Pacific Northwest Aug 2019 - Day 5 Crater Lake and Bend

[katiebaz]

After a bit of a mixed sleep we were all awake at 6am again so we read for a while with a cup of tea before heading back to Annie’s for breakfast. We do really love staying in the National Parks, in particular in the early mornings when there is no-one else about, the air is so clear, you can smell the pines and hear the birdsong. We enjoyed our breakfast and filled up on pancakes, eggs and bacon then sat outside our cabin with cups of tea, watching the birds and enjoying the calm.

We then packed up, checked out and headed back to the Rim Village which we had pretty much to ourselves as it was so early. Having parked up we then did the short 2 mile walk to Discovery Point which was the place the first person discovered the Lake. We did rather like the story that after discovering it, they then ‘forgot’ about it and didn’t tell anyone and it was discovered again a few years later. I am not sure how you forget such a sight, but different times perhaps?
We had the trail virtually to ourselves and spotted a pine marten, squirrels and chipmunks on the way. We took tons of pictures but it was hard to capture how beautiful it was and it did feel like the camera just didn’t do it justice.

Back at the car we changed into our shorts as it had warmed up and headed to our next stop the town of Bend. On arrival we stopped at an outlet mall as Daniel wanted some trainers from the Nike outlet and then grabbed some lunch which we ate at the lovely Farewell Bend State Park. It was a gorgeous park, running alongside the river with the mountains in the background. The facilities were also excellent with plenty of picnic tables, walking and bike trails, shelters, toilets etc. We are always impressed with the public spaces in the states which seem of a much higher quality than ours - perhaps funded by the State sales taxes?

We had a wonder along the river admiring the huge waterfront houses and watching people tubing and paddle boarding which is something we had planned for the next day. We really liked the atmosphere of Bend which is a very outdoorsy town with a similar vibe to Boulder in Denver, but not quite as hipster.

Later that afternoon, we checked into our hotel and were given a huge room which was appreciated and went for a swim and dip in the hot tub. That evening we drove into downtown Bend and had a bit of a domestic over parking. It wasn’t clear if we had to pay for parking or not at night and none of the car parks took cash or card - just payment on an app we couldn’t access. In the end we chanced it, left the car and walked to the restaurant we had picked that night, called Barrio (our surname is Barrie so we just had to go!) Well it was the right choice as the food was superb. It was a Spanish/Mexican menu which was limited but all freshly cooked. Daniel and I had wonderful tacos whilst Steve had the best Paella he has ever tasted. After dinner we wondered the downtown with its outdoors and independent shops - Daniel treated himself to a Patagonia cap he wanted and we had a good mooch.

Back at the hotel we caught the end of the baseball and watched American’s Got Talent before falling asleep.

[CrispyA]

Are you really on holiday if you haven’t had a parking domestic? Gorgeous pictures again - Bend sounds really cool

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by CrispyA

Are you really on holiday if you haven’t had a parking domestic? Gorgeous pictures again - Bend sounds really cool

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Ha ha, yes parking/driving domestics are definable part of a road trip

[Sparksy72]

Discovery point is stunning, you photos are lovely. It’s always nice to finish the day with a great meal!

[smithlane]

More beautiful scenery. I love the photo from Discovery Point and the mountain in the background with the rafters on the river.

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

Discovery point is stunning, you photos are lovely. It’s always nice to finish the day with a great meal!

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I could go back in a heartbeat and a good meal is definitely the best way to end the day.

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by smithlane

More beautiful scenery. I love the photo from Discovery Point and the mountain in the background with the rafters on the river.

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Thank you and everywhere we turned in Oregon and Washington, the scenery was just stunning.