Before life got so busy with the beginning of the school year, Mike and I (and Koda) took a quick trip over to Bend, three hours from here. For those of you who aren't from the Northwest, Bend is the outdoor mecca of Oregon. Skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, rock climbing, hiking . . . Bend has it all. We tend to stick to the activities that don't require much gear and that are dog-friendly, which usually means we hike. On this trip we took a few short hikes. One was around beautiful Todd Lake along the Cascade Lakes Highway. It wasn't a difficult hike and had beautiful views of both the lake and Mt. Bachelor, which Mike and I enjoyed. Koda, on the other hand, was enthusiastic about splashing like a maniac in the shallow water close to the lake's shore. He's usually a pretty well-behaved dog, but when he gets wet he goes crazy--quite the Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde transformation.
We also hiked at Smith Rock State Park, which is a popular rock climbing destination. We made frequent stops along to trail in order to gawk at the folks slowly making their way up sheer cliffs, suspended only by unsubstantial-looking ropes. Neither of us can quite fathom what drives people to put themselves in such precarious positions, but we found it fascinating to watch them nonetheless, albeit with our feet planted firmly of the ground.
Bend is also known for its many brewpubs, an attraction that interests Mike more than me. While we had visited a number of these on our trip to Bend last year, we had yet to make it to Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, so we decided to eat dinner there. Mike enjoyed trying their six-brew sampler, and I was pleased to discover their delicious yakisoba bowl. Koda, meanwhile, was happy that they had outdoor tables and a special doggy water bowl to keep their canine customers coming back.
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