Surprise Visits, Crater Lake & Bend Adventures ☕️🍂

Hello hello!

I am currently sitting in my apartment wishing that I could go back to this weekend. Editing all of the photos for this post made me feel like I was reliving my latest adventure and I hope that you all get to feel like you are living vicariously through this post, because this may have been one of my favorite adventures as of late. I will not lie though, I am absolutely exhausted and probably should take it easy this weekend. Ian and I have been so go-go-go which is awesome but also a bit draining.

That all being said, let’s jump into my adventures from last weekend shall we?

Surprise Visits

The Sunday after arriving back from Chicago (feel free to read post on that here), my mom and I were chatting on the phone, as we always do, and she suggested the possibility of her flying out to Portland to visit me over the weekend. I was stoked! We had been meaning to visit Crater Lake together, so we figured that we would do it the next time she was in town. Well, my mom is probably one of the coolest mom’s around, because before I knew it, she had booked a trip to Portland from Wyoming!

Before I knew it, it was Friday and my mom’s flight landed at 10 am. I quickly rushed to the airport, came home and continued working, and grabbed lunch with her at Breakside Brewery. We both were not in the mood for actual entrees, so we ordered two appetizers. Little did we know, the serving sizes of appetizers at Breakside are huuuuge.

We struggled to finish all of the food but had a great time catching up. Last week was a tough week for Ian and I (we had received a lot of bad news all at once) so it was refreshing having my mom here with me radiating with positivity. If there is anyone that can make me feel energized and ready to take on the world, it is my mom. She is the toughest cookie I know.

Speaking of cookies, after Ian had gotten home from work and we had enjoyed pizza with both of our moms, and headed over to Ruby Jewel’s for a sweet treat to end the night. My mom had never been to Ruby Jewel’s before, so she was very excited about all of the unique and flavorful ice cream sandwich options. In fact, she loved the idea of lemon cookies with lavender ice cream SO much that she bought a few for our apartment 😂

After enjoying ice cream and ice cream sandwiches, we headed back to our apartment to get some rest before heading our early that next morning to begin our adventure. My mom and I both noticed that we had not gotten our 10,000 steps (something I aim to hit everyday) so we headed outside for a mother-daughter late night stroll.

I have always loved chatting with my mom and having 1×1 time with her, so I was very happy to get my last 2,000 steps in with her. Before I knew it, we had both hit 10,000 steps and I knew that we should head back in to get sleep… but I was enjoying our conversation too much to insist that we go in. After hanging out for 30 or so minutes longer, my mom received a phone call and would not tell me who was calling her. Strange, I thought. Who the heck calls my mom at 10:30 pm??

I then pressed her to tell me who it was and she eventually told me that it was my brother. Weird. Everett never calls anyone on Friday nights… what does he want?? Wait. Is he coming here?? He has surprised me before…

I asked my mom if Everett was coming and she denied my inklings. She is totally lying. They are trying to surprise me. And you know what? I was right! Before I knew it, Everett was rounding the corner near my apartment building with a duffle bag in hand. “Hey Britt, surprise!!!”, he said with a smirk on his face.

Off to Crater Lake

That next morning I woke up at 5:30 am to hop in the shower and get ready for our trip to Crater Lake. I saved all of my packing to do for that morning, so I was running around a bit. We had originally planned to be out of the door by 6:00 am to avoid traffic.. but everyone was exhausted and we ended up leaving closer to 6:30 am.

The drive to Crater Lake was long, almost 4.5 hours long, but it was a beautiful drive. We drove through multiple national & state forests such as the Deschutes National Forest, Willamette National Forest, & Umpqua National Forest.

By the time we had finally reached Crater Lake National Park, we were faced with a long line of cars that barely moved. We sat in that line for around 30 minutes (maybe more) before we finally arrived to the park gate where we paid $25 to enter the park.

Once in the park, we drove for 20 or so minutes on a single lane road before arriving to Rim Village where there was the visitor center, giftshop, cafe, hotel, and restrooms. We had plans to head to Bend after exploring Crater Lake, so we opted for a short hike on the Discovery Point Trail.

During our time there, it was absolutely packed with people and bikers. There happened to be a biking event there that day, so it was a little bit chaotic. Parking spots were also very difficult to find.

As for the lake, we were all taken aback by how blue it was. Unfortunately, I managed to leave my camera’s memory card in my computer.. back in my apartment, so I was left to take all of my photos on my phone. My phone takes great photos.. but I prefer the quality of images produced on a camera, especially when capturing gorgeous landscapes like this.

I could not get over how BLUE the water was. Everytime I snapped a photo I couldn’t help but thinking it all looked fake. It honestly looks like a fake backdrop!

I also was oddly fascinated with all of the pine trees there. There were so many trees around us that it almost smelled like Christmas to me! I LOVED smelling pine everywhere!

