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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Coping with Southern Oregon's changing climate ... Wyden, Merkley vow to reduce student debt ... Talent man faces new sex abuse charges ... Our View: Coping with Southern Oregon's changing climate ... Wyden, Merkley vow to reduce student debt ... Talent man faces new sex abuse charges ... DAY TRIPPIN' There's snow in those hills Comment By Kiva Arne for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Kiva Arne for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Kiva Arne for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM --> You can be a travel writer We’ve started a new reader feature called Day Trippin’. Every Monday, we’ll run a reader-generated ... » Read more X You can be a travel writer We’ve started a new reader feature called Day Trippin’. Every Monday, we’ll run a reader-generated story about a favorite destination or scenic drive that’s within a couple hours of the Rogue Valley. Maybe it’s a quiet picnic spot, a historical site or a backcountry road; whatever the case, email us a 300- to 500-word story about it, plus directions and pictures if you have them, to Mail Tribune features editor Dave Smigelski at [email protected] . » Social News Some winters, being a skier is hard. Fed up with the lack of powder at the ski parks, my boyfriend and I decided to take to the hills to try and find some white stuff. We packed our skis, boots and black Lab into the small Toyota truck and headed up into the hills just west of Talent, hoping we would be able to find some good shreddage. We headed south on Highway 99 from Phoenix to Talent, turned right onto Rapp Road and followed it until it turned into Wagner Creek Road. The road climbs up toward Wagner Butte, turns into gravel, and eventually meets up with the Pacific Crest Trail. It wasn't far past the start of the gravel that our tires found soft, packed powder, and the trees on either side were covered with white glaze. At a saddle high up the road, the trees cleared, and we came across a view of the valley covered in an ocean of fog and wood smoke. We wanted to see how high we could go before we turned and skied down, so we continued until the truck could go no farther. The view, however, continued for miles. Finally reaching the destination — which was determined by the truck's willpower — we stopped, and I geared up, vowing that I would switch and become the driver before we made it to the bottom of the road. It was slow going at first, my skis sliding into the powder without speed, the truck close on my heels. Once I got going, however, I was flying. With the view of a misty Rogue Valley to my left and the sun high in the sky, I careened down a dirt road that had turned into a winter wonderland. I stopped before the view escaped me completely, trying to soak it all in — the snow, the hills, the stillness of the valley. Going again, completely forgetting about switching drivers, the pine trees encompassed me, but the ride wasn't over until the snow gave way to gravel, rocks and broken sticks. Those hills above Talent gave me the best ride of my life. So, if you've got the no-snow blues, throw your snow sticks in the truck, kick it into four-wheel drive and get into those hills. Even if you don't find enough freshies for your french fries, I have to tell ya, you can't beat the view. Kiva Arne lives in Phoenix. By Kiva Arne for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Kiva Arne for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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