Eugene to Bend, OR

 While packing up to leave Eugene, Eli decided he needed some alone time and asked to go sit in the car.  We checked on him frequently, wondering if he was going to sleep but no, he just wanted to be by himself.  Just like his parents!  Both of us need our time and space and become quite cranky when we do not get it!
     From Eugene the kids and I headed towards Thurston where we stopped to make a sandwich and play on the playground.  Both kids fell asleep in the car and we rolled onto Willamette National Forest around McKenzie Bridge, OR.  We set up camp at Paradise campground, our first night of dry camping(no electrical and water hook-up).

 I got my first chance to back in and unhook the camper and did pretty well except for it rolling off the wooden block we use to jack it up.....oh well, atleast it didn't roll in the river like I thought it was going to.  This campsight was in national forest and was gorgeous.  We picked a spot right on the river, where the water was rushing over the rocks and we could hear it all night from the camper.  Eli and Mary Logue had a blast playing in the water with us.  Mary Logue wanted to get IN the water!  We let her touch it to see how cold it was but she didn't care - she kept trying to get in it. 

 We cooked a quick brats and veggies dinner and put the kids to bed.  Eli is doing so good getting right in his spot for bedtime and Mary Logue is falling asleep if we put her in the stroller and take her on a little stroll.  They are both sleeping all night, hallelujah!  Since we didn't have hot water or power we just had a little cereal breakfast the next morning and headed towards Sahalie Falls.

 This magnificent falls is so powerful that you can feel the spray hitting you in the facewhen you are standing beside it.  We hiked to the top of the falls to let the kids see it.  
 Eli, whom we have nominated as safety officer, had no fear of trying to hang out over the rail to see the falls, and the more we told him not to, the more he tried. 

 So he earned a trip back down to the bottom of the falls in a hurry.  

We pressed on to Clear Lake and what a treat that was!  It is a lake formed from one of the three lava flows that have occurred in this area over the past several thousand years.  It is crystal clear everywhere!  It reminded me a lot of Crater Lake but there are only four rental cabins and a little dock/restaurant at this lake, which we loved because hardly anyone was there!  We rented a wooden rowboat and took our lunch of chips and cookies (restaurant closed except for the snack bar) and Faris rowed us around the lake for about an hour. 

 We looked for ducks and fish and the kids just loved it!  It was a really cool adventure that we did not expect.

     We headed back to pack up camp and Faris headed out towards Sisters, OR.  He took the shorter route which involved a 4,000 foot climb and we took the longer route so I wouldn't have to drive up and down the 4,000 foot climb.  Faris said the climb was one of the most beautiful climbs he had ever done..the top of the pass opened into a huge lava field beneath a couple of dormant craters. Quite a contrast from the alpine forest just a couple hundred feet below. While both kids slept on the drive, I periodically pulled over to read kiosks about the area.  I came upon an area that looked almost haunted and come to find out it was the area of the Deschutes National Forest that burned in 2003.  90,000 acres burned and it is sickening to see the area that once housed tall hemlocks and spruce that will take 200 years to regrow.  The fire began by two different lighting strikes and cost $38 million to contain.  We made it over McKenzie Pass, seeing Mt. Washington and Three Fingered Jack along the way, and coasted into Sisters, OR.  When Eli attends the University of Oregon for college we might have to buy a little house here so he can visit us on breaks and holidays.  

 This town is incredible.  There are only about 2300 residents here and it is the cleanest little mountain town.  There are five parks in this town and it takes you about three minutes to drive from one end to the other.  The movie house is in a barn and they write the movies and times on a chalkboard - very neat, quaint place.  The city park is where they allow camping and it is right in the center of everything so we walked all weekend. 

 Saturday we went to the Sisters Brew Festival in the other park. 

  Several breweries from the region brought in two or three of their beers for tastings and they had live music playing, which Eli and Mary Logue loved!  They were so cute dancing to the bands!  The weather was perfect and we spent all day just going back and forth to the festival, doing laundry, letting the kids nap, and enjoying the weather.

We packed up and headed towards Bend.  Faris rode the 18 miles and we drove ahead and found a place to have lunch.  Tumalo State Park is on the outskirts of Bend and has a nice river running through it so we stopped there and made a picnic  There was a Hispanic preacher preaching on baptism right there on the river bank to about 40 people.  We walked over there and listened a little while the kids played in the very cold water.  We set up camp there and met some really nice folks who have an Airstream camper about the size of the one we want.  They gave us a tour and now we have camper envy.  But we’re about $50,000 short of having the funds to pay for it so we’ll just have to wallow in our envy for now.

Bend is nice but much bigger than I remember it.  We drove through and found a park where we could sit and have dinner.  Eli scooted on his new scooter and Mary Logue played and watched the ducks.  We went back to our site, built a fire, and enjoyed sitting outside for the evening.