^ Here is an awkward photo of me. Enjoy 😛

The Crater Lake Lodge channeled all of the cozy vibes that I have been feeling lately, so I could not help but snap a few pics of it! We chose to spend our evening in Bend, but I am sure the Crater Lake Lodge would be a great option for anyone looking to spend more time taking in the natural beauty of Crater Lake.

After hiking and exploring the visitor center & gift shop, we were on the road again. Unfortunately, the roads in the area are one lane roads.. which means that when there is an accident.. everything shuts down. We ended up waiting at a dead halt for 30 or so minutes due to an accident a mile up the road. It was absolutely painful. I also made the mistake of not using the restroom before going since I thought the drive to Bend would only take us 1.5 hours. Lesson learned: always use the bathroom before getting into the car.. even if the drive does not seem that long.

After 2 or so hours of driving, we finally arrived in Bend and went straight to our cabin/hotel to check in. We originally chose to stay at the Tetherow due to their vacation house/cabin rentals that were advertised as dog-friendly. I wanted to bring Winston along on our adventure, but after booking a cabin with Tetherow we learned that only one of the cabins is actually dog-friendly and that no dogs are allowed in any of the other cabins. The cabin we were placed in was not dog-friendly, so we could not bring Winston along.

And while I was a bit bummed about the whole dog-friendly mix up, I was soon taken aback by how nice our rental was.

Inside was a gorgeous interior with freshly painted walls (it actually smelled like paint inside).

There was so much natural light and everything felt so clean. I was very happy.

I mean everything looked so fresh. I couldn’t help daydreaming about cooking in this kitchen and taking 5,000 photos of the food I made. The lighting was awesome. I feel like a dork raving about the kitchen and how bright it was but wow. I also loved how much counter space there was there! I love my apartment.. but I always feel a bit cramped when cooking.

I also could not get over that they chose to use Smeg appliances. I have been drooling over Smeg appliances and begging Ian to let me buy a few one day.. so it was very nice being able to stare at these for a little 😂

Our cabin had two bedrooms, so my mom chose to take the one pictured above.

Ian and I got the bedroom across from my mom’s and we were honestly so excited. Let me just say, this bed has got me evaluating my life decisions 😂

Ian and I currently have a mattress that I bought from IKEA two years ago and wow is there a difference between IKEA mattresses and the one we slept on. I honestly got some of the best sleep I have gotten in a while. Their pillows were incredibly plush and the mattress felt like I was sleeping on a cloud. Oh and the blankets were awesome too. In fact, Ian and I were so impressed that we had to look at what kind of mattress we had slept on. Turns out the mattress we slept on was a Simmons mattress. Not sure which exact one it was but I checked online to see how much they cost and they range anywhere from $1,000-4,000. I think I bought my IKEA mattress for maybe $300… so I am starting to see a correlation here between cheap and expensive mattresses and their comfort levels.

As for the patio area, there was a (gas) firepit, comfy seating, and one of the nicest hot tubs I have ever been in. We were very impressed by this place. I wish we had more time to enjoy our rental!

Oktoberfest in Bend

After checking into our rental, gawking at how nice it was and freshening up, we headed out to town to get dinner and go to Bend’s Oktoberfest.

Seeing that Bend is where Deschutes Brewery originates from, we thought we would grab dinner at the original Public House.

Unlike the Deschutes Brewery in Portland that takes forever to be seated, we only had a 5 minute wait at the Public House in Bend.

Knowing that Deschutes Brewery sells Elk burgers, I already knew what I wanted before walking in. It’s crazy for me to think about how I refused to eat deer growing up but now I love eating elk and reindeer!

I also chose to treat myself to fries since we were having fun with my family. Maybe the salad would have been a smarter move.. because I was absolutely stuffed after eating an entire burger and most of my fries.

Ian, my mom, and I all ordered the elk burger and Everett tried their bratwurst sandwich to get into the Oktoberfest spirit.

After eating dinner at Deschutes Brewery, we headed down the street to Oktoberfest.

There were so many people there trying beers and socializing with their friends. There were also SO many dogs.. so I took pictures of a lot of them 😂

I was sad that Winston could not hangout with us at Oktoberfest but was also a little relieved that I could go around petting dogs.. but not to take care of one there. I love Winston dearly, but he loves people a little too much. Sometimes in crowded areas it is difficult to handle him and his 120 lb body when he wants to say hello to everyone.

Unfortunately, I was so full from dinner that I could not even finish my first beer.. and I had two more beer tokens to use, so we opted to walk around downtown Bend to walk off some of the food and beer we had just consumed.

I couldn’t get over how beautiful downtown Bend was! All of the stores were so cute and the trees everywhere made everything feel so much cozier.

There was also an adorable candy shop called Cravin’s Candy Emporium which carried hard to find candy. We had a blast looking around at all of their candy and taking a few photos inside.

They also had “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” playing along with signed photos from the cast. I thought it was a fun way to add a little life to the shop and get people in the candy spirit.

