Juliette woke up on Thursday morning eager to get back on her wheels, so we headed over to the basketball courts to let her practice her turns. She did circle after circle around Shane and I while the Dixie Chicks’ Wide Open Spaces looped through my head.
A quick game of tag, a speedy ride home, and then high fives were due all around. You rock, Jules.
We drove up to Bend later that morning for legit coffee at Strictly Organic and legit beer at Immersion Brewing. Gotta stay hydrated!
And then we popped over to Farewell Bend Park for a romp on the playground and a walk along the Deschutes River Trail.
I love the terrain along here – feels like part desert canyon, part mountain woods.
We were dusty and tired after our riverside jaunt, so we pulled off at Paulina Creek on our way home to stretch out and put our feet in the calm, cool water.
This little oasis was just so…oasis-y.
Sometimes this girl refuses to have her picture taken. And sometimes, this…
Juliette fished pinecones out of the water while I sat back and sealed this moment away in my happy PNW memory bank.
“Dips, Mommy, more dips!”
I closed out our final evening in La Pine with a sunset stroll through the neighborhood – I was ready to get back to Seattle but sure was going to miss this slow, quiet life we’d been living for the past few days.
We said goodbye to my mom and dad (and Bernie!) on Friday morning and hit the road to Portland.
First though, because you know I like to pack it in, a stop at Waldo Lake to see if the water there was as beautiful as we’d read it was.
IT WAS.
Seriously, this lake is something else, with water that ranged from the deepest cerulean blue to the clearest turquoise.
Dang it, Jules! Summer looks so lovely on you.
Shane asked me the other night if I’m more of a lake person or a beach person and at the time I said I was pretty evenly drawn to both. But after taking another look at these pictures, I think it’s lakes for the win.
And with that, the paddle board was deflated and Central Oregon Bonanza 2017 was a wrap. (Waaaahhhhh!)
We powered on to Portland for a one-night layover, where we were greeted by my brother with a couple of cold home brews. Jack and La Verne coincidentally rolled into town a couple of hours later to begin their own Oregonian vacation, so they joined our party for a bit.
Together again and it feels so good!
Saturday morning was filled with cookies, cousin time, and a riverside stroll…
We got home late Saturday afternoon, dropped our bags on the floor, and ventured only as far as Costco on Sunday. We were beat. You’re just too good, Oregon. Too good.