Fall Vacation 2012

Two years ago we took our first ever family vacation down to California. We had SO MUCH FUN and have been dreaming of going back ever since. Last year, times were very tough and we were not able to do any type of vacation. This year, things are better but not great, so we decided that California would be a little too much expense and settled for something a bit closer. The best time of the year for us to go on vacation is early November as soon as Kevin's tuna season is over. So, I was a bit discouraged at the prospect of a rainy, cool vacation in the NW when we chose Redmond, OR as our destination. My cousins and aunt and uncle (and even my parents with them!) have gone many times to Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond with rave reviews, so we decided to give it a try.

I have to say that I see the appeal. Rather than a typical condo that you get with WorldMark, the units available at Eagle Crest include 3 bedroom, 2-story, stand-alone chalets complete with a hot tub on the deck and jet tub in the master suite! It was AMAZING! So much room for the kids! It was my first time sleeping so far away from the kids (the master bedroom was upstairs with the other two bedrooms downstairs), but all three slept great every night and Ben even decided to sleep in his own room by himself (at home, they all three share one room). We played games, did a 600-piece puzzle (with Abby being a major contributor - I'm amazed how skilled she is at puzzles!), swam at the pool several times, took a couple jet tub baths (the kids told me that the jet tub is just about as fun as the swimming pool!), played on the playground, had pop corn and root beer floats, ran up and down the stairs (pretty exciting stuff to kids who live in a one-story house :), and watched Mickey Mouse Club House every morning (probably the highlight of the vacation for Benny! Ha!).

AND we didn't have to stay indoors the whole time as I had originally thought we would, because we were blessed with two upper-70s days while we were there!!! I was so excited!!! We didn't have to go to California to get the warm sunshine! And the days were even warmer than originally forecasted. It was fabulous. Our first full day there, Kevin was actually feeling pretty crummy (he'd ended up getting a nasty cold the kids had had a week or so earlier). After swimming with us, he was wiped out and ended up taking a three hour nap.

The kids and I took a walk near our chalet and visited with my aunt and uncle who were staying in the chalet next door to ours for a couple nights (remember how much I said they loved it there? Well, my cousin Jayne left the morning of the day we arrived AND my cousin Jeff arrived the afternoon of the day we departed!!). Then once the boys were tucked in for the naps, Abby and I headed down to the other end of the resort for a little hike along the Deschutes River. It was a fun outing for just the two of us. And we were treated to a lovely sunset on our drive back to the chalet!

  

 The following day, Kevin was feeling significantly better so we decided to tackle the outing I had really wanted to do - to go hiking at Smith Rock State Park just 25 minutes away. It was so gorgeous, so warm, so fun....and so tiring. We originally and ambitiously thought we could do the 3.5 mile hike to the top and down. The parking actually sits up high on the canyon wall opposite the rock, so to begin one must hike down one side (although less than half the height of Smith Rock proper) and cross the river even before the actual 3.5 mile hike begins. That hike down just about did us in. Ben's feet kept slipping on the loose gravel and although Kevin or I always had a firm grasp on his hand, he kept fearfully and angrily saying, "You're trying to pull me down!" over and over. Jake kept crying and poking at his ears with a still lingering ear infection from his previous cold. We all got scared when a 2-3 foot snake appeared on the trail directly in front of us. Close to the bottom Ben declared that he would go no further. Abby wanted to turn back. Jake was crying and wanted OUT of the carrier. Kevin was complaining of a headache. And I gave up my plan of hiking to the top of Smith Rock.

We convinced Ben to walk a bit further to a cave we saw just up the path. This excited him and once we arrived everyone declared they were hungry (I think it was 11am) and the kids ended up eating all the lunch I'd brought along. After that refreshment we decided to walk along the river hike that looped around behind Smith Rock. The level path was the right choice for the little ones and we when we figured out that Jake much prefered to ride on the front of me rather than on my back in the Ergo carrier that I borrowed from a friend, things went along fairly smoothly...for awhile. But even on that easy hike we only made it about a 1/8 of the way before we decided that it was best to head back (part of the problem was Ben who wanted to poke every rock and tree and plant with a stick he'd found in the cave! :). Kevin started back with boys and Abby and I made a quick hike up the side about to the base of the actual rock just so we could say we'd really made it to Smith Rock. :) We were having a blast together, but I was feeling guilty about ditching my ailing husband with the boys and was thinking that he had probably long ago arrived at our proposed meeting spot, so we hurried back down to the main path....only to see them about 100 yards up the path. I couldn't believe what little progress they'd made compared to the distance Abby and I had climbed and come back! Ha! Silly little boys get so distracted. :)



That was the point at which my camera died, and so I unfortunately have no pictures of our meeting spot down by the river except one I took with my phone. :( It was such a gorgeous spot and we had such fun throwing rocks into the water and playing in the sand.

The kids and I could have stayed for hours, but Kevin was feeling worse by the minute, so we headed back up out of the canyon to our car. At the top, I glanced at the time and couldn't believe that a mere two and half hours had passed since we had begun our excursion. I asked Kevin how long he thought we'd been there and he guessed at least four hours! (Next time, I think I'll leave the boys at home and just us girls will do the hiking! :) After the boys got settled down for their naps back at the chalet, Abby and I once again took off on our own exploring the area - we found a nearby state park where we fed some ducks, we found a reindeer farm, and we bought some post cards.

That was the end of the beautiful, warm weather. The next day the temperature dropped 25-30 degrees and I found myself wishing I'd brought our thick winter jackets. We opted to head to the High Desert Museum in Bend at the recommendation of my cousin Jayne. We were so glad we did! I usually balk at high admission prices, but even I have to say that this museum is worth every penny! It featured the history, wildlife, landscape and culture of the central Oregon area. It had so many exhibits that we spent 4.5 hours there and still felt rushed and didn't even get to it all! The highlights for our family were the bob cat (Jake's favorite), the butterfly and hummingbird aviary, an otter named Thomas (Abby's favorite), the steam-powered model sawmill outside (Ben's favorite), the many bronze statues throughout the grounds, and the walk-thru 1885 settlement town. But there was sooo much more, including a craft for the kids to make and a play area!

The following day we headed home, with only one quick scenic view stop (Kevin stayed in the car with sleeping Jake). Walking on the old and now closed-to-traffic bridge while looking across at the new highway bridge:

As we headed over the mountain pass, we got to see the first snow of the season at Timberline on Mt. Hood. How fun to go from sunny 78 degrees to snow just two days later! Although the ride had its moments of craziness and screaming in the backseat, all in all it went very well. The kids enjoyed me reading from their first big chapter book, "The Box Car Children," during the drive down and back and are quite anxious to begin book two. :)

The trip was so much fun and it was great to get to spend so much time together as a family, making new memories. The location, lodging, weather and excursions were so incredible that we may opt for a Redmond, OR vacation next year even if funds would permit us to go all the way to California - it was that awesome! :)