Despite it getting later in the evening, there were people sitting outside at many of Bend’s restaurants and walking around town. I loved seeing how lively it was there!

And I mean, how cute is their movie theatre?!

After walking around a bit longer, we headed back to Oktoberfest to use up the rest of our tokens. Upon walking in, we were greeted to “oomp pah pah” music and people having fun dancing and socializing. Honestly, I think Oktoberfest was the most fun at night! So many people were out and about and the music was so much more fun!

After using up our tokens, we headed back to our cabin to get some rest. We planned on getting up early again to have breakfast in Bend and have one last walk around before heading back to Portland to catch both Ev and my mom’s flights.

Before heading to bed, we all hung out by the fire chatting about our day and other random things. I really enjoy relaxing by a fire, especially with good company, so I was a happy camper. I honestly wish that I had a backyard so that I could do this more often.

After enjoying time by the fire, we tried out the cabin’s hot tub and wow. It was incredible. I need to relax by a fire pit and go hot tubbing more often!

Breakfast in Bend

The next morning, I woke up at 7:30 am to enjoy a cup of coffee while hanging out with my mom before the boys were up.

Our cabin had coffee there for us to use and a superfood creamer to go with their coffee. I was actually pretty impressed with their health conscious creamer choice. It was a blend of essentially powdered coconut milk, oil, and sugar. I am not sure if I would use this creamer everyday.. but it was definitely a fun way to change up my coffee game!

Once the boys were up, we all packed up my car, checked out of our rental, and headed back to downtown Bend for some breakfast. While driving there, I noticed a breakfast spot with people lots of people sitting outside enjoying their meals. Seeing that all of the stores were still closed and that no other restaurants had so many people eating outdoors, I knew that this place had to be good. I mean, it was pretty cold outside and people chose to eat outside. That must say something!

And were we glad to have stopped in! The Lemon Tree was absolutely incredible. No wonder so many of the local residents of Bend were starting their morning off there!

Upon entering The Lemon Tree, you will see their pastries and desserts displayed right in front of your eyes. I am pretty sure that we were all drooling a bit while looking at their pastries as we waited to be seated. Everything looked absolutely delicious.

Once we were seated at our table, the real challenge began. What would we order?? Everything on the menu sounded phenomenal. I mean, there were four items on the menu that I struggled to decide on. Like, I really struggled. I had to have the waitress help me on deciding what to order 😂

As for coffee, I almost ordered their house coffee but after the waitress mentioned their pumpkin spice latte.. I just knew that I had the basic girl in me out and to order their PSL. Most times PSLs are too sweet for me so I always ask for 1/2 of the sweetness.. but everytime they always turn out a little too sweet still. This time.. it was just right. If fact, it was SO good!! I don’t know how they made my latte but it had the right amount of pumpkin flavor but without the syrupy taste. UGH it was so good.

As for my breakfast entree, I chose to order their Avo Hash Smash which consisted of crispy hash browns topped with fresh avo smash, grape tomato salad and two poached eggs. It is one of their most ordered breakfast items and I can see why. It was so rich in flavor and was definitely very filling.

Everett also ordered their Avo Hash Smash but my mom tried their Lemon Tree Nasi Goreng (pictured above on the left) and Ian ordered their special for that day which was the Tri Tip Cottage Pie.

After our meal, my mom decided to order a slice of their lemon coconut cake after eyeing it while we were waiting to be seated. We were all extremely full after eating a large breakfast.. so eating the cake was a struggle BUT it was extremely tasty.

After breakfast we only had an hour or so to walk around town before we would need to head back to Portland, so we did our best to take everything in and check out shops that were open at 10 am. Many of the stores in Bend open at 11 am on Sundays, so we were a bit limited in what we got to see.

All of the stores we had time to stop in were so cute though. I actually had to get dragged out of them to make sure we stayed on track for our travel timing. I think I will need to go back to Bend sometime soon so that I can explore the town at a more leisurely pace 😂.

Before heading back on the road, we stopped at a cute little coffee shop that was in front of where my car was parked so that we could make one last bathroom stop before driving 3.5 or so hours.

I always feel a bit rude using the bathrooms of small businesses without paying for anything, so I ordered a green tea for the road.

It also did not hurt that this coffee shop was incredibly cute and welcoming inside.

Our drive back to Portland was so much less painful than our drive to and from Crater Lake. In fact, driving through the high desert was absolutely gorgeous. I loved seeing the red dirt and driving through the hills. There was so much to look at and take in during our 3.5 hour drive 🙂

It has only been a few days since we were wandering around Bend and I already want to go back. Everything about Bend was wonderful. The people were so friendly, the trees were gorgeous, the buildings were well maintained and everything was so clean. The shops were adorable and all sold fun outdoorsy things. It was awesome. I hope I have the chance to go back soon!

A few questions for you!

~ Have you ever been to Bend, Oregon? If so, what did you think?

~ Where is one place that you have been dying to visit but just haven’t gotten around to seeing?