Today we hiked up and over Smith Rock. There was some trepidation about the boys being able to make it the full six miles, but at the end of the trail they were still running up the hills.
Everyone was a bit worn out afterwards so we headed to camp for a siesta. Remy had a late lunch and read some books while Mom and Dad took turns at the camp shower. Once we were refueled and cleaned up it was time for the highlight of the trip, the Bend lego store.
Our water spigot at camp had frozen overnight (we learned our lesson at the Grand canyon and had unhooked everything the night before), so we had to run jugs of water from the neighboring campsite to fill all our bottlee and get our dishes washed.
We started our hike late morning, and although it was a bit chilly there wasn't more than a cloud or two in the sky. The initial section of the trail is almost straight down hill, leading from the parking lot to the bridge over the river. Dad and Mom noted that the bridge is looks ridiculously over engineered, but it has a nice aesthetic.
Right after crossing the river we hopped on the misery ridge trail and trudged up, up, up, climbing almost 1,800 feet. Remy and Harvey had to take a few breaks, but they were unphased by the steep climb.
At the top we took a short snack break and then headed down the other side past monkey face rock. The trail got a little slippery here so we had to make sure the boys hiked on the inside of the switch backs.
Once we were back near the river we took a leisurely pace the remaining few miles back to the bridge, and then up the hill again to the lot. It was a great hike with some exceptional weather.
Everyone was a bit worn out afterwards so we headed to camp for a siesta. Remy had a late lunch and read some books while Mom and Dad took turns at the camp shower. Once we were refueled and cleaned up it was time for the highlight of the trip, the Bend lego store. This particular Lego store is actually run by a private party (not owned by Lego), but they have a huge selection of new Lego sets as well as lots of spare parts, figures, and used sets. Remy wanted everything but needed up settling on a deep sea research vessel. Sad continued to push for Star Wars sets but he was quickly rebuked.