Pacific Northwest Road Trip 2016 - Bend, Crater Lake, Southern Oregon, and Sacramento

After four full weeks and 3,775 miles of driving, we arrived back home on Saturday the 16th.

I have a feeling that those who read the blog are not wanting to see two more entries to wrap up our trip, so I will be putting all of the end of the trip into this entry.

We really had a great trip!  We saw a nice variety of places and got along quite well for the amount of time we were together.  While a few stops were familiar, most were new, so it was fun to experience them for the first time.

The day we left Portland we decided to do a different route than planned to allow us to redo the fruit picking event that didn't happen as planned the day before.  We drove along the Columbia River Gorge again and then into the Hood River Valley to pick cherries.

Carter was so happy to pick cherries.  Even Ashlynn, who isn't the biggest fruit fan, was excited to pick the fruit.

 There was a minimum of picking 5 pounds of cherries, so we needed to fill the bucket.  That takes a while!

 We had decided to stop at the same place we had the day before, Draper Girls Orchards, so we got to enjoy their garden, view of Mt. Hood, and swing again.

I was really looking forward to the Bend portion of our trip because my brother is a huge fan of Bend and we've heard how fantastic it is for years.  It didn't disappoint!

Before arriving in Bend, we stopped at Smith Rock State Park.  It is as beautiful as expected!  We hiked for about two hours, starting at about 5pm, so the light changed as we walked.

 The kids started out grumpy, claiming it wasn't real hiking because the paths are wide and covered in gravel, but they soon realized how nice it is.

 Smith Rock is popular with rock climbers and tightrope walkers.  We saw both in action, including this crazy tightrope walkers.  See that black mark in the gray clouds between the rocks in the photo below?  That's a person!

 We watched an otter in the Deschutes River.

 Happy hikers

 This station would not encourage me to rock climb.

After our hike and a 30 minute drive from Smith Rock, we arrived at our Airbnb house in Bend.  It was a cute one bedroom house with great yards and an even better location, just a few blocks from Bend's Old Town that has great restaurants and shops.  Dinner our first night was at the Deschutes Brewery, a classic.

 Ashlynn has taken to ordering off the adult menu, mostly to get more interesting choices.  This was obviously a burger but she loves tasty toppings, like grilled onions.

The kids liked the hammock swing in the backyard and seems to be on it whenever we were at the house.

 We followed Dave's recommendation and stopped at Thump Coffee.

After breakfast from a bakery, we walked through Drake Park, which runs along the Deschutes River in town.  Such a pretty park!

 I picked out a house for us in Bend.  Not that it is for sale or that we can afford it.

One thing we saw plenty of this trip were Canada geese.  Since they are part of the theme for my school this coming year, I took plenty of pictures.

 We were especially amused by them reaching down under the water to get food.

I was amused by this sight.  A guy was walking along the edge of the river while his dog happily swam along in the river.  Way to make it work, buddy!

 A number of people set up some great spots near the river to relax.

 We picked up lunch in Old Town Bend.

After a little downtime at the house (kids on the porch, below), we headed out on our exciting Bend adventure, white water rafting.

I must say, I was pretty excited about white water rafting.   It was truly a great time.  I loved the time on the river, both the rapids and as we floated in the peaceful places.  I loved the pretty river, the trees, and the way the light shimmered on the water.

We did an excursion that was billed as being good for 8+ year old (kids must be at least 6), and the kids had a great time, which probably helped make it a more fun time.  My only regret is that I listened to the company's advice and left my phone in the van.  If I was to do it again, I'd put the phone in a ziplock bag and use one of those drawstring backpacks.  We bought the photo package that they offer (seen below), but I wish I had photos of us floating and when the kids jumped off the boat and floated in the river.

 After dinner that night at another brewery, we walked along the river.  So peaceful!

 Carter was a little tired and moody after a busy day (keepin' it real).

The next morning we drove south again, this time on our way to my aunt and uncle's house near Jacksonville, Oregon, via Crater Lake.

Gosh that lake is beautiful.  Apparently it stays so blue because it is fed by rain and melted snow, instead of rivers that bring sediment like most lakes.

In addition to lovely views of the lake, we quite enjoyed watching the ground squirrels that are looking for handouts.  We originally thought they were chipmunks but later decided they are ground squirrels after picking up the junior ranger packet and finding out that chipmunks have stripes on their faces.

There was still quite a lot of snow, so we had the kids get out of the car and play in it for a few minutes.  I remember doing the same on a family trip when I was 13, so it was fun to see my own kids do it too.

We stopped at a few look-outs along Rim Drive.  I just love that blue water!  I did have to time pictures right because there were some clouds in front of the sun that would darken the waters, and I wanted to capture the bright blue.

 Our last stop was to the Crater Lake Lodge area.  We joked that it was a more pleasant visit this time.  The last time we were there six years ago, Carter was barely two and wanted to walk on the little walls that separate the walkways from a very long drop to the lake.  It was pretty stressful.

 Our kids love exhibits!

