Mount Bachelor Village Resort 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.

... we took a quick break, then arrived at the fairly rustic Riverhouse Resort for dinner and lodging. They upgraded our room to a "jacuzzi suite (though it wasn't one you'd want to use) and were kind to give us a bottle of champagne to celebrate our 14th anniversary. We took a drink coupon and had a great meal of filet mignon in the restaurant, overlooking the Deschutes River and, somewhat later, the full moon.<br><br ...

We stopped in La Pine and walked.<br><br>We stopped in the Volcanic Monument.<br><br>We walked on the Lava Fields.<br><br>We drove through Bend, Redmond &amp; Madras.<br><br>Past Warm Springs, the car overheated and we pulled over.<br><br>We waited for the car to cool down.<br><br>We, slowly, drove up the mountain to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.<br>

We drove to Bend.<br><br>We drove up Pilot Butte.<br><br>We walked around Drake Park and Bend downtown.<br><br>We went to a comic shop.<br><br>We had tea at Townshend's.<br><br>We met my old friends and walked to Old Mill district.<br><br>We ate American Chinese food.<br><br>We watched a cinema.<br><br>We drove back to Prineville.

We arose at 3:40am to catch our flight home from Quito, arriving in Seattle 13 hours later. Jet lagged but eager to begin phase two of our trip, we raced through two and a half days of logistics in Seattle and embarked on the open roads of the west, our GMC Jimmy loaded down with food and climbing gear. For those dear friends we ...

... off. Avis and Andy (see the Tahoe entry) had been kind enough to put us in touch with friends of theirs who live in Bend, Oregon. Late in the afternoon we made it to Bend and to the home of Shane and Julie. Drinks and dinner ensued, and we learned about life in Bend. It's a tough life. A 20 minute drive to the nearest ski slope for downhill and cross country ...

... so it was now dark by 18.30. We got as far as Bend, managing to stay just ahead of the rain much of the way, then called it a day. Although we had hoped to be somewhere quaint and festive for Halloween, Bend and another modestly priced motel off the highway would have to do. There were people in costume everywhere - walking along the pavement, driving the school bus, filling up with petrol and doing some last minute "candy ...

... and we are so, so grateful! Full Tank and Flat Tire of the day: Blake's Flat Tire was ... no flat tire for Blake today! Blake's Full Tank was the views of Mt. Hood from US-35 Giovanna's Flat Tire was the partisan squawking on CNN radio (we finally had to turn it off) Giovanna's Full Tank was the Pine Ridge Inn (surrounded by the love of our friends) PS - there was one piece of the day which doesn't fit into the narrative but bears mentioning. Out in the ...

... Definitely the coldest so far. Every window in the bus was covered with a layer of ice. I'm talking the inside of the windows, not the outside. Brr!! We headed back to Bend for coffee and a snack before hiking up Pilot Butte. From the top we were finally able to see Black Butte- I really wanted Silas to get to see it since Black Butte Porter is his favorite beer. As soon as we're done with this entry we're heading out of town...hopefully to somewhere that's not so cold at night! Allison

... doing whatever needed to be done in 100+ heat and near 100 humidity! He loved every second. Met great volunteers and found the Thai people to be amazingly resilient and joyful. Life moving on. People so grateful for help but working alongside. Not many spoke English, but they managed to communicate and he learned a few phrases here and there. Everyone loved Jeff (big surprise to me :0) and he became ...