Our first joint adventure with Travis, Natalie & the boys was a two-night stay at a rental house in Chiloquin, which was about thirty minutes from the south entrance to Crater Lake National Park. We arrived late in the afternoon, and while Uncle Travis made spaghetti, the kiddos had a blast playing hide and seek in the upstairs bedrooms. We were a little apprehensive about the sleeping arrangements because Piper had begun to wake up repeatedly in the middle of the night again and was supposed to share a room with Micah, Luke & McKinley. But much to our surprise, the kids did great. Both nights they stayed up chatting (making memories for a lifetime, I hope), and we eventually had to threaten them to sleep around 9 pm. The first morning was cool, and as we drove into the park the temperature dropped to 45 degrees. It was also raining and foggy, so we decided to visit all of the visitor centers, get some hot cocoa at Rim Village, and hike down to the Sinnott Memorial Overlook, which is below the rim of the caldera. We waited to see if the weather would clear up, but all we saw was a glimpse of Wizard Island. After we returned to our house, where it was warm and sunny, we completed a tabata workout. The following day the temperatures remained in the high 40's/ low 50's, but it was completely clear. We hiked up to the Watchmen Tower, and the view was amazing! But we scrapped the hike down to the water because it was just too cold to jump in. After we ate lunch at one of the many rim overlooks, we started drive home. However, we made a detour through Bend and Sisters, and decided to spend a couple hours at Tumalo State Park. The weather was super hot, and it was the perfect day to play in the Deschutes River. We even borrowed some inner tubes so the kiddos could float down the river a bit. So much fun! So much fun…..that we started planning a tubing trip closer to home.
Even though it was cloudy, the sunrise was beautiful.
We were out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by cows.
McKinley does a plank to get warmed up before getting dressed.
Piper does a hollow hold.
Crater lake?
A view of Wizard Island from the Sinnott Memorial Overlook.
Back at the house, the kids explore.
The next morning we remain bundled up as we eat breakfast.
The Watchman Tower.
The Deschutes river.
Dadda does an underwater sneak attack on McKinley.
Hey ladies!
Tess puts her toes in the cold river.
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