Truck packed! Work done (almost)! First martial arts class competed! We jammed the family into the truck Thursday afternoon and headed south for warmer pastures.
Our first evening's drive was pleasant with no resistance from traffic or the weather. Remy fell asleep around 7 pm after a long day of activities and no nap. Mom and Dad stayed up to continue driving despite a long day of activities and no naps.
We overnighted at Brooks Memorial campground. Our late arrival meant that we had to back up the trailer into our spot in the dark. A heroic bit of manuvering by dad (with exceptionally clear directions from mom) had everything sorted quickly and we were snoozing in no time. We awoke to discover that the campground was surprisingly well appointed with very clean public restrooms, several picnic areas, and a disc golf course. We did not have any discs with us so we just studied the course map.
Despite the amenities we packed up and headed out quickly, eager to get on our way. Dad had only one impromptu meeting to attend while driving. Remy decided to attend with him by giving everyone present a play by play of all the trucks we were passing.
Three quarters of the way to Bend we stopped at Smith Rock State Park for some hiking around the river. It was hot. The thermometer in the car was reading in the upper 70s when we started and hit 80 when we finished. Sweat city. Remy walked for the first 2/3 and completed a solid 3 miles. Our total hike distance was a little over 5 miles across mostly flat terrain with a few stops for Emma to dip in the river and few more for everyone to observe the rock climbers scaling up the cliffs.
The scenery around Smith Rock, which you can't really appreciate or even see until you actually get down into the park, is stunning. Just the top of the rock juts out when viewied from the flat plain above, but once you get down to the river that wraps around the base of the rock you catch it in all of its splendor. Remy was keen to know how the rock got here, it looks quite out of place, and a helpful placard told us that most of the rock was a tually hardened ash. That is not the explanation I would have given, but then again, I'm not a placard. The area is very green this time of year, with the area around the river being particularly lush.
We were pooped after our hike (note: no one pooped) and headed straight for our Hip Camp site. Hip Camp is like air bnb for camping spots. Ours was in someone's backyard but it included electrical hookups and water. For dinner we stuffed ourselves at the Bite, which is a pavilion with a taproom and five food trucks. We got food from four out of the five and enjoyed a few beverages in the still sweltering sun.
Remy was winding down (or up?) after no nap and lots of heat so we called it an evening. The temperature, while hot during the day, has been very pleasant in the evening.
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