Before we get to today's post, I just want to say that my heart and thoughts are with our friends in Boulder right now! We've been seeing images on the news and Facebook that are incomprehensible, and I know it will be a long road to recovery. Luckily, everyone we know is alive and safe. I hope my Boulder friends who read this blog can feel the love coming all the way from Ohio!
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Now let's talk about Oregon. I know this blog is supposed to be about Ohio, but I love Oregon. I am truly a Western girl, and I just feel at home there. Ted and I flew into Bend (central Oregon) on Thursday night and came home to Oxford late last night.
The one thing you need to know about Bend is that it has the most earthy, amazing smell of any place I've ever been. You just have to breath deeply when you're there in order to take it all in. The closest I can come to describing it is this: Imagine the smell of a wood sauna when you first walk in. That warm, cedar-y, hot rock smell. That's Bend. And I love it.
On this particular trip to Bend, Ted, my brother, and I visited Smith Rock at sunrise. It was totally worth getting up at 5:30 to see the sun come up over these remnants of an ancient volcanic eruption. The rock is tuff - hardened ash - and is known as a spectacular place for rock climbing.
We were some of the only people there at that time, and we chose to hike up Misery Ridge Trail. It's not so miserable, but it is very steep with lots of switchbacks and built-in stairs. My ass was burning!
The views were gorgeous at this time of morning, and like I said, we had the place to ourselves. So we stopped for a few photo ops along the way:
Don't push me!
I am so glad we got ourselves out of bed for this one! We saw a few climbers, a guy walking a slack line a couple hundred feet in the air, and not one, but TWO blue herons flying along the river.
If you're ever in Central Oregon, I highly recommend spending a day or even just an early morning at Smith Rock. It's magical!
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