Two friends of mine, unknown to each other, came to Oregon during the same weekend. 
They graciously agreed to go for a winter camping trip with me. I tried for the first time my new purchases: Gossamer Mariposa backpack (light and comfy: need to test with more load and longer trails), Big Agnes Q-Core air mattress (a bit too long to blow up), REI Igneo sleeping bag (need to wear down for the snow. Won't work for colder weather), Soto Wind Master stove (the ignitor is fast and micro controller works great), and Fire Maple heat exchange 1.5 litre pot dad bought me from China. I'm quite happy with all.
Friday, 1/30. Sunny. We drove all the way to Crater Lake (only the south entrance is open in winter). Picked up a wilderness camping permit at the visitor center. The ranger was slow, and it took almost 30 minutes. Had lunch on the snow next to the Rim Village Cafe (closed). A bit windy if you want a view. Then we backpacked ~2.5 miles north for a camping site. Sunset on snow is very pretty.
Saturday, 1/31. Sunny with clouds. Watched sunrise at one of our tent site. After a hot breakfast, snowshoed up to Watchman Tower. Great 360° view. But the lake doesn't have the deep blue that it's famous for. Packed out. Saw a group of mentally challenged, one wasn't happy because he was by himself. It's good that these kids have the opportunity to enjoy the scenery and activity. Turns out that the visitor center offers a free guided short snowshoe tour. I almost forgot to return the camping permit.
A 3.5 hour drive to Smith Rock state park. Arrived just before sunset, and checked the camping area. We went ahead and hiked Misery Ridge loop hike. A bit cloudy. The walk back under the moonlight by the creek is very nice. The reflection of the rock walls and the moon was very clear in the water. The camping area is also nice. Cooking is restricted near the bathrooms (has HOT water), effectively made is somewhat festival. The tent area is spacious, flat and dispersed.
Sunday, 2/1 Drove along 97 towards The Dalles, to avoid going over Mt Hood, due to the rain. Took Hwy 84 to Horsetail Falls TH, did Horsetail Falls loop hike with an extention (in and out 1.2 mile one way) to Triple Falls. The extension was closed due to a landslide (about 0.7 miles in), which took a bit of time to go over. Quite a few people ignored the sign. A typical NW hike: rainy, mossy, and scenic. It's about 5 miles. So we managed to get home not too late.
