Summertime Moutain Biking

There is no shortage of Mountain Bike Trails in this area as well.

It's getting harder and harder to keep up w him!

He doesn't like to hike but he'll go if he can take a bike.

This is a fun little trail, literally, just over the edge from our house.

 At first he claimed he didn't like these trails in the Maston area until we found the death trail that runs along the edge of a cliff that's hundreds of feet above the Deschutes River!

He's a good lil rider, I just hang on and pedal for dear life. Pretty sure this is the day I tipped over and had a shoe fall off?! 

 Phil's Trails! A super fun area w miles of mountain bike trails. An area we both can agree on!

 Sometimes we can all get together on a day that E has off!

Don't worry, E had a helmet too, but took it off for the picture 🙄

Crooked River

One of our favorites places to go play and beat the heat, down to the Crooked River. It's a bit of a hike down into the canyon to get to the river and even harder climbing back out. But the nice thing about it is it's never been occupied by others, we get it all to ourselves.

This girl! ❤

The first time she came on this hike w us 3 years ago, 

we were really worried she wasn't going to make it. 

But in true Kylee fashion she didn't give up even in her cute little "Easter Sunday sandals" 😉

Now she hikes w the best of  'em and even owns hiking shoes!

 Morgan and Jaxon

 Ethan and Jaxon trying to swamp the boat

 I'm pretty sure Dawson is tethered w a rope to the bank! 

Of course he has a life jacket on and plenty of adult supervision both on the bank and in the river!

 I'm doing the fishing part for Dawson, we're a good team - I hook 'em and he reels 'em in

 There it is

 Oh and I release 'em off the hook too

 Ugh, the climb out

 It's a beautiful hike though

 Oh wow

Catching my breath 

.

 Another Oh wow

 Half way to the top

25 years

For our 25th anniversary we had a little staycation at 7th Mtn Resort on the Cascades Lake Hwy.

It was just our kinda vacation. We loaded up the mountain bikes, did some riding, hanging out by the pool, swimming in the Deschutes river, shopping and took a white water rafting trip on the Deschutes. I'm not so sure that Mitch appreciated me volunteering us to be up front but it was worth it!

Getting ready to go rafting.

It was a great couple of days. 

Thanks to the big kids for hanging w J, cleaning the house, having a little party for us and a silver anniversary gift!

Hiking Broken Top

This is the second time Mitch and I have hiked this. We came much more prepared ,with actual backpacks, water and food for the day. We also were accompanied willingly by Morgan and Kylee and not so willing Jaxon. This is over a 12 mile hike from where we start, at Todd Lake (my fave Lake) where you can see Jaxon standing in it. And we hike all the way up to that broken top mountain seen off in the distance in the first picture. 

 

 This is about how far Mitch and I made it the first time. So close to the top but not to No Name Lake. From Todd Lake elevation is aprox 6100ft and the top is aprox 8,000ft and just over 13 miles in and out.

This is Jaxon looking less than thrilled, he's a hiking machine when he wants to be, just about to make the last accent to the top and the lake.

 

 Mitch on the final uphill of this hike

 

And the top of Broken Top and No Name Lake. That's a little iceberg out there, and the snow typically stays year round in this crater. There's also a small heard of elk at the bottom of the lake that got swept in the previous winter by an avalanche. 

 

 A bit exhausted and happy to be at the top

 

 He's in a much better mood w a sandwich in his tummy and heading back down

Another good day and adventure in Central Oregon

is golf a serious game?

It depends on who your golfing with I suppose. I've been taking gold lessons as well as Jaxon so we both hit the range together, just the 2 of us. We got teamed up w a single player for the first 9 and had to try to look and act like we knew what we were doing (mostly me) so by the back 9, on or own we let loose, can't say our (my) score got worse! 

 

 

 This is Jaxon riding his golf caddy down the 17th fairway

 

 I guess by the 17th hole things can get a little silly.

Tamolitch - The Blue Pool

The Makenzie wilderness area and river are another one of my favorites to explore. Mitch and I came close to seeing this a few years ago, on a return trip back from the coast, but we ran out of time because we were busy up river checking out Koosah Falls and Sahalie Falls.

This isn't a bad hike in, and we are able to go during the morning and in the middle of the week. But it was still a "hike" so Jaxon brought a bike to avoid hiking.

So this is where the Mackenzie rivers shows back up after a few miles of being underground. Right now the water was a bit low so you could see the falls/or wear the river emerges back from underground; but when the pool is full you don't see the water entering the pool.

 There's a pretty steep climb in and out of the pool .

 It's a beautiful blue color, although quite cold at 38*F.

 Morgan mocking Jaxon and his poutiness. 

He can put up a fuss but once he's out there he sure enjoys it

 Getting up the courage to get in, BRRRR

 He did it!

 Morgan has always been the fearless go getter, always hopping in and going for  swim. This pool is one to be respected, there have been several tragic deaths d/t it's frigidness/hypothermia and although in some spots it's over 30 ft deep parts can be deceiving to those few cliff jumpers that made an unfortunate last jump.

 She made it off the shallow ledge, a few strokes out to the turquoise, DEEP, COLD spot and then back. The dog shows the anxiety we all had, making sure she got back o.k.

 I got in to about my ankles!

 See, it IS fun!

 His preferred method of getting through the mountains

 Those views!