We were up early and ready to go, all decked out in our patriotic gear for the Fourth of July.
Tired eyes, but excited to go!
Kase got some new Pokémon to play with on the plane. The kids are such good travelers- they are getting so good at getting smoothly through security and handling all their own luggage. We only had a 37 minute layover in Denver and we had no problem making that on time.
We landed in Redmond, Oregon around 11:00 and got our ride for the week!
Then stopped at Bend Brewing Company for lunch.
Bend is such a cool town and this was an especially fun stop because of the big celebration going on for the Fourth.
I mean, just look at that eagle costume!
There was a bit of a wait at the restaurant so we ordered a quick round of chips and salsa to share on the lawn.
And spent time taking photos while we waited!
Kylee was extra patriotic with red, white and blue nails.
Buddies.
And a nice patio with a view of the golf course.
On the way to the cabin, both boys fell asleep! I couldn't believe it. I'm glad I took a picture because Kael said, "I didn't fall asleep." Hmm....
Once we got settled in, we hit the pool! We just loved that view of the mountain.
The water slide looked so fun.
The kids kept talking about how cold the water was by the slide but Kael really wanted me to try it, so I did. So fun and refreshing!
Then warmed up in the hot tub.
Kase had so much fun when Kent was flipping him in the water. It was just a really nice pool area.
Then we went to our Welcome Dinner out on the lawn.
They had tons of fun yard games out for us!
Kylee wasn't feeling well, so Kent took her back to the cabin to rest. Poor girl climbed through the railing to get in and got splinters all over her hand! We took care of them the next morning though.
The boys stuck around though and made s'mores, so that was fun!
They also found some friends to play football with. You can see Kase is pretty hot and sweaty in this picture- ha!
Our first sunset there was beautiful.
The next morning we were up before breakfast was open so we explored the lodge.
Oh, Kael. Always up for a funny photo.
We loved this view off the lodge.
After breakfast, Kent and I had a quick meeting while the kids went to Kids Club, then we rented bikes for the week and took off exploring! The bike paths there were incredible.
Our first stop was at Blondie's Pizza. The reason I took this photo was because as we sat on the patio waiting for our pizza- this Escalade bumped into the railing right where we were sitting! Kael got jarred a little since he was the one closest to the railing. The driver of the car was a teenager and the mom got out and sort of mumbled a half apology. It was certainly a memorable lunch.
Next stop was the Nature Center. We listened to some bees, saw some snakes and raptors.
And a live bat outside that was not part of the exhibit!
Then we went horseback riding! This is the first year Kase has been old enough to do more than a pony ride around the stable so we booked an hour long ride. We were all kind of hot and tired so I truly wasn't sure how it was going to go.
But we all loved it! Kase especially. He was so thrilled to get the biggest horse, who was named Christmas.
We had a nice ride along the Deschutes River. Kent had a high maintenance horse named Barbie and we all got a kick out of watching him try to keep her in line!
Then a nice ride back to our cabin. These bikes sure came in handy all week!
That evening we had dinner at the lodge.
Then headed outside to enjoy some live music on the lawn!
While we were finishing dinner, we sent the boys off exploring and they came across these bouncy houses so we gave them money to do them. By the time Kylee got down, they were closing up shop so she didn't get to bounce.
We really loved the sunset.
And the music and dancing.
And the giant Jenga!
Breathtaking!
There was glow in the dark golf- so fun!
Kael loved the mornings here. It was often 40 degrees or less when we woke up!
Kylee cozied up in her blanket. And I was glad she started feeling better.
We had breakfast in the cabin several of the mornings.
Then we headed for our first big adventure- The Paulina Plunge!
We loaded up on a bus and rode to our stop more than 6,000 feet up. They fitted us for these awesome fat tire bikes. I was a little nervous about Kase being on his own bike instead of a tagalong but he did great! We played a fun ice breaker game with our group and were amazed at how our guide remembered everyone's name.
Off we go!
Can't think of anyone I would rather bike down the side of a mountain with!
We rode for a little ways, then got off and hiked. The water was chilly!
But so, so worth it!
The kids loved jumping in.
So of course, I had to give it a try!
Kase wasn't so sure about it since the water was so cold, but Kent helped him make his way out there and he did jump in!
Kylee and Kael each jumped several times. It was so invigorating!
After spending some time in the waterfalls, we loaded back up and rode to our stop for lunch. We enjoyed hearing from the guide all sorts of info about the Oregon landscape. They even showed us a few trees we could pick leaves off of and eat- the kids thought that was cool.
Lunch with a view!
This butterfly kept landing on everyone's rear ends. A BUTT-erfly! Ha!
Kent had a LOT of good hair days in Oregon. The wet hair combined with a bike helmet was such a good look.
Our next stop was a natural rock slide!
I'm so glad everyone gave it a try- such a cool memory.
The water was so clean and clear!
"Hey Mom, how many packs do I have?" (He wants the answer to be 8. He would like to have an 8-pack. I would say yes, he does.)
This bigger slide was a little bumpier- but fun because Kylee and her friend used two separate entrance points and met in the middle for a high five!
Back on the bikes, the guides asked for someone to help ride ahead and make sure people stopped at the gate. Kent volunteered! This part of the trail was called Scar Hill so you can imagine I was a bit nervous riding behind Kase, but he did awesome! He later declared the mountain biking to be his favorite thing of the whole trip.
Our last stop was at one more waterfall. Kylee had fun splashing around with one of our guides.
Kael never hesitated to hop right in the cold water!
