|
🚐 No New Blog Post
Hey there JDLX Travel's biggest fans!
This week in real time:Our first week in Oregon came with chilly temperatures - barely above 40 for our first 5 days here. However, that didn't stop us from taking on some challenging hikes! 
We decided to hike around Paulina Falls and Lake - one of the lakes in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. It was a 7 mile loop and I was slightly concerned that it had been rainy that day, of course we didn't pay enough attention to realize that the hike was at elevation. So, we got snowed on for about 7 miles. We were also pushing it to finish before dark, so needless to say we did not have a lot of time to enjoy the second half of the hike, although the views were blocked by the clouds anyways! 
We took a day to recover, and I met up with my friend from college, Kate, who lives in OR and happened to be in Bend for the weekend. Of course we forgot to take any pictures together, but I did grab a shot at Mirror Pond on the Deschutes River! 
After two days of hiking rest, we were off to Smith Rock State Park, as recommended by Kate. Dylan chose our hike (again) and wanted to do the Misery Ridge Loop - lets just say the name should have been a good giveaway... You can see the beginning of the trail going up the mountain in the picture below. Unlike our speedwalked hike a few days prior, we had to take our time to ascend a cumulative 3,000 feet, AND descend the same on a very slippery set of switchbacks. Luckily we had good weather and daylight to take our time and enjoy the views, as well as geting to watch rock climbers all over the park. We would highly recommend this state park to anyone coming to Oregon! (Just maybe not the same hike...) After the hike we made a quick stop in Bend for Dylan to see the city. We got burgers at Bend Burger Co (recommended by Maddy and Cole) which were delicious! We also took the pups for a little walk along the Deschues River Trail to enjoy the views! 
Somehow it was already time to move the RV again, but it was just shy of two hours to the next spot. Our route took us over the Santiam Pass which spoiled us with mountain views for most of the drive! 
We hit the ground running in McKenzie Bridge, OR with a hike along the McKenzie River that offered stunning views of huge mossy trees, a rushing river, falls, lava rock, and the clearest blue lake we've ever seen! Unfortunately, I don't think pictures show the true beauty we experience hiking, so you just have to come see for yourselves! We also made it to Belknap Hot Springs to take a soak which was very relaxing! We are staying at a campground that is related, so we get unlimited hot spring access during our stay! 
One of the reasons we chose this park is the proximity to Eugene, OR. Yesterday we drove over to Eugene to meet up with my cousin Jordan. We got to see her neighborhood, and Jordan gave us an awesome tour of the University of Oregon! 
Thank you all for joining our newsletter email list! We love working on the blog and sending these updates - it's even more fun as the email list grows! Feel free to reach out, we love hearing from you! — JDL(X) Travel Sent while boiling our sore muscles in the hot springs |