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Published: July 18th 2023
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We headed to Oregon with all our camping equipment. We have not camped since before the pandemic but we had stored all our camping gear in big plastic tubs so it was easy to pack. We have Teton cots and sleeping pads on the cots. Marks cot is larger than a twin bed. I love the cots they are very comfortable and we can store our suitcases under the cots. We bought a summer tent that is tall so we can stand up in the tent. It was hot the first few nights so we slept with all the tent windows uncovered and we left the ceiling cover off. I enjoyed being able to see the sky as we slept. We stayed at Emigrant Lake for a few days. We hiked on a trail part way around the lake. The trail ends at a rock wall which had climbers on it. The campground was mostly empty but a lot of people come for day use with boats and jet skis. We wine tasted near the campground and saw The Three Musketeers in Ashland.
We have never been to a Crater Lake. I was unable to get reservations for camping at Crater
Lake so we are camping at Diamond Lake. We camp at Broken Arrow campground. There are other campgrounds at Diamond Lake and I wish we had booked any campground but Broken Arrow. The camp sites were large and no one was camped near us. The
re were massive swarms of mosquitoes so we stood near our campfire or stayed in our tent. The worst was the condition of the restrooms and showers. There was no toilet paper in the bathrooms and they were very dirty. People from other parts of the campground kept coming to use our bathroom because the toilets were clogged in their bathrooms. So never camp at Broken Arrow Campground.
We drive to Crater Lake, waning GPS on our phones and cars do not work in this area. On our way to the campground we had to stop and ask for directions twice. We no longer carry paper maps and that was a mistake. Luckily there are clear signs to Crater Lake. We use our Senior Pass into National Parks to get into the park for free. I wanted to take the boat tour of the Lake but the boats are not running yet due to snow.
The trolley tours are running. We take the 10:00 AM tour. Ranger Dave narrates the tour and he is very knowledgeable having worked 17 summers in the park. Dave is a high school teacher in Carson during the school year. He is very funny, I bet he works on his jokes during the off season. I highly recommend the trolley tour, it lasts two hours and comes with loads of information. A massive volcanic eruption 7,000 years ago left a deep basin which over time rain and snow turned the basin into a lake. The lake is one of the deepest lakes in the world and may be filled with the cleanest water in any lake in the world. We ate lunch at the cafe in the park and had a beautiful view from the seats on the second floor of the cafe/gift shop. After lunch we drive to Vidae Falls. The falls are right on the road so no hiking involved. These are small falls but since no hiking is involved I recommend it for everyone. We then drive back to Rim Village and hike on the rim trail towards The Watchman a high point on the trail. Since
we don’t like hanging with the mosquitoes at the campground we eat dinner in the park and read our Kindels until it is almost dark.
Our last stop is Bend. There are no campgrounds in town so we are staying at the Element a Marriott property. We use points to stay here so no cost. Our room has a kitchen so I make dinner in our room. The hotel offers free hot breakfast and free beer, wine and snakes from 5 to 6:30 midweek. My favorite hotel offering are the free bike and helmets. We took the bikes out for a three hour ride. We try to follow the Deschutes River trail but due to repairs being made on the trail we keep losing it. On our ride we saw surfers riding the river, awesome. We felt like we saw a lot of Bend on our ride. It is hard to believe it is midweek because so many people are out and about. We love Bend and the outdoor culture that exists here. Oregon is known for their beer and wine but the beer rules in Bend. There are about 34 breweries in Bend and we hope to visit the
top five. Crux Fermentation Project is our first brewery. Wow it is Wednesday night and the place is full inside and outside with lots of families. The place reminds me of Drakes Brewery in Sacramento with lots of outdoor space for games. There are three food trucks here and the families are enjoying dinner with the excellent beer.
Sunriver Brewing Co. is our next stop. Sunriver has seating inside, outside in front and back of the brewery. We watch men’s soccer on tv while we enjoy our beers. Bend is a cute city with lots of shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at J Dub the restaurant has a menu for for your dog and water bowls. We had a good lunch outside with the furry friends. Mark likes old arcade games so we spent an hour at Vector Volcano Arcade where you pay $8 for unlimited play. We also walked to Deschutes Brewery and Boneyard Beer and enjoyed them both. We liked Bend and we will be back maybe with the kids since they like outdoor activities and beer.
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