I can't say enough about the guides we had. By the third waterfall Kase was cold, tired, and well, really, really cold so he didn't want to go in. The guide sat and talked with him and offered to go with him, but when Kase still didn't want in, the guide just sat and chilled with him for awhile. Laughing, giving high fives- these guys were top notch.
What an incredible day! I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to do such a fun trip biking down the mountain!
That night was our theme dinner at the High Desert Museum.
Kase wanted to take a picture with this Gila Monster. There were lots of cool exhibits to see before we ate! Dinner was great and the kids enjoyed running around with their new friends.
Tweenage Kylee is fun. We love to tease her about how kids her age post all the duck lips photos on Instagram, so on our bus ride home she was giving me some pointers.
The next morning we got everyone up early to drive to Crater Lake, one of the deepest lakes in the world!
We came around a curve and all just gasped at how beautiful it was. The pictures truly don't do it justice.
The boys thought being in the snow in July was pretty hilarious.
It was just so breathtakingly beautiful.
Dorito picnic with a view. At 9:00 AM.
I LOVE adventuring with this one. Actually, I love adventuring with all of them. She was just the one who wanted to do the extra hiking this time.
The running joke around there is that the trail down to the lake is one mile down and seven very steep miles back up. We knew the boys would be waiting for us so once we made it down, dipped our toes in the water and took some photos, we hustled back up. What a great morning workout!
I don't have any pictures, but back at the cabin we quick changed into suits and headed to the marina where we rented a big tube and a stand up paddle board. We spent the next three hours floating (paddling) down the Deschutes River. The kids were all really good at the stand up paddle board. I just kept saying the whole time, "I wish I had my camera!" I know I sound like a broken record but the scenery was just amazing. A highlight of the trip was when Kent first tried the stand up paddle board and fell off. Twice.
That night we had sunset dinner reservations on Mt. Bachelor. Our twelve minute chair lift ride up the mountain was half the fun! Before the trip when we talked about this, Kase kept saying he wasn't going to do it. He was a little unsure of that chair lift- especially not being strapped in or anything. But he did great!
Up, up and away!
That view!!!!
We had barely sat down when another kid ran up to Kase and gave him a Snickers bar with a little "pay it forward" card. Kase was thrilled and can't wait to surprise someone else with a treat!
I couldn't stop taking pictures. Kael says it was the best view of his entire life.
Kent
I'm not cold, you're cold! Ha. The ride down was very chilly. We headed straight for the hot tub when we got back!
The next morning we had a little time to explore The Village- a cute area of shops and restaurants right near our cabin, easily accessible by our bikes.
Then we loaded up for our whitewater rafting trip!
Our trip was called the Big Eddy Thriller and had Class III rapids ,which was plenty for us! Kase rode up front for the big rapids and I'm so glad I purchased the photo package. Priceless!
After we got through the big rapids, we had the chance to jump in and swim. And everyone got in even though it took us quite awhile to convince Kase it was worth it to hop in the cold water!
Later, in some smaller rapids, Kael and Kylee got to "ride the bull" and sit up front. They loved that.
Such a fun time!
Back in Sunriver we sat outside at a Mexican restaurant. It was just what we all needed.
Then we did a little souvenir shopping. Kylee found a cute shirt!
Next we adventured to Benham Falls. And it was truly an adventure. The roads in Sunriver were such a labyrinth- so many roundabouts and we weren't totally sure where we were going. After a couple hours in the car and nearly ten miles of unmarked gravel roads, we made it!!!
"Hey Mom, take one in portrait mode and one in regular." This is why I have a thousand pictures from our Oregon trip.
I'm glad we found the falls- so worth it!
Back at the resort we let the kids do this bungee bounce. Oh it was just so, so hilarious. Watching them try to back flip, especially Kael who joked that the straps were awfully tight, was hilarious.
We had some ice cream then headed back to our own cabin tired and happy.
The next morning we headed into Bend for breakfast at the most charming place ever. We sat outside around a fire pit and they brought us blankets. So cozy and the food was amazing.
Then we drove to Smith Rock. So cool to see yet another different landscape!
We didn't hike Misery Ridge Trail, but had a fun photo stop anyways.
The kids had fun climbing rocks and finding little hiding spots along the way down.
So pretty!
We hiked back up and as we passed a lady, she said, "Be careful- we just saw a rattlesnake right off the path near here!" Needless to say, the kids hurried up to the top once they heard that!
Back in Bend, we walked around Mirror Pond.
Then went to the Old Mill District for lunch. It was a cool area!
Stopped at a pizza place where the kids got to make their own pizzas!
Back at the resort, we swam a little, then Kase wanted to explore this arcade. You guys, it was so funny. He kept finding coins everywhere! He played a couple games and decided to save the rest of the money.
That night was our Farewell Dinner. Kylee is helpful to have around because she wanted to test the lighting before taking a picture of Kent and me together.
I'd say she did pretty good!
There was a full game room for the kids complete with air hockey, arcade games, mini golf, ping pong and foosball. Edward Jones just does it right- they make it so fun for the whole family.
These little blondies were attached to Kylee every time they saw her! Such a sweet family.
Sadly, it was time to head home. We had one last ride to turn our bikes in. After a quick breakfast we drove to the airport.
Our flight was a little delayed getting out of Redmond and once we landed in Denver we taxied for awhile. We knew we would be cutting it super close. In fact we were still on our plane with only twelve minutes to departure time for our next flight, but we MADE IT!!! I couldn't believe it. We were totally those people sprinting through the airport and once we got to our gate the kids said they felt like we were on that airport scene Home Alone- ha!
What a wonderful trip filled with so many memories. My parents picked us up at the airport and the kids loved telling them all the details of our trip on our ride home. Until next time, Oregon!!!
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