This past weekend Jenna and I were lucky enough to tag along on an adventure in Central Oregon. We accompanied Lauren and Kyle to Black Butte, OR where Kyle's family cabin is located. We were also joined by Lauren's parents, Paul and Sandy who were visiting from Wisconsin Rapids, WI! On the drive to Black Butte we saw a beautiful strawberry farm that we had to stop and check out!
Once we unpacked our gear at the cabin, we drove about 10 miles east to a small town called Sisters. We broke up and investigated the antique shops, stores, restaurants, and distilleries. We ended our visit at a great little outdoor restaurant with wine and flat-breads!
That night Kyle and Lauren cooked a fantastic meal of spaghetti carbonara! Accompanying the great food was a $fantastic$ bottle of wine that Lauren's parents picked up on their first day in Oregon! The night was filled with interesting hypothetical questions from a game we found called "table topics". It was a perfect way to end the night after a few glasses of wine!
Sunday morning we were spoiled with yet another great meal provided by Lauren and Kyle. We feasted over eggs, toast, asparagus, fruit, and coffee. Feeling satisfied and ready for an adventure, we made our way to Metolius River. The river flows north from springs near Black Butte, and descends through a series of gorges before ending in the western end of the Billy Chinook Lake. It provided some excellent views and reckless opportunities!
Feeling accomplished and satisfied we decided to head south to Bend, OR and grab some food and explore the city! Bend is located on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range along the Deschutes River and provides ample opportunities for mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, white-water rafting, and skiing. We decided on to visit the famous Deschutes Brewey!
We picked up a pizza for dinner and Paul bought cigars in Bend for some "man time" spent on the deck while the ladies caught an episode of "Dateline" by the fire. We ended the night drinking and discussing "table topics" yet again!
Monday morning came all too quick! After we took our time getting ready for the day we began our day by visiting Smith Rock State Park which has been widely considered the birthplace of modern sport climbing. After hiking and enjoying the scenery, we decided it was time to get back to Portland, but not before we stopped at Peter Skene Ogden Park. We weren't prepared to witness the steep drop-off and incredible views that it had to offer!
Because we had a long and packed drive up to Portland, we decided to take a detour to Timberline Lodge on top of Mt. Hood to get out of the holiday traffic. So we ended the weekend at Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood for drinks and a snack before sending Paul and Sandy on their way back to Wisconsin! It was a nice and cozy way to end a fantastic weekend!
