In the morning we headed out of Crater Lake NP and up to Bend, OR. I've wanted to go here for some time and DeeAnne has good family friends there '? Phil and Iris. At first glance we weren't that impressed with the town, but as we drove around it more later it started to grow on us. Unfortunately, the town itself has grown exponentially lately, and, according to DeeAnne's friends, the downtown is no longer the same. It seems to be much more touristy now. In any case, there is so much to do here for outdoor adventure lovers. We went up north of Bend to a place called Smith Rock State Park. It wasn't a huge place, and it was a bit crowded, but we had a nice hike along a river and then up the side of this huge rock formation named Monkey Face. Luckily we were mostly in the shade for the climb up and there was a great view from the top. It was also very popular with rock climbers so it was fun to watch some of them scale the cliffs. It made me want to do some more climbing, but DeeAnne wasn't quite so enthusiastic about it.
We had a nice steak dinner at DeeAnne's friends' and 'camped' in the street in front of their house. Not exactly a wilderness experience, but the ice cream for dessert and the hot showers in a bathroom bigger than a closet, not to mention the enjoyable company, made up for the less-than-wild setting.
The next morning, after a big breakfast, we went to visit the daughter of Phil and Iris, Susan. She and her husband have a cabin on national forest land on Odell Lake about 75 miles south of Bend. It was a beautiful, quiet lake and they had a real nice, rustic cabin tucked in the trees. The drive into the cabin was pretty tight and I probably scraped the top up a bit, but it was worth it. This time, even though we were parked in their 'yard' it was definitely a wilderness setting. Susan's 14 yr. old daughter had 4 other friends staying for the weekend, and I found out the next morning that it was better that we slept in the RV. As typical for girls, they were up half the night talking.
On the 4th we headed up to Portland to drop DeeAnne off at the airport. I'm heading towards Mt. Hood tonight and then probably back down south a bit to spend a few more days in the Bend area, but higher up in the mountains this time.
Smith Rock State Park
Can you find Snoopy?
Comments (1)
Hi Ed,
I spent a quiet 4th with my brother, his wife and two friends here at home. We ate a good pot luck dinner complete with fresh strawberries on homemade pound cake and real whipped cream...topped it off with wonderful Irish coffee...then we played Mexican dominoes into the night...how is that for excitement!! So goes the hills of Pennsylvania.
I am sorry to hear of your family loss and know too well how death slaps us all in the face...your trip is so beautiful...the hand of God all over the place...may you be safe and happy as you journey on...Love and prayers, Donna G.
Posted by Donna Goobic | July 6, 2005 1:24 AM
Posted on July 6, 2005 01:24