The Greg and Debbie Family: Spring Break

Even though there are tons of projects and work happening at the house Debbie and the kids planned a little getaway for Spring Break.

They left on Monday and met Debbie's parents in central Oregon. They spent the next few days playing games, eating food, and exploring the area.

On the first full day, Debbie had planned a hike to "the best view in central Oregon." But as it turned out the area was quite snowy and the trailhead could not be found. So, they decided to find something at a lower elevation. They ended up spending more than two hours at a scenic viewpoint looking for a geocache. Even though it had been logged by someone else just two days before they were not able to find it. It was a lot of fun to look for though. The area had some craggy rocks with lots of hiding places. The kids loved scrambling around, climbing up and down and all around.

The afternoon was spent at the High Desert Museum. They had exhibits that explored how the area has changed through history. The kids were fascinated by the tools and lifestyles of the native people and how things changed as it became more populated with people migrating from the east. The museum had some animals that they were rehabilitating or could not be released back into the wild. There was a habitat for a fox that both of the kids kept going back to. There was also a bird presentation where a wildlife expert brought out a Merlin Falcon. While the bird feasted on something with feathers we learned about how they hunt mid-flight and fearlessly defend their territory. The kids were excited about the gift shop where they both spent some of their money on amethyst crystals. Papa enjoyed exploring the outdoor village set up with the kids. There were little cabins, barns, and an old sawmill. The engineering of the sawmill was quite interesting to figure out and the tack and tools around helped show just how much manual labor was necessary for early pioneer life.

Our second day of fun started a little slower, which was nice. When they did get out it was to the outlet mall. Both kids have been growing out of their clothes lately and this seemed like a good opportunity to take care of it. Unfortunately, there wasn't much found for Alex. But after searching every store Abby finally found some pants that fit her long lanky legs.

Shopping worked up an appetite for hole-in-the-wall Hawaiian fare which turned out really delicious. After which we hiked in the Newberry Volcanic Butte area. The trail here was very easy and provided many views of the Deschutes River. The kids liked throwing giant pinecones into the water. It was amazing to see how many of the pinecones stayed in the same place while the rest of the river was rushing by.

Alongside those planned activities there was time for fun at the timeshare condo. There was a couple of bike rides around the area. On one of these rides, at a little bridge, Abby was the only one lucky enough to see a beaver pop its head out of the water. Everyone else only saw the bubble trail though so it probably wasn't just her imagination. There were also table games, home improvement TV, and a little time in the hot tub.

Papa and Mema had to start their drive earlier on the final day so they said goodbye and got on the road. The kids were excited about going out for breakfast but Debbie had them qualify for it by getting packed up and ready to go by a certain time. They worked really well and got everything ready to go before the established time. They were so excited.