Posts Tagged Bend
Posted on September 9, 2009 by angela
We had every intention of heading further, but with the holiday weekend and our realization that we were completely exhausted, we headed back into Bend and got a motel with a heated pool. Bode now insists that all pools must be heated.
I acquired a coupon for beer (!) at the Silver Moon Brewery, so we added that to our attractions list. Beer, college football, and a happy kid eating his veggies. Bode practiced his magic tricks and got a full explanation of disco balls. When our Betty Page waitress transitioned the house CD from Wilco to Pavement, I knew there was a very good chance we’d be there for a while. Jason later referred to this as ‘subtle genius.’
It was a very slow day and everyone was happy about it. There was one occasion today when we simultaneously burst out with multiple verses from the theme song from “The Greatest American Hero“. After 15 years together, who knew? Neither of us claim to have ever watched the show, but it’s a catchy song!
In the morning, it was finally time to leave town. McKenzie Pass was next on the scenic drives list, so we finished our shopping in Bend and headed out. I wasn’t any sort of scout, so the rule about being prepared was not in my mind. When you travel around with all your possessions for a few weeks, you sort of assume you are prepared.
McKenzie Pass was not so scenic in the rain and fog, and we saw almost nothing from the Dee Wright Observatory. We did see lots of lava rock. We never really thought about Oregon having so many volcanoes, but they’re all over. On the way down from the pass, we managed a short hike to Proxy Falls. The rain had cleared during our hike, but we still got a “Where is your rain coat?” from some concerned Oregonians.
Next we headed to the fabulous camping at Belknap Springs. Well, fabulous when the weather is clear. Fortunately, they had two hot spring fed pools to keep us warm. Just about everyone spent the evening lounging around in the hot pools in a cloud of steam. You don’t really notice the raindrops.
Since it was a holiday, we were lucky to find one vacant spot. We were later told that the person before us had just got up and left after getting tired of the rain. Anway, we nestled in between two enormous rigs. California seemed to be filled with lots of rental RVs (mostly driven by people visiting from other countries), but just about everyone here was local and took their “camping” to a professional level. In our VW Bus we constantly get passed by RVs and campers larger than a San Francisco apartment.
Luckily, one of these pros took pity on our starting a fire in the rain (everything was immediately soaked) and came over with a blow torch. Ta-dah! Wet wood lights just fine with a torch - a trick we will not forget. We were all wet and a little cold outside, but old Red Beard kept us dry and warm overnight.
This was the end of a holiday weekend, so everyone was very happy when things finally cleared up the next day. After living in the Bay Area for a while, we’ve grown accustomed to the exact same pleasant weather every day for months on end. This was our first rain for the trip, so we’ll have to start paying closer attention.
We learned 2 things today: 1) check the weather and 2) we need to be better prepared for camping in the rain.
Lessons learned, we’ve already decided tomorrow is going to be AWESOME.
Posted on September 8, 2009 by jason
We spent some time in Bend and, as expected, decided we really like the place. There are great parks, multiple breweries, and it’s right smack dab in the middle of some amazing outdoors. We wandered the small ‘old’ downtown (hanging baskets on street-corners, etc) and the duck/swan/goose filled park. After stopping at the local candy shop for a PEZ refill, we met a guy who told us to head out to Todd Lake. Only 30 minutes later, we were in the Casacades near Mt. Bachelor and surrounded by amazing scenery.
Todd Lake is a great short (kid friendly) hike, but rewards you with all the stuff you imagine on some of the best hikes. A beautiful mountain lake, lush woods, open meadows, incredible vistas… the usual. Take a net and try to catch the huge dragonflys swooping around. We actually didn’t take too many photos because it was just better to enjoy it. The few we took just don’t do it justice.
We never really inteded to gush about Oregon, but we’re still trying to figure out why we’ve never been here and why everybody else doesn’t already live here. If you talk to the locals, it’s already too late and everyone in California has already moved in. I can’t imagine what it must have been like 10 years ago.
Later, we headed a bit south where we were fortunate enough to be invited for a stay on Planet Marrs. Great folks near Bend who hosted us for the night and spoiled us with everything we needed, including an enormous workshop full of every tool that I could ever need. Mental note: build a workshop bigger than the house and fill it full of toys. I managed to get a few bus projects completed (the steering wheel is mostly centered, yet another tune-up, and the fridge now slides out from under the sink so even Bode can get into it.) We arranged the visit a few days in advance, so we were also able to have a brake servo (booster) shipped out from our friend in Alameda (thanks again Kris!) and now have another project to add to the list.
I had wanted to fix my sagging rear end (hold the snarky comments) by adjusting the rear splines, but didn’t want to impose another day or open a can of worms and end up with a bigger problem than I started with. If anyone out there knows what I’m talking about (and can provide the space and tools) let us know and we’ll do some spline-adjusting over a few beers. On second thought, it might be a little dangerous, so the beers might have to wait until after.
Posted on September 6, 2009 by angela
I’ve never been to Oregon (I know!), and I have found it to be wonderful. The whole state is set up for outdoor recreation and every citizen seems to take advantage. Again, we took advice from a few readers and headed to Lake of the Woods. We set up our camp at a forest service campground right on the lake and then headed for the ‘resort’ area a short hike away. I love that all these camps have started calling themselves Resorts. It makes it seem like I’m on a completely different vacation.
Anyway, the Lake of the Woods resort has a restaurant, store, bar, cabins, and marina with free wi-fi. Bode explored and played on the beach and docks, but it was much too windy and cold to swim. We enjoyed the amazing view from the deck, the grownups with a beer and Bode with a plate of fries.
It is at this beautiful resort during a charming game of Candyland, that my son attempted to stack the deck….and lie about doing it. Although I was a little impressed at his card-sharking, we had to explain that hoarding the Princess Frostine card was uncool. And so, the game had to end. The night picked up when we met some really cool women with four girls. Bode had playmates for the evening as we enjoyed popcorn around the campfire.
Crater Lake was our next stop, and one I’ve always wanted to make. Arrival at the park coincided with nap-time, and Bode was crashed out in the back. There is something about a van doing 40 that knocks him out.
When we got to the Ranger Station, we were given these two options: if you’re hungry, turn left and go clockwise around the lake, if you’re not afraid of heights turn right and go counter-clockwise around the lake. Not wanting to question this logic, we decided we were not hungry and headed right. We drove around Rim Drive and took in the scenery. It was a little overcast and windy, but the lake was still very blue and picturesque.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US, and was formed inside a collapsed volcano. This concept was explained numerous times once Bode woke up.
Without a clear plan for what was next, we continued north. This is when things got ugly. Bode was in a mood and we were all too tired to deal with anything. We set out for a highly rated campsite near Bend, but one wrong turn later and we were lost.
It was getting dark and I just wanted a shower. Oregon is set up for camping, so it was fairly easy to find a random campground in only a few minutes. They didn’t have a shower, so I opted to leave the boys to themselves and hole up in the pop top and read. We arrived just before dark…and were out of there by our earliest start time yet….9:30.
–headed to Portland via McKenzie Pass
