Last Stop for Biking, Brews and Then Home Again.

We were totally pumped to end our trip with a stop in Bend, OR. One of these days we really need to plan for a couple of weeks there – two days is just a tease. We arrived at Tumalo State Park, just four miles outside of Bend, on Memorial Day. The day use area of Tumalo is right on the Deschutes River and the combination of holiday and hot, sunny weather brought out the crowds. Happily, there are miles of River Trail to explore and we found plenty of little side trails that led to the water so Riley got in his aquatic play time.

Deschutes River.

Riley in the river.

One of the things Rog loves about Bend is the extensive system of first-rate mountain bike trails. Another is the equally impressive array of superb breweries. Crux is one of our favorites, and we enjoyed their Sundowner Hour Monday evening. Crux has a great dog-friendly outdoor area set up with games, food trucks, and the most amazing fire pit. Even with all the kids and chaos, Riley did great and was a total charmer and magnet for attention and pets. We returned on Tuesday evening, but it was decidedly cooler and Riley stayed home so we could sit inside.

Riley oversees the Crux Sundowner.

Daddy will share his snacks, but not his beer.

Mommy prefers a spot by the fire.

Isn't this the coolest fire pit?

On Tuesday, Rog rode 18 miles on the trails (up the Ben and down the Phil Trail – me, I prefer Ben & Jerry’s 😊). He had a blast. On the up side he totally enjoyed the well designed and maintained single track with lots of fast swoopy curves under the trees. On the down side he did not take a single picture! Since it’s more fun to ride than dig out the camera, he agreed to take pictures whenever he stopped (either to rest or after a crash). No Neosporin needed on this ride and since it was a relatively easy climb uphill and lots of fast, fun curves on the downhill we have no pictures to share. Sorry. Although we have no photographic evidence, I promise we did more than just hang out at Crux! Honest! Lol. 

We were in no hurry to leave on Wednesday and took time for another walk along the Deschutes River. We had the trail all to ourselves and Riley got some off-leash river time. We pulled out just before the 1pm check out time and overnighted at the French Prairie rest stop in Aurora, OR.

Look, it's an Otter Pup. :) 

Riley's water park. :)

We made it home Thursday afternoon on May 31^st. Our daughter Rian was housesitting and had spent two days cleaning before we arrived. The house was spotless, and I really thought hard about not letting anyone through the front door. 😊 Sigh. It didn’t take long before the floor was drool spotted, dog hair was drifting in the air, and ten loads of laundry were piled in the hall. Ahhhhh. Home sweet home.

Home is where you park it (in more ways than one).

So, what where the stats for this trip? We were gone 78 days and traveled 3212 miles. We visited two National Parks (Pinnacles and Death Valley) and one National Monument (John Day Fossil Beds). We moochdocked with family for 12 nights and boondocked for 15 nights. The remainder of our time was spent in state parks, BLM and Forest Service campgrounds, county and private parks. It’s impossible to pick a favorite place because each one had its appeal and they were all different. We loved the national parks for the scenery and hiking (Death Valley is just incredible!), for relaxation the hot springs were amazing, and for camp time boondocking is a top contender.

We did have a few hiccups on the road – Riley’s emergency vet visit, my dead computer, the trashed RV tire, and my much-loved and well-used camera finally bit the dust. Luckily, all it took was time, liverwurst, and lots of cash to get everything back on track. 😊

Our next trip is already planned for July, back to Diamond Lake in Oregon for biking, kayaking, and campfires with family and friends. In the meantime, we have lots of yard work and home maintenance to catch up on. We want to spend time with Rian before she returns to Sacramento and we have Riley’s first birthday to celebrate! We’ll keep you posted!