With two surgeries behind us, it was time to get our vacation on! Kina flew into Seattle, WA (from Guam), borrowed a van from her uncle, drove ALL day and met us at the airport in Portland, OR. After a much needed respite at McMenamins in Wilsonville, we headed for Redmond—prime viewing location for the 2017 Solar Eclipse—where Aaron's parents live at Eagle Crest. Fortunately for us, the eclipse was over and the traffic was all going the other way.
One of the great things that have popped up in Oregon since our last visit—small batch distilleries.
First stop—Crater Lake Spirits—where you can taste FREE!
Aaron went on a tour.
John, Jan, Kina and I enjoyed mini (not many) cocktails.
We also visited Oregon Spirits Distillery where we tried Absinthe—a truly unique experience.
We ALL took a tour there.
We enjoyed a short walking tour of the Old Mill District in Bend.
Sadly, Oregon's skies were full of smoke from forest fires.
Sadly, Oregon's skies were full of smoke from forest fires.
Another day—10 Barrel Brewing Co
The number of brew pubs and tap houses has dramatically increased in the
Northwest (and down into CA) over the last eight years. It's incredible!
We took a little road trip and stopped at several mountain lakes.
Lovely clear water.
We taught John the art of the usie.
Same day, another beer
Sunriver Brewing Co
Aaron's favorite beers were had there.
Aaron's favorite beers were had there.
Eagle Crest has a great miniature golf course complete with bunkers and hazards.
We had a lot of fun navigating the course.
Another day, another beer
We met up with our friend Stephanie, originally from the Salem area. She's a server at Three Creeks.
She noticed (on Instagram) that we were in the area and told us to come by for pizza and beer.
She noticed (on Instagram) that we were in the area and told us to come by for pizza and beer.
Richard and Margie (left) from Corvallis were also visiting Bend so we met them for…
What else? A BEER! at Crux Fermentation Project
We've known these two since Aaron transferred to Oregon State University in 1995.
Richard was the last in a series of Bible teachers, during Aaron's college days.
We've known these two since Aaron transferred to Oregon State University in 1995.
Richard was the last in a series of Bible teachers, during Aaron's college days.
We tried the sampler here.
Crux was a cool, trendy spot.
Outside they had a large area for picnicking. It was surrounded
by food trucks. You could eat their food or order from the trucks outside and bring it in.
We took some time out to change the oil in the van. "Thanks to Kina's uncle for the use of it!"
Because of the solar eclipse there were no car rentals available.
That made us thirsty. So we stopped in at an old favorite
John and Jan's dog, Maddie saw clearly the "dog lover" in Kina and constantly pestered her to play fetch.
Jennie and the boys came overs to spend a few days with us.
Will challenged me to a game of War. Will and Reid dialed in Kina's number rather quickly and
tortured her endlessly. Of course, she loved it—being the big sister of three boys!
Ah, crisp mornings on the patio!
Spending a few hours tubing the Deschutes River was a highlight. The day was perfect AND the water was cold! We realized how cold towards the end when we shot a few riffles. Aaron had the full experience when he got caught up between riffles and his tube dumped him!
I guess he shouldn't have been so overconfident at the start.
Most of the river was smooth and we chatted peacefully as we floated along.
Quality time with people we love is good medicine.
Thanks to all for making it special!
💙
Thanks to all for making it special!
💙
Well that was an adventure! Looks like you had a wonderful time with Jane and John (by the way they both look great!) Lets not forget Kina! Nice that Jenny and the boys were able to come to mom's.Glad your first stop in Oregon was a success!
ReplyDelete