Oregon Road Trip

So, it's been really hard to blog this year.  And my excuse is.... we've been really busy.  I know.  Who isn't busy?  Let me fill you in on what we've had going on lately:

First, we started on some projects around the house.  

Mike made some stairs down to our basement (to make it easier to carry bikes and paddleboards down to the basement).  

And together, we made a headboard out of pallet wood.  We also gave the bookcase and nightstand a makeover! 

You are probably thinking, why would you do such big projects on a house you are renting??? Well, that's another reason we've been so busy lately.... we are planning to BUY this house we live in!  Yikes!  

Basically, our landlord is selling (second time this has happened to us since moving out here).  She offered it to us and we are trying to make it work.  If it all works out, we will close at the end of the month.  

So, we've been doing a lot of adulting lately and haven't had much time for fun.  So, we took a road trip to Oregon for a little escape and adventure (and a little continuing education for me).  

First stop: McArthur-Burney Falls in northern California.  

 It was totally worth the stop and the $8 parking fee.  The falls were gorgeous!  They reminded me of something you would see in Hawaii.  The water was just pouring out of the walls!  

NOT SURE WHAT TYPE OF BIRD IS IN THE NEST. 

From here, we continued north into Oregon, taking the scenic route through Crater Lake.  

THIS MUCH SNOW LEFT IN JUNE!!! 

We continued on and found a free spot to camp on a forest service road near Oakridge, Oregon.  We made a quick dinner and climbed in the back of the truck for a very restful night sleep to the sound of the river.  

NOTICE THE TRUCK IN THE BACKGROUND.  THAT WAS OUR
CAMPSITE FOR THE NIGHT. 

SO GREEN AND LUSH!

The next morning we had planned to take a shuttle to ride a local mountain bike trail (Alpine Trail) which boasts 17 miles of downhill riding.  

Mountain biking in Oregon is totally different than around Tahoe.  The dirt was different (less sandy and dusty) and the riding seemed less technical (less rocky).  The trail was very mellow and flowy.  Lots of fun!

After a great ride... we headed to Portland.  FINALLY!  Visiting Portland has been on my bucket list for a while now.  I attended a continuing education course by day, and scoped out the town by night (which ended up working out GREAT because Portland was in a HEAT WAVE while we were there and it was unbearably hot during the day).  

YOU CAN NOT IMAGINE HOW HUGE THIS BOOKSTORE IS UNTIL YOU
VISIT!  IT IS UNBELIEVABLE! AND THE BOOKS GO ALL THE WAY TO
THE CEILING!

A PORTLAND LANDMARK!  

MIKE EATING A PORTLAND CREME

I CHOSE THE VOODOO DOUGHNUT!  DELISH!

WE STAYED NEAR THE RIVERFRONT.
WE WERE THERE DURING THE ROSE FESTIVAL SO THERE WAS
ALWAYS A LOT GOING ON DOWN BY THE RIVER. 

WE VISITED SEVERAL BREWERIES.  

 Arguably, Portland is known for doughnuts and breweries.  And it just so happened that we were in Portland on NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY!  What a coincidence?  Since we had already done VooDoo Doughnuts, we opted for Blue Star Doughnuts... and they did not disappoint.

MIKE'S WAS A RICH, DECADENT CHOCOLATE
COVERED, CREME FILLED. 

MINE WAS THE PB&J: PEANUT BUTTER POWDER ON THE OUTSIDE,
JELLY WITH HABANERO ON THE INSIDE.  WEIRD RIGHT?
BUT DELICIOUS!!!

 We also ate at a couple of food trucks, which didn't disappoint.  We booked our hotel because it was close to downtown and there was a metro directly in front.  We ended up walking everywhere.  Portland is very walkable... not as hilly as San Fran.  And there was a lovely breeze in the evenings that made walking very pleasant.  Plus, you always see so much more when you're walking.  

Thanks Portland!  We had a blast!  We hope to visit again one day!

