Road trip: Central Oregon

The Mr. and I took off to Central Oregon two weeks in a row. The first road trip took us to Christmas Valley, Oregon, and Summer Lake, Oregon. This Central Oregon road trip was to look at land and other places to possibly have a home base within the next couple of years. This road trip was a nice getaway from the Willamette Valley and we were thrilled to be going east over the Cascade Mountain Range toward some of our favorite areas of Oregon. Here's a quick recap of our recent Central Oregon road trip.

Three Finger Jack

Hoodoo Butte

Mount Washington

North and Middle Sister

Mount Washington

Waterfall from the Mount Washington viewpoint

Blue Lake near Suttle Lake

Black Butte

Cache Mountain

South Sister and Broken Top respectively

North Sister and Middle Sister

South Sister

Broken Top Mountain

This is one of my favorite views near the Three Sisters Viewpoint. This is a view of Cache Mountain through the flat landscape in Sisters, Oregon.

Three Sisters-North, Middle, and South

Traveling toward Christmas Valley took us along a stretch of road that gives you a perfect view of Mt. Bachelor. This view of Mt. Bachelor is just outside of La Pine, Oregon near Fort Rock, Oregon

Inside Christmas Valley, Oregon



Raven watching us closely.

The area of Christmas Valley, Oregon, is flat and the view distance seems to go on forever. The town itself is quite small, including the post office.

Near Fort Rock, Oregon

After a full day of looking around Christmas Valley, we work up the next morning and took off toward an area known as Summer Lake. The highway leading to Summer Lake is a long one, but the travel time was soon broken up by the highway cattle drive. The horseback riders with the cattle were some of the nicest we've met so far on this road trip. They smiled and talked with us for awhile before heading on with the drive down the road.

The views headed toward Summer Lake are some of the most beautiful views of the land. Oregon is in it's prime right now and being in Central Oregon we got to see some of the different landscape that Oregon is about.

Memorial to settlers coming into Summer Lake, Oregon

A great tiny home at Summer Lake, Oregon

Before reaching Christmas Valley there's an area called Fort Rock, Oregon. This area is known for the unusual rock formation that was discovered by a man named, William Sullivan, in 1873. The rock is actually a volcanic landmark called a tuff ring and is now part of the Oregon State Parks system.

South Ice Caves near La Pine, Oregon

We didn't go inside the caves on this trip, but you can view the inside of the caves here.

Diamond Peak near Crescent Lake, Oregon

Lowell Covered Bridge on Dexter Reservoir in Lowell, Oregon. Dexter, Oregon is famous in the fact that it was part of the filming in Animal House.

Lookout Point Dam

Fields of Butterweed near Brownsville, Oregon

Five simple things

Hello.

So this week has been a blast! The Mr. and I spent some time over at Sunriver, Oregon, and had such a great getaway. I have many pictures to share and those will come in a separate post soon. As far as back on home base, today is the day we begin our garden planting. I've worked up some plans at the end of February and I am pleased to bring those drawings to life. The Mr. and I like to keep a garden each year mainly because we like to grow our own food and know that it's healthy, safe, and rewarding. I grew up always having a garden and my dad is one of the best gardeners. I learned a lot from him about respecting the earth and giving back what we take. My mother grows some of the best plants and flowers in three counties back home in Arkansas, too. Her flowerbeds are the talk of the town. I am looking forward to sharing all of the growth, foraging, and pleasure our little gardens will bring this season. Here are five simple things that made this week good.

1. This weed guide...

With The Bean and I doing more foraging it's nice to have a guide for our own area that helps us identify random weeds that we are surrounded by and know whether they are edible or poisonous. Interested in this book? Get a PDF copy for yourself here, or print copy here.

2. These Mother's Day gifts...

For Mother's Day morning I received the most perfect gifts from The Bean and The Mr. My favorite chocolate and a cookbook from Joanna Gaines that I've been swooning for. They definitely know me! Looking forward to whipping up some great recipes in this cookbook. Another cookbook/foraging book I've had my eye on.

3. This deer...

 

...And many others we saw at Sunriver, Oregon, this last road trip.

4. This yellow door...

The door to our suite at Sunriver, Oregon. It loved the bright, cheery yellow color of it and it couldn't help but make you smile each time you walked through it.

4. Yogi Surprise...

Always giving props to Yogi Surprise. Never a dull box and never a dull item. This month has to be the best ones yet! I know I may say that every month, but they just get better and better each month. You can get on next month's box here and get a $10 credit towards your first box at with code: REFVIZJFQGQVQ

5. Final thoughts...

In light of what took place today at yet another location where people should feel secure, I can't help but add my thoughts to the mix of many others out there. Instead of ending this post with my normal, "Have a good weekend," I am ending it with these final thoughts instead. Being a no name blogger that doesn't get a lot of traffic, it's hard to voice myself and get it out there on many platforms. Being a low key blogger does have its downfall when it comes to wanting to get the message out that things need to change. We all know it. So whether it's shared here, or on a large-scale blog, or not, we all know something has to give. Loving others and showing them that love is not a hard task. Letting people, especially young adults, know that they are loved, wanted, needed, and enjoyed is an easy thing to do. Being hateful, mean, and judgmental to people is hard and takes practice. Spreading hate through your voice, your words, or your actions is the wrong way to live. Tell others you love them, be near those that make you beam, and give that love away to others that need it much more than you think. Love really is all we need. I am going to spend the weekend hugging, loving, and showing The Bean and The Mr. how much they truly are loved. In times like these, it makes me wonder as a parent where someone failed these young kids and young adults that carry out such horrible actions against others younger than them, the same age as them, and adults that guide them. I won't be praying for the families of these victims today and this weekend. I will, however, be looking into ways that I can do my part as a parent and push for change.