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 !

\

 

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

 

we had a great longest day of the eyar. We got out of the house at about 9:30 and headed 2 hours down to crater lake in Cnetral Oregon. It was a long, pretty trip 

 

there was still a huge amount of snow up there 

 

here’s the first view of the lake.. amazing !

 

crater lake is a collapsed volcano caldera filled with rainwater and snow melt.. .. the island in the middle is a cinder cone of a later eruption !

 

next stop was the cleetwood trail, the only trail that goes down to the water.. 70 feet down !

 

check out the pllen in the water !

 

we all got ready to jump in

 

we placed a samstone in near shore in the cold water

 

we had soem curous chipmonk freinds begging us for food 

 

gabe braugth the 3 man slingshot we made.. and we used it to launch a samstone way out in the lake.. wich is almost 2000 feet deep in places !

 

look at the huge rocks in the water 

 

then back up the trail 

 

at one poitn a small patrol boat went by.. I thin the only boat in the lake.. you cold see the ripples from that boat for a good long time. 

 

tyhen we were back on the road to paulina lake 

here’s our 7th wayterfall for the trip 

 

then came the amazing part.. Becky had foudn a hot springs noted on the map at East lake .. we foudn a small trail.. then scrampbled down to teh water. there on the shore of the lake were these shallow pools wiht bubbling hot gas.. . it was a hot spreing right on the shore of the lake !\it was really too hot to stand directly in soem places. 

 

 

sich a beutiful setting. .and we were all alone there. soon after we got there. 

 

then on the way home.. we stopped to see the obsidian flow.. what an amazing landscape.. it was caused by a magma event 1300 years ago.. a mile long river of glass (obsidian) and pumice. 

 

everywhere was this beutiful, shiney, smooth and shaprp black obsidian. 

 

it was like a martian landscape 

 

then the drive home.. with the most beutiful sunset.. and it was already 9PM./. a fitting way to end the solstice !

 

we got home about 9:30.. too late to go out.. but our friends Joe and Morgan came over for a beer.. .. so good catching up with them !

great day.. great week

 

ok.. now time for sleep.

happy solstice everyone !

 

nite all, nite sam

-me

we woke late today and after a run.. managed to get breakfast together around 10.. 

 

we got on the road about 10 and headed to tumalo falls.. it was beutiful and sorta]\\\freo there we heaed up the hill. first sto was a behind the falls. 

 

we were behind the falls and gettign pummeled with water,, we were soaked in secondas !

=

then we climbed  back up.. soaking wet !

  

we then climberd to the top of the falls 

 

 

 

 

ere’s all you see of the falls from the top 

 

we hiked up about another mile and a half to see some other waterfalls 

 

we had no samstones.. so we made them.. here’s one attempt 

 

ten a second.. much easier to read. 

 

then up the trail again in search of other waterfalls 

 

then we got to the upper falls.. so beautiful.. and no one around. 

then it happened…

 

it stated hailing.. big chunks of ice .. that really huirt !

 

see the hail ?  

 

we ran down the hill.. almost 2 miles.. getting soaked the whole time.. by the time we made the car we were soaked and freezing.. 

lightening  was happening and it was near to us.. at one point the hair on our arms even stood up. it was actually kinda scary . One ocool thing is that max ran into a person he knew from a totally differnt connection on the traill.. such a small world 

 

 

we got back tot he house and all took hot showeres.. 

we had a few hours of down time.. then diane , gabe. raya nad I went our to ecplore the town 

 

 

 

and.. who dis we run into ? Paulo and Tarat !

totally by random 

 

we saw a cool puppie !

 

then waled around town for a bit.. I see why folks like it !

 

we went to the stpre for dinner supplies.. gabe said we needed ‘conomints’.. so I made him sone.. . (lol) 

 

we got home and started cooking dinner about 9PM 

 

forst things first.. mojitos !

 

and artichoke 

gettign ready for the fish 

 

corn  on the grill !

 

now griulling 

 

 

a d gabe makes a raclette thingy 

 

then sitting down for dinner (10 pm ) 

 

great meal. .then clean p !

 

then a surprise birthfay cake for Max’s 30th !

 

great day.. 

now time to sleep

 

more  tomorrow//

nite all. nite sam

-me

 

we got up earlyish and headed away into the beutiful landscape of mt hood     we made a small stop at government camp.. the home of High Cascade  the first snow board camp that both Sam and Gabe took    here’were markign the site of the original ‘cobra dogs’  hot dog stand , that both sam and gabe loved so much… so I put a samstone there . no sign of them now.. but they are rumored to be coming back   next stop was Madras Oregon.. funny since I hacve so many freinds from Madras INida .    then  a beautiful  and trecherous canyon to look  into    we got to Bend about 3..checked   into our house.. then had a great luch. Agfterwards grocery shopping that included oysters ! later  on  we met Paulo , Tara and Morgan .. and we took them out for beer    lots of good old friends at this meetup.. morgan, tara, paulo …    we need to scale it up !   after dinner a nice wal to town.. where Diane postarks some important stuff.    then a locally curated trip down town . 

 

including a visit to a hidden bar in the attic of a hotel ok. barily keepign it awake here.. more tomorrow

nite all. nite sam

-me