Bend + Crater Lake, May 2018

Dear all,

  I want to start my today's blog by saying THANK YOU to all those who are reading, commenting and encouraging me with a lot of positive energy! I am very Thankful! <3

My very good friend Suzanne, is a regular visitor to Bend, OR. She suggested I should go there and see the beautiful landscape as I enjoy taking landscape pictures. Thank you, Suzanne for suggesting Bend, OR.

I wanted to be a soccer mom and so funny we ended up with a Honda Mini van in 2010, for a family of 3, when my son was born! The mini van was super useful during our moves and when family visited, but, it was way too big for just the 3 of us! We purchased a new SUV just before the beginning of 2018 and my family and I decided to take a road trip to test the SUV.  Suzanne's suggestion came to my mind and we decided to visit Oregon again, but, this time to a new place: BEND. On google maps, I saw that Bend was just a stone's throw away from Crater Lake and oh! I was even more excited to visit!

The drive to Bend is just fantastic! The variety of landscape was super thrilling to all 3 of us. The landscape started with pine trees and slowly changed to dry terrain and then to green meadows and then again to pine trees and more dry/desert terrain! My husband who was driving kept listening to my *click click click* for few hours and asked me, if I would ever put my camera down. Yep! it was that beautiful & I am not exaggerating! Sharing few pics below from the road trip:

Stonehenge Memorial, Maryhill WA 

The meadows at the border of WA & OR

Mt. Jefferson

Mt. Hood

As we drove from Issaquah, WA to Bend, OR, we noticed Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Three Sisters & Mt. Bachelor! What a drive!!!
We stayed at Sun River Lodge . We were welcomed by blue birds and large family of deer. The lodge's unit was fantastic. We had a kitchen, a living room in the 1st floor and the 2nd floor which looked like a loft, had a big bedroom + bathroom. It was very convenient & comfortable. It was so comfortable that we wanted to stay longer! The resort is very large & had multiple fun activities - Glow golf (golf at dusk with Mt. Bachelor in the backdrop), an awesome pool, bike trails, kids carnival, live music in summer, etc. There were too many options, but, we had very little time!

Glow Golf

Sunset view from the Golf Course

Day 1: We relaxed at the resort since we reached late in the evening. The Resort is very close to the shopping center "Village at Sunrise". We got drinking water, some food for breakfast (since we had kitchen) & some vegetables before heading to the resort. If you are planning to stay at this place,  shop before you check in. 

Day 2: We woke up early and headed first to the awesome Lava River Cave. We had never hiked inside a cave before. I am super paranoid about hiking in dark places and I was a bit nervous but I decided that this was a great opportunity to fight my fears and be a brave mom to my little one. The cave experience was fantastic and one of my most memorable adventures ever! It is really dark and cold so be prepared with some good head lamps and warm jacket. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes too. Your cellphone lights are not enough so carry your own head lamps or you can rent one at the cave. Its a 1-2 mile hike so be prepared to spend at least an hour or two. My son had a blast! We thought he would be scared, but, he completely surprised us by enjoying it and he was sad that our adventure got over quickly! 

Selfie time :) 

After the hike, we headed over to Village at Sunrise. They had kids events and a carnival on that day. It was a typical carnival with bumper cars, pony rides, rock climbing, train ride and all the favorite things for kids (ages 1-15). After enjoying the ride and shopping a bit, we did something that was totally fun for all 3 of us! We hired BIKES! Woohoo! Sunriver lodge has amazing bike trails. It was one of the best experiences ever for us! We rented a tandem bike & a little bike for my son. I would like to suggest something: Either carry your own bikes/helmets or keep some wipes ready with you to clean the rental helmets(we always do). We rode for almost 2 hours! It was so fun! We took a break & ate some ice cream since the day was very hot. We rode the bike for another hour. 

After enjoying our bike ride & returning them, we headed over to Sparks lake for sunset. Sparks lake was just amazing! On the way, you can see Mt. Bachelor which is a very popular spot during winter for skiers. To go to Sparks lake, I would highly recommend visitors to go on an SUV or a 4 wheel drive, if its winter. The road is very rough. The Three Sisters and the lake are very beautiful! Watch out for bugs though! 

                                 

Drive to Sparks lake

Day 3: OK! I have to tell you all this! I am a big Instapot fan! The next day, me being an Indian and carrying my Instapot as if its my treasure everywhere, wanted to make best use of the situation. I cooked a delicious Veggie Pulao in the morning and we hit the road to Crater Lake. From Sunriver, the Crater Lake is just 90 miles away! 

Note: If you cook something for a picnic on Instapot, make sure you don't open the lid until you reach the location. The food stays warm if IP is unopened after cooking! 

Crater Lake

A portrait of my IP :) 

I have been wanting to visit Crater Lake since 2005. Ahhh! I was jumping with joy when I saw Crater Lake. Its one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Its fantastic and fascinating and we were all super hungry. We had a picnic in our SUV watching the beautiful blue sky and water. It was so calm and peaceful! After having lunch, we went to the visitor center! A really funny thing happened at the visitor center and I wish I had taken a picture to explain it in a better way. I was looking for Women's restroom. We found Men's but couldn't locate Women's. After going around twice in a circle, I at last found a rare entrance in a small building which was actually the Women's restroom! How silly! The Men's restroom had a clear sign in the front and you can easily make out the entrance but the sign for the Women's was all hidden at the rare! I really found that funny! As I was coming out the restroom, I heard a small child talking in my mother tongue! I looked back & Lo! It was a friend of mine from Issaquah! What are the odds??! Its a small world, indeed!

Amazing colors - Crater Lake

After taking some photos of the lake, we took a small walk & played in the snow. It was such a fun experience to play in snow during early summer! We went back to Sun River Lodge. That evening, the resort had live music & dance for families. We listened to the live band while playing badminton. We all danced together, had dinner and went back to the room.

Day 4: Goodbye and Thank you, Bend OR, for a fantastic time! We had a very delicious breakfast at the Sunriver Lodge's restaurant. The view was stunning! 

Breakfast at the Sunriver Lodge Restaurant

We wanted to stop by at Smith Rock state park or Tumalo falls, but, we were very happy and content with the trip. We decided to head back home early and prepare ourselves for a busy working/school week! Once again, we enjoyed the beautiful scenic drive!

Mt. Jefferson

Thank you all for reading. I will be back again with more travel tips! :) Keep Traveling!

Highlights: 

• Lava River Cave
• Crater Lake
• Sunriver Lodge's Glow Golf 
• Bike ride around the trails (there is a fantastic bike trail that runs along the golf course with Mt. Bachelor view)
• Live Concert at the Lodge
• Sparks Lake
• Fantastic drive

Few other touristy things to do in Bend, OR: 

• Kayaking & water activities in summer
• Pro Golf
• Ski in winter at Mt. Bachelor
• Tumalo Creek/ Falls (we got lost despite of GPS so be prepared)
• Smith Rock State park for climbers and hikers
• Lava Butte & Pilot Butte
• High Desert Museum 
• Shopping