Somewhere Near Bend, OR

For the past three or so years, since they completed building their beautiful home near Bend, OR, TBG’s big brother (TBB) and sister-in-law (SIL) have been encouraging us to come for a visit. The stars aligned, and we were finally able to make the trip.

This post isn’t going to be about the house, lovely as it is, nor will it really be much about our family time itself, lovely as that was because here’s the problem:  There is no good way to write about your family and be completely honest or funny without crapping on someone’s feelings. It’s hard enough to post pictures of your loved ones sometimes without incurring their wrath. Heed what I say on both of these points! My family normally enjoys my witty scribbling, but it’s like my old pal Stephen King said, “It stops being funny when it starts being you.”

So what this post will mostly be about is what it’s almost always about — the hiking! Oh, I’m sure a bon mot or two will force their way in because, well, me, and just know that if you’re related to us, we talked about you.

Deschutes River Trail, Dillon to Benham Falls

I had bookmarked a few hiking places in the area, but we mainly deferred to the locals to guide us. SIL picked this ±7 mile section of the Deschutes River Trail to get the party started.

Is this why they call it Bend?

It was not a warm nor sunny day, but we were prepared for that.

TBB & SIL probably talking about us. We were definitely talking about them.

I think they were talking about me.

Before long, this part of the trail entered the trees and began to climb gently. Because of that, you can put in some distance without much trouble. The sun gave it a valiant effort with one, maybe two, very short sun breaks, but for the most part it remained overcast. 

Overlooking Benham Falls

Overlooking Benham Falls with ALL of our big heads in the way.

 

 

These falls were our destination for the day, although the whole trail is 19 miles total with several access points. We’ll revisit that later.

Awwww!

Snowfall.

People who didn’t grow up in the kind of snow where you don’t just get the occasional snow day, but sometimes weeks that then get added onto the summer part of the school year or where you have to clean a foot of snow off your car both before and after work on the same day or where you have to keep your car plugged in or else it will never start or where you couldn’t get out of your house because the snow drift was up to the roof — those people will sometimes exclaim, Don’t you think the snow is SO pretty?! and it’s like they’re punching you in the face.

Being that it was still winter, I could hardly be distressed by the appearance of snow, but I could still whine about it.

I own them now!

Snow Canada Geese

Idiots.

A real sign for TBG

Back where we started, we decided to sample a new chip flavor and keep going the other direction for 1/4 mile to see Dillon Falls. We rate the new flavor a 7 of 10.

And there they are.

We rate the falls a 9 of 10. (You all understand that “we” is just me, right?) This area was my favorite of the day, with charming little trails throughout the lava rock. Rumor has it that I’m not alone in my thinking, and this is a popular spot for couples to become engaged.

Saturday

We awoke to find the ground covered in a blanket of snow, with more coming down. I told TBG that we should go back out in the hot tub and take pics of ourselves being Japanese snow monkeys, but we dragged our feet and missed our chance when the snow stopped.

Snow blind!

After breakfast, we took a walking tour of the Ranch, during which we spotted some jackrabbits chasing one another in the snow, but I wasn’t fast enough to get their pic.

We stopped into one of the many Ranch buildings for a complimentary snack and a lively game of shuffleboard. Just before we were going to head back to the house, it began to snow. A lot. Gargantuan flakes. I wanted to hurry back to see if we could get some pics of us all being hot spring snow monkeys, so we called the shuttle. It whisked us back home, but the flurries abruptly stopped just as we arrived. There would be no snow monkey pictures this trip, but there would also be no more snow. I was understandably conflicted.

Smith Rock State Park

 

This park has been on my Wishful Whereabouts List for a long time, and we were waiting for the weather to cooperate, which it kindly did on our third day. The lots were so full, we had to park near the end of the road, but that had us accessing the ridge trail from a different trail than our hosts had done before.

TBGuide shirks his duty!

SIL kindly fills in.

Descending to the Crooked River

TBGuide says, “Time to climb!”

It’s not a long climb, but it’s pretty steep.

Step it up, hikers!

Misery Ridge

I imagine in the summer, this really would be miserable. We all agreed (really this time) that while it is a physically demanding trail, it’s not a misery.

Unless you’re afraid of heights. Which I am.

Do you see the little ant people? They used to be us.

We made it!

I would explain why we are posing the way we are, but you kinda had to be there and definitely have to be related to get it.

Monkey Face

Do you see it? Now? Hint: It’s facing to the right like it’s going to take a bite out of the rocks. People climb that thing, and were doing so while we were there. In fact, people climb everything in this park, the rock walls studded with anchor points. If you zoom in on many of these photos, you can see all the spider-people dotting the rock faces.

We took a break at the top and had our snacks while we enjoyed the view over the monkey’s head. If you don’t quite see the monkey face, you will in a moment.

Descendants.

Weirdness at the cairn wall.

As we were descending, TBG noticed “something” scurrying through the field across the river. None of us could make out what it was, and we didn’t have binoculars. I did the trick with my camera zoom and focused in on the critter. [A fat hoary marmot!]  SIL and I were hoping to espy some river otters, which are known to frequent this area, but this chubby squirrel was the extent of our mammal spotting.

Don’t ask.

TBB picks up TBGuide’s slack.

Rock Canada Geese

TBG, SIL, & TBB along the River Trail.

Beautiful trail.

This was close to the end of our 5.5-mile hike. In my opinion, it was the perfect hike and the pièce de résistance of the trip.

Out and About in Bend

Due to an annoying thing with one of my eyes, I needed to find an eye doctor to get a quick (hahaHA) checkup. That meant bigger hiking plans couldn’t be made, but between TBG, SIL, and me, we each had places we wanted to go or see that allowed us to make a day of it around my appointment (which was conveniently right in the middle of the afternoon! I hate being the problem child.) TBB stayed back to clean the snow monkey hot springs, but planned to meet us later for dinner and a short sunset hike to the top of a local butte.

Our first stop was Beaver Coach Sales, the place we’d stopped on our way back from Great Basin last fall. The fine folks there are keeping an eye out for our retirement home, and the three of us poked around inside a few rigs.

Future leather crafter.

TBG has decided that a good hobby for him in RV retirement will be leather crafting. We had fun moseying around the warehouse, examining all the different types of leather and petting the resident dog. The curly-coated baby calf skins were awfully soft, and I remarked that I felt bad for the wee ones. SIL insisted they had died of natural causes, and I’m choosing to believe that.

We revisited the Deschutes River Trail, this time accessing it at one of the urban connectors. I’m not sure how I managed to get a photo with no one in it, since there were lots of people making use of it on such a fine day.

Wish I’d had my running shoes on.

TBGuide’s last job for this trip.

After about two miles, we followed the trail over a bridge to the other riverbank. The trail there was more hiking-like, though a bit cooler in the shade. 

We traipsed along for a total of about 4 miles, then it was time for my appointment (at which it was determined that nothing serious is wrong with my eye — yay) While I was waiting to see the doc, and TBG and SIL were enjoying special coffee drinks, the clouds had rolled in. It was decided that we would scrap dinner out and the sunset hike in favor of eating in and playing games.

Oh, well, it’s all relative, and I am hopeful we will have many more chances to catch those fabulous views in the future. I guess that depends on what I write about whom, eh?