Oregon Vacation: The Drive Out
Mark’s parents got very lucky this spring, and managed to get their hands on two (yes TWO) condos in Bend, OR, for a week of vacation this October. Mark and I were completely excited to finally have a chance to visit the Pacific North West, and to get in some climbing at the legendary Smith Rock.
So, we packed and planned. With our climbing gear, flying would be very expensive. The easiest, and cheapest way out was to simply drive the Prius, and hope the 1000 miles went by quickly. We planned to camp along the way, and try to get out to Oregon as fast as possible.
On Friday after work, we dropped off Liv at D-Liz’s house (her vacation home) and headed northwest into Wyoming. Even though we are still on daylight-savings time, the sunset came early, and we found ourselves driving across the inky dark desert of Wyoming just west of Laramie. We ended up camping for the night at a KOA set directly next to the interstate in Rawlins.
We set up the tent in the pitch dark, and Mark woke up at 6am, in the pitch dark. He made coffee and set up the tent heater for me. I woke up because my head got hot and the tent smelled like bagels. We had camp broken down and were on the road before sunrise on Saturday – around 7am.
The drive across the western states was beautiful and long and boring and lovely. We saw mountains and deserts, waterfalls and rivers, the Great Salt Lake, the Oregon Trail, and a lot of road. We didn’t stop much – we didn’t have to, really. And we rolled our tired but happy selves into Bend (and then Sunriver, where the condos were) at about 8:30p local time Saturday night. We spent $75 on gas in the Prius and $20 on camping. Not too bad for a long day on the road!
Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!
Despite the very strict landlords at Liv’s vacation home, she managed to find little pleasures in daily walks, doggie treats, and sneaking onto the couch while the owners were away:)
Aw, thanks Liz! I hear she also got at least one trip to a coffee shop. You two are great friends, and fantastic dog watchers!!