From Portland, we made a quick stop by Multnomah Falls: 

 Then headed on to Mt. Hood where we stopped at a sno park near the base of the mountain and made a quick sandwich for dinner.  

BEAUTIFUL MT. HOOD

From Mt. Hood, we headed south to Bend.  I think I was MOST excited about visiting Bend.  In all the research we did before this trip, the pictures of Bend looked so inviting.  

We found a spot to camp on a Forest Service Road just outside of Bend.  The next morning, we made a quick visit to a waterfall near our campsite. 

RAGING RIVER!

 By 10 am it was HOT out.  So, we headed to Tumalo Falls.  A short hike to a beautiful waterfall that you can walk behind to cool off. 

IT'S QUITE A DRIVE TO GET BACK HERE,
BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT!

LOOK AT MIKE'S SHIRT!  LOTS OF POWER IN
THAT WATERFALL! 

YOU CAN'T TELL, BUT I WAS GETTING SOAKED
IN THIS PICTURE!
THE WATER WAS "REFRESHING." 

After the falls, we headed into downtown Bend to walk around... but it was SO hot that we decided we had to get on the river (with everyone else in Bend... the river was PACKED!).  So, we rented paddleboards and paddled/floated the river.  The water was COLD which was perfect.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a single picture of that little adventure. 

After paddling, we headed to our campsite... the only fee campsite of our entire road trip.  We stayed at Paradise campground about 1.5 hours west of Bend because we had a shuttle trip planned for the next morning.  We got set up at our site, made dinner, took showers, sat by a fire, and went to bed.  

OUR SITE WAS RIGHT ON THE BEAUTIFUL MCKENZIE RIVER!

The following day we rode the McKenzie River Trail; 26 miles of "downhill" mountain biking.  

This trail is a LONG 26 miles.  Mainly because it's not what I would consider to be true "downhill" biking.  It was a very pedal-y 26 miles.  Overall, the trail is relatively flat.  There are some technical sections, but no steep sections.  Out of 26 miles, I'm pretty sure we pedaled 25 miles!  And, it was HOT, HOT, HOTTTT!!!!!!!  The heat absolutely zapped our energy.  I haven't been that sweaty in a LONG time. 

The trail is rated #1 in the nation for mountain biking.  I really doubt that's because of the trail itself... but definitely because of the views along the trail... which are spectacular!

THE MCKENZIE RIVER IS A SPECTACULAR SHADE OF BLUE!

CLEAR LAKE... THE STARTING POINT OF THE TRAIL. 

BLUE SPRINGS

THERE ARE A RIDICULOUS NUMBER OF BRIDGES
LIKE THIS THAT YOU HAVE TO WALK YOUR BIKE
ACROSS... ALTHOUGH YOU DON'T HAVE TO WALK
IT ACROSS LIKE THIS GUY!  HE'S JUST BEING CRAZY. 

BLUE POOL.  THIS WATER COMES UP FROM UNDERGROUND!
THE PICTURE DOES NOT DO IT JUSTICE OF COURSE.
BEAUTIFUL SPOT FOR LUNCH. 

So, here's the deal.  There was SO much beautiful scenery on this trail.  The top is all lava fields... then the trail ducks into beautiful, lush forests, following the river.  There are a few spots where the trail doesn't parallel the river, and while still beautiful, it's ridiculously hot in those spots.  I would've loved to have taken more pictures but it was honestly so hot that I just lost the will to care about pictures.  We were SO exhausted at the end and the trail isn't really even that difficult.  The heat absolutely taxed us... and the fact that you are pedaling NON-STOP is pretty exhausting by the end.  

I definitely recommend the trail to other mountain bikers, but only for the scenery.... not for the trail itself.  Also, I will probably not be doing it again... ever. 

Here's a little video compilation of all the water falls and rivers we experienced on our trip:

 

Well, that was our trip. 

Up next... my brother and his family visit.

My 31st birthday and potentially closing on a house!  Eeeekkk!

Mike's family visits!!!

We visit NC for a week in July!

Whew.  

Stay tuned!  I will try to do a better job of posting!