We took (another) three day weekend and set out for Redmond, OR last Thursday after work. (It's near Bend if you're not familiar with the area). Matt's brother Greg and his wife Stephanie live there and we were super excited to get to visit them and spend some time outdoors. Central Oregon is known for being sunny and snowy in the winter. They were a bit short on snow, but good on the sun so no complaints from us!
Friday we had been hoping to go snowboarding at Bachelor but the less than stellar conditions made it so we didn't feel like spending the money. We had a relaxing morning around the house getting caught up and then went skeet shooting in the afternoon. Greg & Stephanie are avid hunters, and while I certainly wouldn't call him a sharpshooter Matt does at least know how to load a gun. Me? I'd been skeet shooting once before during my freshman year of college. It was a beautiful sunny day, and there's lots of BLM land only a few minutes from their place. It took me some pretty embarrassing attempts to get up to speed but eventually I think I was about 50/50. We all had a great time.
That afternoon we wandered downtown Redmond (super cute in that old small town sort of way) and had lunch at Seventh Street Brewhouse. Unfortunately I forgot my camera during this entire days worth of adventures, so all there is is a few phone pictures from skeet shooting.
Saturday we all got up and had breakfast together again and then Greg, Matt & I went snowshoeing. We had been planning something at Meisner or Swampy Lakes b/c they have nice loops with shelters. Turns out there was only half an inch of snow. We ended up at Tumalo Mountain, the trailhead right across from the Bachelor parking lot. It was a great 6 miles round trip with 1500 feet of elevation gain. The sun was out, and views of Bachelor and the three Sisters visible the entire way. From the top we had a 360 degree view of the region. It was a great snowshoe.
That evening a bunch of Greg & Stephanie's friends came over and we all had dinner (brisket smoked for 15 hours, yummm) and burned the burn pile. If you're from somewhere urban like myself, you're not quite sure what that means right? Well, when you own a few acres, a yard waste can doesn't do it for you. So you stick it all in a big pile. When it gets about 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide, what do you do? You light it on fire. It was a fun night hanging out and meeting new people.
Sunday Matt & I crept out of the house early in the morning and hiked up to Tumalo Falls (which is actually in a totally different area than Tumalo Mountain). We had the area to ourselves, it was another sunny day, and the falls were neat. It was nice to be outside.
We headed back, cleaned up, and went out for a late late breakfast before hitting the road back to Seattle. We had a great weekend getting to spend time with Greg & Steph and be outdoors in the sunshine. Thanks for hosting us!
Friday we had been hoping to go snowboarding at Bachelor but the less than stellar conditions made it so we didn't feel like spending the money. We had a relaxing morning around the house getting caught up and then went skeet shooting in the afternoon. Greg & Stephanie are avid hunters, and while I certainly wouldn't call him a sharpshooter Matt does at least know how to load a gun. Me? I'd been skeet shooting once before during my freshman year of college. It was a beautiful sunny day, and there's lots of BLM land only a few minutes from their place. It took me some pretty embarrassing attempts to get up to speed but eventually I think I was about 50/50. We all had a great time.
That afternoon we wandered downtown Redmond (super cute in that old small town sort of way) and had lunch at Seventh Street Brewhouse. Unfortunately I forgot my camera during this entire days worth of adventures, so all there is is a few phone pictures from skeet shooting.
Saturday we all got up and had breakfast together again and then Greg, Matt & I went snowshoeing. We had been planning something at Meisner or Swampy Lakes b/c they have nice loops with shelters. Turns out there was only half an inch of snow. We ended up at Tumalo Mountain, the trailhead right across from the Bachelor parking lot. It was a great 6 miles round trip with 1500 feet of elevation gain. The sun was out, and views of Bachelor and the three Sisters visible the entire way. From the top we had a 360 degree view of the region. It was a great snowshoe.
Bachelor
The Sisters. Matt & I climbed South Sister (the one on the left) three years ago.
That evening a bunch of Greg & Stephanie's friends came over and we all had dinner (brisket smoked for 15 hours, yummm) and burned the burn pile. If you're from somewhere urban like myself, you're not quite sure what that means right? Well, when you own a few acres, a yard waste can doesn't do it for you. So you stick it all in a big pile. When it gets about 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide, what do you do? You light it on fire. It was a fun night hanging out and meeting new people.
Check out Greg in the corner of this one. Thats how tall it was
The snowy mountain in the background is Tumalo Mtn
We headed back, cleaned up, and went out for a late late breakfast before hitting the road back to Seattle. We had a great weekend getting to spend time with Greg & Steph and be outdoors in the sunshine. Thanks for hosting us!
