Today was our last day in Bewnd Or. and the end of a really gret family trip. We managed to help gabe get set up for grad school by finding him an aprtment. bank. neigborhood and favrite food cart place. We saw 8 watwerfls, vistied tropical forests, a beach. sa desert, saw snow.. swam in the coldest and hotest water both coming out of the ground. ate all sorts of hipster food and really gefell in love with this part of the country.

It  was so nice being here with my family and their GF’s.. and freinds.. 

we left our nice VRBO rental hous ein Bend about noon and headed east up into the cascades. The only stoip we made today was to the Blue Pond .. a cool frigid pool about 2 miles from the road.. The trail was beutiful and easy walking

 

 

it ran through giat sequias next to a rushing river. 

 

the  lue hole itself was so cool to see.. hard to climb down to.. but the waterfall and the river made it magical. Check out the color . 

 

we had trouble finding our way down to the pol itself.. so we swam above it.. it was THE coldest water I’ve ever been in.. and I’ve swum in ivce water !

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we fond a place to cross.. but it meant walking on  a single shaky log.. so we worked to make it 3 shaky logs !

 

here’s our pool

 

and along cane a cure dog namesd ‘beans’ to swim with us

 

max went in frist 

 

here I go in 

 

in goes gabe

 

then max and gabe went in to put a samstone in the waterfall

 

they got the soten into the waterfall 

 

then back as fast as they could. that water was insanely cold !

see the samstone ? 

 

then back on the trail 

 

the blue water was amazing 

 

the walk back was cool in the afternoon sun 

 

then back in the car to go back to Portland.. one quick stop at Sailah falls to make it 8 waterfalls this trip 

 

we had a nice vietnmese dinner in Salem Or.. n (thats having a water contaimnation problem right now) 

then we dropped max and becky off in Portland at a hpuse they are borrowing

 

 

FIane, gabe araya and I then heaed to my hotel at the arport.. (i’m flying out to germany tomorrow) .

they took showers and  we repacked everything 

 

then around 11:00 I took those guys to the airport for their flight back to BTV 

 

 

 

 

great trip.. I loved being with my family

more from the road tomorrow

nite all, nite sam

-me