Bend, OR

Driving over the Cascade Mountains takes you from sea level, through a temperate rain forest and eventually to the high desert. The whole drive takes about 3.5 hours and it seems that each fifteen minutes there is an entirely new landscape to view. A few weeks ago I texted my friend to see if we should spend a week in Bend or Eugene (where she had lived) and the answer was an enthusiastic vote for Bend, so there we were, I am happy to say.

We landed in a little RV park that was just outside of the main part of town. The boys and I woke that Tuesday morning and completed our at-home-school portion of the day before deciding on where to go and we chose to head to the High Desert Museum. I wasn't thinking it would be much because Bend is not that large and we've been in plenty of small town museums that are interesting, but mostly smallish rooms stuffed with an overwhelming amount of information. This museum is not to be missed. It is a gorgeous building tucked away in the woods with a ton of exhibits, presentations, and hands on activities. We meandered through the rooms learning about the Rogue Indians and their seasonal lifestyle. We sat and watched a presentation on the apex predators of the area, and then we wandered into a mining town portion of the museum where we met another family. The mom and I got to talking and it was a surprise to find out that they just finished what we are doing! Their family circumnavigated the US for a year in their airstream before deciding on Bend as their next "year long" adventure. We all hit it off and spent the next couple of hours going through the rest of the museum together which includes a living museum portion where people are in period dress and occupy buildings that you can walk through that all hold true to that time period. Before leaving these new friends I was sure to cement some new plans with them and dinner plans at a brewery were scheduled for the following night.

View from Pilot Bute

After Chris got home that night we went to hike at Pilot Butte State Park, but the parking is strange and we found ourselves driving up the steep road to reach the summit of the Butte which allow for a panoramic view of the surrounding area. It was pretty cool as every hill, bump, or mountain is an ancient volcano. Still wanting a family hike, we headed over to the Farewell Bend River Trail which was a great path next to the Deschutes River before heading out to Bonta, a delicious gelato shop that we would go back to.

Wednesday found the kids and I hanging out at the park, doing school, and waiting for Chris to get home so we could go to dinner with our friends. That evening we all headed over to Crux where you can bring a picnic blanket and spread out on a huge lawn. The kids all played soccer, climbed hills, chased one another around and played Grace's (a pioneer game that we had all purchased from the museum). It was so fun to catch up with another family that has been living on the road. I loved swapping stories on how we've all made it work and there was a certain level of celebration that their trip was leading into a new adventure for their family and we are anticipating going home to all our friends and families.

The rest of the week the boys and I found ourselves checking out used book stores, coffee shops and parks and soon enough it was Friday and time to hit the road.