Econo Lodge Bend

We drive alongside the Clackamas River, so beautiful we run out of adjectives as we point out to each other the views we want to share. Driving up towards the Cascades we see Mt. Hood in the distance, alone and majestic. At 4800 feet we drive through Santiam Pass and start the long road down, final destination Bend. We set up camp in Tumalo State Park. It is the weekend, there are so many people in the state parks we pass, we decide to stay two nights right here.

... fell into bed exhausted from the drive, and laughed ourselves silly over the thought of our unfinished free champagne popping it's temporary cork in the car and leaving a hole in the ceiling. We could just see ourselves trying to explain how a long-interred piece of meteor from the nearby crater actually made the hole, or some other ludicrous astronomical event. We were definitely tired!


Title Language: French

We stopped in La Pine and walked.

We stopped in the Volcanic Monument.

We walked on the Lava Fields.

We drove through Bend, Redmond & Madras.

Past Warm Springs, the car overheated and we pulled over.

We waited for the car to cool down.

We, slowly, drove up the mountain to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.

We went to the Crook County Museum.

We drove north into the Ochoco's.

We went to the Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds.

We drove through Mitchell and failed to find food.

We drove through Dayville and failed to find food.

We had food in Mt. Vernon.

We drove down the S. Fork of the John Day river and slept near Izee.

We drove to Bend.

We drove up Pilot Butte.

We walked around Drake Park and Bend downtown.

We went to a comic shop.

We had tea at Townshend's.

We met my old friends and walked to Old Mill district.

We ate American Chinese food.

We watched a cinema.

We drove back to Prineville.

We had a couple family dinner's.

We walked around Prineville.

We went to the court-house.

We went to the round-up at the park.

We sat in the yard and watched 4th of July fireworks.

We drove up to the Prineville Reservoir and watched deer.

We traveled to Bend intermittently.

... in joining us along the way, while we can't guarantee this will be the final itinerary, here's what we plan to have in store: 4/15-5/1 Indian Creek/ Colorado Plateau/ Mesa Verde (and stop off at Joe's Valley for some bouldering with Jim Johndal and Josh Mitchell), UT and CO 5/2-5/7 Red Rocks, NV 5/8-5/13 Zion, UT 5/14-5/25 ...

Pffff... Another long drive, this time accompanied by dull, grey weather and less-than-inspiring scenery along much of the stretch of road. The picknick spot and rest stop that we had picked out on the map was the John Day Fossil Beds where a remarkable complete fossil record of plants and mammal species that inhabited the area since just after the dinosaurs became extinct can be found in layer upon layer of rock and volcanic ash ...

Today was one of the best days I have had at Mt. Bachelor in a long time. The sun was shining, the snow was fresh, and the wind wasn't blowing (a very important factor for Mt. Bachelor). The several hours Kaycie and I had before the crowds came were amazing. There isn't a whole lot more to say about the day, I'll let some of the pictures I took do the talking for me.

... the local country located on Useless Bay. We attended a classical trio concert at the local arts center and went to see the annual Highlands games, where large men pranced around in skirts to celebrate their Scottish heritage. We took a 25-mile bike ride over rolling hills, where looking east we could see the water and Cascade Mountains in the distance and to the west across water was the Olympic Peninsula and mountains, where we had been the week before. One day Marshall ...