Weekend Escape to Bend, OR

The Gotchers take a much-needed dip in the pool after a mosquito-plagued fishing adventure.
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The entire Gotcher family -- with husky Pinge in tow -- made a quick weekend getaway to beautiful Bend, OR, which proved to be much warmer and summer-like than our home in Portland! We drove down to Salem and headed east on Hwy 20 and enjoyed sunny vistas of Detroit Lake, Mt. Washington, and the Three Sisters as we headed into downtown Bend for our hotel stop.

After checking in, we headed out for an afternoon of fishing. The Newberry Crater was on the "must see & do" list at www.visitbend.com, so we decided we "must see it!" However, as the afternoon was passing quickly, we decided to make a closer stop along the Deschutes River at Benham Falls instead. The views of the roaring rapids were spectacular, however the only "bite" we experienced were from the biting mosquitos, which left many "memorable" marks on all the Gotchers except Elise, thankfully! We will not forget the insect repellant tomorrow, that's for sure. Unfortunately since the fish weren't biting and the moquitos would not stop biting at the family-friendly bridge that Kenny & Audrey were posted at most of the time, we took a quick hike up the river to take in the views and then called it a day.

Still no biting fish today, however the breathtaking views made the entire trip worthwhile!

Baby Elise makes her first splash in the pool with her big sisters and loves it!
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After enduring the attack of the mosquitos, we decided that a refreshing swim was in order! So we headed back to the hotel and took Elise for her first pool swim. She really enjoyed it, even kicking her legs about, and we were all surprised at how easily she floated -- a truly buoyant baby!

Dinner at the Deschutes Brewery in downtown Bend was fabulous family fun! The children's menu was quite diverse, including dishes such as a salmon fillet (which Audrey happily chose) and  Asiago cheese pasta (which Claire would not pass up). Mom and Dad shared an elk burger and rack of BBQ baby-back ribs -- both meaty and melt-in-your-mouth delicious -- and sampled some of the pub-only masterpieces! Who has room for dessert? The girls do, of course!

Audrey & Claire entertain themselves with the unique architecture of the Deschutes Brewery while we wait for a table during Saturday night dinner rush.
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Sunday Kenny stole away for a vigorous morning mountain bike ride in the Cascades. After breakfast, we all headed out along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway (Hwy 40), where we stopped to fish at several lakes (Devils Lake and Crane Prairie) as well as another, less-mosquito-infested section of the Deschutes River. Still no biting fish today, however the breathtaking views of the Three Sisters, Mt. Bachelor, and Broken Top made the entire trip worthwhile!  We also got a great view of Mt. Jefferson as we headed out of town and back onto the highway heading home.

The Gotcher Girls enjoying their cozy sleeping arrangements, but nobody's sleeping yet!
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As we traveled through the densely-forested highway heading back to Portland, I asked myself why it had taken us so long to make a trip out to this outdoor adventure treasure? I'm still not sure, however I know it's not enough to keep me from missing my Colorado Rockies (the actual Rockies, that is)!