Northwest 2015 (Day 2 of 22): Mt Hood - Bend - Crater Lake

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Waking up at the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood

View outside our window

Lots of lupine

I love to read all the hotel\local information wherever we stay

In my mind, we're going to get to these nice places at a reasonable hour, enjoy all the amenities, and soak in the ambiance. But it never seemed to work out. We were always trying to squeeze every ounce of daylight out of the day. And with it not getting dark until late this time of year, our usual arrival time at our hotel\accommodations was after midnight. So much for lounging by the pool or soaking in the hot tub.

Checking out the lodge in the morning

Two new moms swapping stories on the hotel veranda

Skiing year round on Mount Hood

Timberline Lodge and The Shining

The breakfast was one of the best meals on our trip

We keep referring back to it. The ingredients were so fresh and flavorful. It was our first taste of Oregon Tillamook cheese and marionberries.

We went for hike along the Pacific Crest Trail which runs just outside the lodge

Snow

Ski buses in the parking lot

Headed out

The town of Government Camp nearby

Mount Hood Adventure Park

Back to Government Camp and the visitor center

Oregon is all about forestry, the Oregon Trail, and Lewis and Clark

The boys declined the Adventure Park

Adam probably would have gone if everyone else wanted to go, but Derek didn't seem too excited and we're old and boring

Mount Hood Scenic Byway

Mirror Lake Hike

Bear grass

Lots of pretty rhododendron

Derek said the distance wasn't too bad, but the 700 foot elevation gain wore him out

Derek would measure all future hikes on the trip based on this one. He instantly dismissed any hike longer than 2 miles round trip and was very wary of any sort of elevation gain.

Headed to Bend

It was really beautiful along the West Cascades Scenic Byway

It was a really fun rolling drive along beautiful bluff lined rivers. The water was so clear and inviting.

Potty break

Sisters Oregon

Our first choice for dinner, McKay Cottage, closes early

We decided on the Deschutes Brewery

It was a little too loud and happening for our normal taste, but we had a really nice meal and enjoyed ourselves

Put a fork in us

We're always so torn. We like to eat and enjoy things like nice leisurely meals and I really hate to be rushed. Unfortunately, they haven't invented human cloning so by choosing to hang out around Mount Hood and taking the scenic route to Bend we missed seeing the High Desert Museum in Bend.

It was getting dark by the time we finished our nice dinner and we still had over 2 hours to get to Crater Lake. It was sometime after midnight, in the middle of nowhere, that we hit the deer.