July 2025

 Fun times at Balls Bike Camp. This has been such a fun summer thing.  My kids have biked and coached and learned the trails.  I love it. 

Abby has been riding with the DPMS bike team this summer.  An acquaintance of hers died after crashing on her bike.  It was a touching and terrible thing.  #BaileyMallard.  Abby went to Oakcrest with Carmen and loved it.   Fun swim parties with the GRIT bike group.  Footloose at Hale Center Theater was so fun. 

Ella bikes all the time.  7-11 for slurpees. With friends. To the Alien Tower. 

Jordan is heading out on a mission to Singapore. Jackson is heading to Arizona. 

Abby took a few neighborhood girls to the cabin.  So fun to see them enjoying one of my favorite places.  

Bend, Oregon 2025

We had a great camping spot at The Camp in Bend.  We could ride our bikes into town.  The showers and laundry services were delightful.  Bad Religion and Drop Kick Murphys were playing in the outside venue.  We rode around to try to hear them.  We found our favorite gelato icecream store, Bonta, and ate on a lawn as we listened to the music.  

The next day, we drove to McKenzie to do a long 25-mile bike ride.  We had a few problems with construction and the need for shammy cream.  But we had a beautiful time.  The Blue Pool was amazing.  I got a fun cliff jump into the coldest water I have ever been in.  It was so blue.  Then we wound our way through trees until we got to Bigelow Hot Springs.  Darren and Ella rode on, and we waited for them there.  Shakes and burgers after were amazing.  

Our last day was rode at Phil's trails.  Then we floated the river and enjoyed the cool water.  Darren planned a great trip.  We all loved it. 

Oakridge, Oregon

 What a beautiful town.  We slept here for two nights in the most beautiful campground.  We were in the woods next to a beautiful river.  Dead Mountain was a fantastic 6-mile downhill trail.  Those woods are beautiful.  

We got to talk to Tyler at this amazing old wooden covered bridge.  Abby and I rode up the scenic byway and found a great swimming hole.  When Ella and Darren got back from their big ride, we had picked blackberries and showed them where we could swim. 

We stopped for hot pizza and worked on Ella's summer school class, Earth Science.  We got to shower in our swimsuits at our campsite out in the open.  Heated clean water under the stars was lovely. More blackberries for breakfast.   

On our way to Bend, we stopped and saw the Salt Creek Waterfall.  After Iceland, we will always have good memories of waterfalls. 

Crater Lake

 In my next life, I will be a geologist.  I love learning about rocks and the Earth.  Crater Lake was super cool.  We slept one night at the Mazama Village Campground.  There were lots of hikers who were doing the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I don't know if I could ever hike that much.  It's the Appalachian Trail but on the West Coast. The water was breathtakingly blue.  It was green on the shore and then plunged into the deep blue depths.