SNOW LOVERS COME FOR THE BACKCOUNTRY SOLITUDE, BUT IT'S THE FOOD, FRIENDS AND REVELRY THAT KEEP GENERATIONS OF CENTRAL OREGONIANS COMING BACK TO ELK LAKE YEAR AFTER YEAR.
Unplug and Unwind While Elk Lake is perhaps best known (during winter) as a launching point for backcountry exploration, it’s also a destination in its own right. Cozy cabins, a communal dining area that features a fine dining quality menu and the penetrating stillness of the remote mountain landscape enveloped in winter white is a reason enough for some to make the long journey. For the past several years, Peter Barlow and his wife Mellodee have made an annual Valentine’s Day pilgrimage to Elk Lake Resort from their home in Gresham. For the Barlow’s, Elk Lake Resort is a refuge from the background noise that seems largely inescapable in our hyper-connected world. “No television, no Internet,” quipped Barlow during a recent conversation. “What a darn shame.” Barlow moved to Oregon more than thirty years ago and just a hint
34
of his native Brooklyn accident is still discernible, even over a poor cell phone connection. During the ensuing years, Barlow and his wife have spent countless days in Central Oregon, beginning in the early 1980s when Bend was still mill town with a population barely greater than that of Prineville today. As frequent visitors, the Barlows were well aware of Elk Lake Resort as a summer destination, but they never thought of it as a winter resort. Peter stumbled across the Elk Lake Resort web page several years ago while looking for Valentine’s Day weekend ideas. It seemed an appealing winter alternative. The pair do a bit of snowshoeing around the resort, but mostly they hunker down and embrace the simple joy of a life without distractions, even if just for a few days. “We are both (retired) MRI technologists,” said Barlow. “So we aren’t afraid of technology, but it’s nice to get away from all that stuff.”
b e n d m ag a z i n e . c o m \ WINTER 2017
PHOTOS CLOCK WISE FROM TOP BUDDY M AYS , J ON TAPPER, L ANE PE ARSON, J ON TAPPER
ELK LAKE