We headed to the high desert in the middle of June with some friends of ours with whom we go way back – Jenn and Scott, plus Scott’s sister Tracy, and all of their kiddos. The setting was a nice, sweet breath of fresh air. It smelled different – a mixture of pines and who-knows-what, some kind of desert brush. It reminded me of South Texas, except for, well - these mountains. I love their name, the “Three Sisters”, as if to honor my own family. I took a photo and texted my sisters, but I think we were too far into the country to get any reception.
We stopped at the High Desert Museum, which has a little trail for the kiddos to stretch their legs after the long car ride. Look at all these kids! 6 total, five and under. We walked around, learned about raptors (which came in handy during the trip), and had lunch at the café. I had to take this picture, the first of many meals for our large group.
I didn’t start the trip with any expectations, really. We won the vacation on a silent auction bid back in October, and it seemed like a nice place to look forward to . Our resort in Bend was so lovely – we hiked every day, went mountain biking, took the kids for pony rides, and enjoyed the heated pools. It was so wonderful that Jenn and I were depressed about leaving, so we negotiated two extra nights. I still didn’t want to leave. Hopefully, we’ll be back. I am in love with the high desert. Who knew.
We had rituals: we cooked all of the meals and read stories to the kids before bedtime. Every dawn and dusk, we’d watch an osprey (one of those high desert raptors!) that nested nearby pluck a fish out of the pond where our dining table overlooked. We spent every night after the kids went to bed playing games and drinking gin and tonic or whiskey. I busted out the Mexican Train and taught everyone how to play (with Matt’s help). I was channeling my inner San Antonio, I guess. I even introduced Mexican Bingo to the kids to get them settled before dinner (though I should probably censor some of those tiles. sheesh.)
The scenery here was sublime – rapidly flowing Deschutes River among peaceful ponderosa pines in a backdrop of lava flow. The adults took turns with the kids, and we each went rafting one day and hiking the next day. Ah, some grown-up time! Jenn and Tracy and I took this serpentine hike along the Deschutes that closely paralleled where we’d gone rafting the day before. It was refreshing.
Our new discovery in Bend was the pump track! Seriously, so much fun. Dean and Fiona had a blast – and I have found my new sport. It was exhilarating, kind of like skiing without all the equipment. Matt decided to ride some of the flat trail with Leo in tow.
Here’s our fabulous group. Best. vacation. ever.
