We had not had a real family vacation since our boys went off to college, so we were excited that the logistics worked out for trip to Bend, Oregon.  We met our son, Andy at the airport in Portland and drove over to Vancouver, where we had lunch at  a nice restaurant overlooking the Columbia River. We noticed  a nice paved path that followed the river and decided to take a stroll after our meal.  The level path was full of activity and we enjoyed  working off a few of the calories we added during lunch.

     We enjoyed the beautiful drive up Santiam Pass and soon found ourselves in the high desert outside of Bend.  We connected with our son  and a friend in Bend and spent some time exploring the shops in the Old Mill District. Bend has over 50 miles of trails and we strolled along some nice paved paths along the Deschutes River before we had dinner.

    The next day we decided to celebrate the first day of summer with a drive  up into the mountains on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway.  The 66  mile highway passes by 14 lakes and provides fantastic views of Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top and the Sisters.  It was a cool, breezy day and we were surprised when we rounded a corner and drove into a heavy snow shower.  We stopped to take some photos and laughed about our first of taste of summer.  We drove to Sparks Lake and were pleased to find the accessible Ray Atkeson Memorial Trail. We explored the trail for about 1/2 mile as it passed by the small islands and rocky inlets of the lake. The showers passed and we enjoyed bright sunshine as we drove past more beautiful lakes along the highway.  We explored the lively downtown area of Bend that evening.

     The next morning Debi and I got up early and spent a couple of hours exploring the paths further downstream on the Deschutes River.   We enjoyed watching the birds and  felt relaxed as we watched the river quietly flow by.  We met up with the boys and spent some time exploring the area at Drake Park. The spacious green longs were inviting and we spent a lazy afternoon there enjoying some quality family time in the warm sun.

     We had been to Bend on an earlier trip and spent time exploring the trails at the Lava Lands Visitor Center about 8 miles south of town.  It is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument and it provides a fascinating look into the geologic history of the area.  There are several accessible interpretive trails that wind through the lava flows and pines. It is definitely worth the visit.