 Yay!  Someone saw us taking a selfie, offered to take our picture, and actually took a decent picture!

We stopped for a few minutes to rock in the rocking chairs in front of the lodge, which Ashlynn remembers doing the last time.

We then drove down to Aunt Jane and Uncle Steve's house, sometimes getting views of the Rogue River.  The picture below of Ashlynn shows something I dreamt of doing when we bought our Venza last year and got the backseat moonroof.  It's fun to look up and watch the trees!

On our first day in the area, we explored Jacksonville, beginning at the old cemetery.  I remember going there as a kid.  It's pretty interesting because it has graves that go back to pioneer times.

The road up is a bit of a hike! It was our first hot day in a long while so I think we all wished we had driven the car instead of my bright idea to walk.

A man was able to direct us to some of the gravestones I remember seeing when I was a kid.  There are three that mention people who had been killed by Indians.  This time I learned a little more about the story (because there always is more) and found out that all were in retaliation for things done to the Indians.  The man on the left gravestone below was a particularly cruel settler.

We ate lunch and looked around the shops in Jacksonville for a while that afternoon.  It is a cute town with a lot of history!

That night we enjoyed dinner with family, including my cousin Luke, his wife, Jocelyn, and their son, Parker.  Isn't he cute?!?!

 The next morning, we got a photo with Jane and Steve before Steve headed out on a bicycling trip.

That day's excursion was to Ashland, Oregon, mostly to enjoy time in Lithia Park.  Oh, and to have fun talking about Ashlynn being in Ashland.  Say "Ashlynn is in Ashland" a few times and you'll understand.

While we picniced on Trader Joe's items, a dragonfly kept landing on my big toe.  Little things like that make it even more fun!

 The kids really enjoyed wading in the stream that runs through the park.

 Carter got more wet than we had intended, but he loved exploring!

A charming scene we came across was a group of people who were playing Irish folk music while standing in a shallow part of the stream.  They even had a double bass and cello in there!

The group turned out to be from a strings camp, so we found this line of violins that belonged to the kids who were wading and playing in the stream (Ashlynn and I were surprised as we make sure she takes such care with her violin).

After plenty of time in the park, we walked into Ashland to check out the shops, get some delicious ice cream (a theme of that trip), and to taste the awful Lithia water.

We had a little more time in the park with swinging and listening to a man play a cello before heading back to the Jacksonville area.

 Oh, and watching a ladybug crawl on Ashlynn's arm.

That night we went to Luke and Jocelyn's house for elk burgers.  You know, because we were in the Pacific Northwest.  It just seemed right.

Check out this cute photo of the kids.  They do look related!

That night we showed Jane the "Ash" bumper sticker we bought in Ashland.  Since she and I were both Ashes and Ashlynn has it in her name, we took a photo!

Here's Carter on what was the final night of him having a very loose tooth in his mouth.  The whole trip I kept asking, "Is that going to be an Oregon tooth?"  "Is that going to be a Canada tooth?"  "Is that going to be a Seattle tooth?"

Well, the next morning he woke up and the tooth was floating around in his mouth.  It ended up being an Aunt Jane's house tooth!

After breakfast at the Good Bean in Jacksonville and a stop at the Human Bean in Ashland, we drove south into California.

Crossing the border to California proved to be a low point in our trip.  By being honest at the agricultural check that we had cherries that we had picked in Oregon, we had them confiscated.  Ashlynn got mad and started talking about how unjust it was, and Carter started crying because he was proud of those cherries we had picked and was enjoying eating them.  Bummer.

 We arrived at Eric's Aunt Laurie's house just before dinner time, giving us enough time to eat, visit the horses, and talk for a little bit, before it was time for bed.

 The next morning when we woke up, Laurie had already left for a horse competition.  It was her first time competing with her new horse, Redmond.  After getting dressed and packing the car, we said goodbye to her dogs and drove to the competition in nearby Lodi.

 The drive was scenic.

 We arrived just before Laurie's second "test".

After competing, Laurie and Redmond changed out of some of their competition gear and we hung out for a bit at the trailer while competition wrapped up and scores were figured.

 Redmond is a gypsy vanner, so he has beautiful hair, especially near his feet and on his mane and tail.

 It was interesting to watch the horse competition "stuff" going on, since it isn't our usual experience.

We thought Laurie and Redmond did a good job and that was confirmed when she found out they got first place in the two tests they did.  Way to go, Laurie!

 Eric got some love from Redmond.

 Laurie, Redmond, and their two blue ribbons!

 The drive home always feels long.  Our stop at a very hot rest stop kept us going!

 Ashlynn's shoulder massages helped the driver.

 Finally after all those miles, we arrived home.

I am pleased with how the trip went.  There were a few rough patches, but generally, we had a great trip!  I think what makes me the most proud is how well we got along for such a long time (4 weeks is a long time!) and what good travelers our kids are (we travel without devices, and we drove 3,775 miles).

I now wonder what summer 2017 will bring.  We've already been doing some thinking (although we wish Europe was more stable).  Looking forward to planning and adventuring on the next one!