haha). While he was busy getting into a routine, Kerry was doing what Kerry does best: playing! 

The wives club (Kerry and Jane) borrowed kayaks from our neighbors and hit a local lake.

You can tell they were not having any fun, at all.