Oregon

We did it! We packed up the Chinook and hit the road! We have laughed many times already about how scary it was to leave! The poor little Chinook was loaded to the max, I dont think we could have stuffed even another peanut into the back. The bike rack Jeff and his brother Chris installed is a fabulous addition. We drove about 7 hours in the rain up to Crater Lake and the Chinook ran like a champ. We decided to give the Chinook the nickname of "Summit Crusher" because despite the weight we added with our bikes, food and arsenal of wine it still cruised up and down the mountains with ease.

Crater Lake was truly spectacular, the rain and mist made it even more stunning.

After Crater Lake we drove past Diamond Lake and into the Umpqua National Forest. Hidden in this forest are the most incredible hot springs we have ever been to. We arrived just in time for a sunset dip. We drank champagne with some very naked hippies and then found a little spot off the side of the road to sleep for the night. Easy to say that Day #1 was a success.

We set our alarm and woke up for a sunrise soak in the hot springs before hitting the road again. We drove about 2 hours to Bend. We parked the Chinook at a park by the river, hopped on our bikes and explored downtown Bend.

We went to a couple breweries on the "Ale Trail" and enjoyed some amazing local beers. At one point we stopped to look at our map and all of a sudden Ang's cousin Terah's husband Casey popped out of the building next to us and says, "Hey, are you guys lost?" What are the chances! Casey is an amazing fly fisher and offered to take Jeff out for an evening fishing on the Deschutes River, salmon flies were out and about so we went on a little mission. We went to dinner with Casey and Terah in downtown Bend. Thanks for showing us around, you two are the best. Congrats on the baby on the way! We spent the night off the Cascade Lakes Highway and woke up surrounded by fun mountain bike trails. This maze of trails were well maintained and we spent the next day exploring the Deschutes Forest on our bikes.

After Bend we drove through Oregon into Washington to Sasquatch Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheater. The amphitheater was breathtaking, one of the most amazing places to watch live music. We danced to Chromeo, saw Lana Del Rey, and had a blast to our favorite band; Monsters and Men. We felt like VIPs camping in the Chinook instead of in a tent. We had a lot of fun and made some new friends.