Hometown Visit

I'm a little behind in my summer blogging, but that's life for ya. It has a funny way of taking over. So the weekend after we went on our annual campout with friends, the kids and headed to Bend for a hometown visit with my folks. We left on Friday morning and came back on Monday. DH had to work, so he didn't make it on this trip. Whenever I drive somewhere, I need to break up the monotony any road trip by stopping to enjoy the scenery. The kids and I checked out this one place with a staircase in the middle of the mountains. I can't remember what it's called, but it was really something to see.

Stairway to Heaven maybe?

We were just outside of Warm Springs, an hour or so from Bend, when some kind of accident happened. Traffic was backed up on both sides for quite a ways. I figured we were in for wait so I turned off the engine and we got out to stretch our legs. It's kinda funny how you get to know perfect strangers when you have odd situations in common. The nice couple behind us were headed to a nearby campground and were on the final leg of a long drive from Washington. We all got a kick out of this one man who kept walking up and down the road looking with his binoculars. After about 20-30 minutes, cars began to move. I was glad to get going again.

Waiting...

When we finally got there, we'd been in the car for much of the day, so the kids needed to get some of their energy out. My parents weren't quite off work yet, so we visited an old friend of mine who worked downtown. Then I took them to Drake Park. We go there every time we come to Bend so they can see the ducks. Afterwards, we met my Mom and Dad at Deschutes Brewery for dinner. It was a little loud there, but the food was oh so good!

K and her ducks

On Saturday morning, we had a pretty low key day. After a lazy morning around the house, my parents took us down to the river so that kids could play and go walking. Later that afternoon, my dad took care of the kids so that my mom and I could spend some time together. We went and could go see Eat, Pray, Love. It was a really inspiring movie. My mom and I enjoyed time together.

Helping Grandpa water the lawn


N and Grandpa

My parents

K always loves being a step ahead

K and Grandma, so much alike!

Sunday was so much fun! We headed up to Cultis Lake (nicknamed Coldest Lake), a family tradition for as long as I can remember. The water is shallow for a quite a ways in the swimming area we go to. It's chilly at first, but you warm up fairly quickly. I grew up going there and we always manage to get our favorite spot at this little cove, maybe because we usually get there first..haha. Anyhow, my parents brought their new kayak, so there was extra stuff to do. We got everything set up, floaties blown up, and then finally settled in for a lovely day at the lake. We went hiking, swimming, and took turns kayaking. Poor Grandpa's arms got quite the workout! He knows how to steer the kayak well, so he indulged us all and took us out on the water. When I was younger, we owned a yellow canoe and I remember many summers enjoying it. I'm glad my parents are getting back to what they love. They go paddling down the river or on the lake quite frequently on sunny days. One thing Cultis Lake is known for are the MANY dragonflies. A yellow one even landed on my hand as was using the oar out in the kayak. So pretty! Wish I'd had my camera at that moment.

Dad and I

N wading out

K's turn



K deciding if she wants to go in deeper

N's turn

Dragonfly

On one of the docks



K being a brave girl

N helping guide the kayak through shallow water

Another dragonfly

We left Monday morning and began the 3 1/2 hour drive home. Along the way and on whim, I decided to make pit stop (big surprise, eh?). We drove up to Mt. Hood to see the historic Timberline Lodge. This ski lodge was made famous by the movie, The Shining. The exterior was used as face of the Overlook Hotel. It had been years since I'd been there, so I wasn't sure what we'd find. If you can believe it, there were people skiing (in mid August!). There were also throngs of people hiking and sight seeing via the chairlift. We didn't have time to do any of that, so we just walked around a bit and took in the amazing views. I've never been inside or even had pleasure of skiing there. I hope we can come back either in the winter or summer again to do some of the more touristy things. It's strange when you don't think to indulge in some of local treasures, even when you've lived somewhere for so long.

How's that for a view?

Timberline Lodge

Mt. Hood

N and K



What a great weekend we had!