Oregon Recap

Better late than never, I guess. I had a great time in Oregon a few weeks ago with the ladies. It's nice to travel with people who are easy to get along with, give you space when you need it and company when you don't! Also, as I mentioned before, we were all on the same page when it came to diet and exercise, so we spent a lot of time walking, hiking, running and eating great summer salads! It was pretty cool when we were there; the lowest was about 30 degrees while the high was maybe in the low 70s. 

On the drive up, we stopped in Redding to visit the sundial bridge, which spans the Sacramento River. We also passed Mt. Shasta and stopped to eat lunch in Weed. I love Weed! :)

Sundial Bridge -- Redding, CA

Quite a brood!

Mt. Shasta

While in Oregon, we went hiking up the Black Butte mountain, which is 2 miles each way and about a 1,600 ft elevation gain. We also went for an ice cream at Camp Sherman and went over the McKenzie Pass, where we saw snow. Other fun things we did there were to take walks to the Head of the Matolius, to walk around the towns of Bend and Sisters and to hike to the Sahalie Falls.

Black Butte Hike

Camp Sherman

Bend

View from the house

Head of the Metolius

A's first snow!

Fun in the summer snow!

McKenzie River

The Stitchin' Post -- Sisters

Sisters is famous for it's quilting show, which is in July. In fact, when I told my grandma I was going to Oregon, she mentioned that she would love to go to the show in Sisters! So although she couldn't go, I sent her some of the fun brochures about the activities they have there for the weekend. After walking around the Stitchin' Post, I almost want to start sewing something myself!


Have you been to Oregon? Do you sew? Do you remember the first time you saw snow?

Oregon in a Nutshell

Today as you read this, I will be flying back from Oregon. I did not have internet the entire time, so I will spend tomorrow catching up on things, blogs, news etc! Until then, here is a list of what we did in Oregon -- in a nutshell.

- Running: I had a great time exploring the running trails and roads, including a nice loop around the neighborhood as well as running in the Peterson Ridge Trail System. More on this later.

- Eating: We went to Costco and Trader Joes and Rays and Food For Less and bought SO MUCH food. I traveled with my friend and her daughter and her mom. You wouldn't think 4 ladies could eat so much, but our fridge was stocked! The good thing about being with ladies? The items mostly included vegetables, fruit, fish and SNACKS! It was my kind of party. 

- Hiking: Every day we took a walk around the neighborhood, and some days we hiked to the tops of small mountains in order to see the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and the mountains were hiding some days, but we had a few days of clear views and they were spectacular.

- Mountains: As you may know, the Cascade Range was formed by volcanoes, and it is beautiful! We spent lots of time enjoying the view! (not this one; we were closer to the ground)

source

- Relaxing: Many a book was read, many a magazine was perused. Many a movie was watched. Many a conversation was had. It was good times.

- Biking: It was about 8 miles RT to town and I had a great time biking along the highway (eeek) to get to town for some fun. "Town" is one main street and 2000 people and reminds me a lot of the "town" I grew up in.

I hope everyone else also had a great week and that you all have a great weekend as well! I can't wait to hear all about what everyone has been up to!! Good luck if you are racing this weekend!

What is your favorite relaxing activity? If you are with a group of ladies only, what does the menu look like?

Active Vacation

Next week, I will be in Oregon, spending some time at a friend's house near Bend. I am really looking forward to this, as it will not only be spent with friends and family, but from the house, within walking distance, there are several running and hiking trails. So this will not be a rest and relaxation vacation, although I am sure there will be plenty of time in the evenings for reading and other relaxing pursuits. This will be an active vacation, with lots of fun and physical stuff going on!

As you know, where I grew up is in a National Forest, so I am kind of assuming the part of Oregon we are in will look similar. Here is a photo of where I grew up.

Bald Eagle Mountain

Here is a photo I found online about the area we will be in.

The Three Sisters (source)

Okay, so maybe it's a little different. But there are mountains, and trees and water!

Where we will be staying is not actually in Bend, but in a cute little town (Population: 2,000, Elevation: 3,100) nearby. Besides hiking, the 15 Must Do Activities list says that I should also do these things:

- Eat an ice cream (I think I can handle that!)
- Go fly fishing (I LOVE fly fishing)
- See some live music
- Enjoy a coffee drink (naturally!)
- Bike around the area
- Paddle on one of the local lakes

I want to do all of those things! Also, I looked around a bit and I may also see many animals, including Elk and an animal called the Water Ouzel, which is a bird that flies underwater. I think I am going to have lots of fun and I won't be short of things to see and do! 

I have been to Oregon before and I loved it. I had a great time in Portland, eating my way around the neighborhoods (and I found some GREAT food!) I did some hiking in the Columbia River Gorge, which is beautiful. I also went to the coast and ate cheese and stared at water and fog and houses and rocks. I loved my trip last time and so I have high hopes for this one as well!



Have you ever been to Oregon? Do you normally stay active or try to relax on your vacations? 

*Don't forget to stop by Jills for some more Fitness Friday posts!*