Sunriver v2.0: August 12 - August 18, 2007

We just returned from a very enjoyable week down at the Sunriver cabin...our mission this time: To RELAX! We did a pretty good job of it; I buzzed through the Anthony Bourdain book Kitchen Confidential, and spent countless hours pouring through my Rick Steves' Europe books and DVD's. Ro enjoyed sitting out in the sun (yes, it was a perfect 82 degrees every day-a nice break from the ho-hum summer we've had in Portland) and went through her entire magazine collection pulling out the valuable 'bits'.

We rented bikes one day and tooled out near the river, the stables and around Sunriver. Zach and his friend James hung out at the pool and went to the teen dance, and had a great time as well.

Some of the most enjoyable time was actually spent outside of Sunriver:

On Monday, we took a drive out past Mt. Bachelor to take a look at some of the lakes surrounding it. Our first stop was Todd Lake, a little 1 mile hike around its perimter, offering picturesque views of Mt. Bachelor and Broken Top. Once you enter the lake area, the trail follows the edge of the lake until about 1/2 way across, when you reach a semi-marshy meadow, full of baby frogs and wildflowers.

After enjoying Todd Lake, we drove down the road and spent a 'little' time at Sparks Lake and Devils Lake. Neither have the hiking opportunities offered by Todd Lake, but are good to see nonetheless. You can take a look at our photo's of the Todd Lake hike by clicking here or watch the video:



Perhaps one of the highlights of our side trips came with a visit to Smith Rock State Park. I'd always heard about this place where climbers go to scale mountains, but I didn't realize that there were some great family hiking opportunities here until I read about it in some of my Oregon trail guides.

We paid the $3 to park here (well worth it), and started our hike down the entry hill to get down to the footbridge crossing the Crooked River. Once we crossed the bridge, we continued along the River Trail for about a mile and caught a great view of not only The Rock, but some hikers scaling it's face. As I said in the video, I don't think camera's give this place justice...this is one worth seeing in person. Check out the photo's here, or watch the Smith Rock video:

One note to visitors to Sunriver: The only disappointment came in discovering the way Sunriver charges for their 'entertainment'. $72 to rent 2 rickety bikes for a day (included tag-a-long attached 1/2 bikes for the kids)...nearly $100 for Zach and James to go on a less-than-one-hour rafting trip. Not huge money, but too much for what you get. We'll be bringing our own outdoor entertainment from now on we think.

Our 'relaxation' vacation this year was very, well relaxing...We always enjoy our trips to Central Oregon and are especially excited to be sharing some adventures outside of the resort.