Washington was an amazing place, and we can't wait to go back! But it was time to head south, to see our friends in Bend, Oregon and so Brady could get some real climbing in!
These are our friends Chase and Katie, who we met while living in Frisco, Colorado. They are from Bend and live here in the summer. In the winter, it is back to Colorado for them, since Katie is a sponsored snowboarder. Chase is a climber, and Bend hosts a little climbing area known as Smith Rock. One of our first nights there, they took us out to see a band called "Larry and his Flask". The show was amazing! We had so much fun dancing at the front of the crowd!
Chase took us to a Beer Festival one day called "Little Woody" which happens every year. There's a huge local brewing scene around Bend and each year the vendors age their brews in whiskey or wine casks specifically for this festival. We got to walk from booth to booth tasting delicious local brews, with extra high alcohol contents (from being aged in whiskey or wine...) Katie's dad came to pick us up with our group of 7 so no one had to drive. Thanks dad!
The "Hops Man"!
Hops grow wild all over the town, which has probably helped create this amazing beer culture.
This is Katie's mom, Trudy, with Duncan. We had a going away party for him at Katie's parents house because he was moving to Boulder. We played whiffle ball outside in the dark, another sport Brady completely dominates at!
This is the Lower Gorge at Smith Rock. It is better climbing, mostly trad, and way less crowded than the main area.
Pool Day!
We stayed at Chase's parents house while we were in town, so I had to cook for them some Cajun specialties of mine... This night I made Etoufee, although my Roux came out much darker than I wanted...
About an hour and a half from Bend, there is an area called Trout Creek which hosts tall trad climbing routes along these amazing basalt columns. We woke up with Chase early one morning and set out! The climbing here is pretty stiff, so it is not a crowded area and we only saw one other group climbing the whole day.
To get to the base of the climbs, I had to crawl across this sketchy boulder field with gigantic rocks that have tumbled down along the bottom. I was worried about the dogs, but more worried about myself!
Looking from the wall, this is the view of the canyon below.
The rock formation here was so crazy looking! These huge basalt columns run across this wall jutting from the earth and end on the right side into a formation that looks like a "blooming onion" (you southerners know what I mean!).
This is me terrified... Brady just hops along these rocks like it's first nature. I hate heights, and the death fall was certain if I were to stand up and walk along this rock... I'll just crawl, thanks!
Brady and Chase planned to climb the "Monkey's Face" at Smith Rock, a multi-pitch Trad climb that traverses around a rock tower feature that looks exactly like a monkey's face, and one of the most famous climbs to the area. Chase's dad and I tagged along to take photos. We had in total 4 cameras with us, so the next series of photos are a collection of efforts between us.
That is monkey face to the left behind Chase. The other side has a distinct monkey face.
The fact that they set this emergency booth up in case someone needs to be rescued off the route made me feel really great about what the boys were about to do (sarcasm...)
Now do you see the Monkey's Face??
There was a high line someone had set from the mouth over to another cliff. Brady decided to walk it as he repelled down.
Great job boys!
We had to do a class 4 scramble to get to the other side. Jazz handled it flawlessly. Reggae, on the other hand, is like his mother. He panicked and went stiff, so Brady had to pass him up to Chase to get him over, which he then jumped from Chase's arms and tore a toe nail off as he landed below. Always the trooper, he was fine, just leaving a trail of blood all the way back to the car...
They had to this for me to get over as well...
First official Cowboys game of the season! We dominated against the Giants!
Katie's family has a garage full of fun outdoor toys! We borrowed a canoe one day and drove up to Cascade Lakes Highway for a day of canoeing. I didn't bring my camera on the boat unfortunately, but the views were amazing! And the water was so perfectly clear we could see hundreds of Trout swimming underneath us. Where was our fly fishing set up when we needed it??
Mount Bachelor!
Frowning faces because we were so sad to leave Oregon... We will definitely be back though! This town has great potential to be our future home!! Next stop, California!!
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