Fun in the Sun

I haven't visited Sunriver since I was in the 7th or 8th grade. It is a place I always thought of visiting again, but never really had the opportunity. This last weekend I finally had my chance!

Michael and I took a leisurely drive to Eastern Oregon after work Friday night. Once in Sunriver we only had to turn around TWO times! I do believe it is a standard rule that you MUST get lost when arriving in Sunriver.

We were staying at the Pines in a condo with my dad - right on the 8th tee! I fell in love with my bathtub. It was huge and I was more than happy to take advantage of it.  The fireplace was my favorite though - nothing like instant flames with the flip of a switch!

I started my weekend with a nice jog on the bike paths through the golf course. Hard to believe I've become one of "those people" that exercise on vacation.  After running we hit the Village shops in a quest to find the soda fountain I remember from grade school.  I was so excited to discover it still in operation - it hasn't changed one single bit! Once that mission was completed I knew it was time for the next . . .

Bike riding. How many hours did I spend on bikes with my cousin and Heather R** in Sunriver?!? Our bikes were just as I remembered .... big and clunky! I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Michael and I probably covered at least 5 miles of paths going through vacation homes, along the river, by the stables, ending at the airport. One of the horses was eating and near the fence, so we felt the urge to rush over and pet it for a few minutes! The scenery was lovely. Mountains on one side with only the peaceful river separating us, and big open fields with horses on the other side. I could have kept riding, but the sun was trying to set and my little tooshie was getting sore anyway.

After my dad cooked up some steaks and corn on the cob (mac & cheese for me!) he took Michael and I to the Observatory. It was so cool! I have always loved space, yet never made it to an observatory. The sky was absolutely brilliant to look at. No moon, no clouds. Just thousands, nay millions, of stars. Through the telescopes we saw some star clusters, the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy . . . and the highlight ... Jupiter with four of its moons all lined up in a perfect row. It was a really fun, different way to cap off a day in the great outdoors.

On Sunday before leaving town we went over to the Lava River Cave. It was at least a mile long from the opening to the end of the tunnel. The temperature inside was a chilly 42 degrees, and absolutely NO light at all. I was the lucky one to carry the lantern, so my hands stayed nice and warm! It was fascinating to see all the different textures lining the walls ... plus it did feel like another crazy "Goonie adventure"!

I admit I was happy when it was time to go home, and the drive actually seemed to go by pretty fast, so that was nice. I'm still in recovery - only getting 2 hours of sleep on Saturday night pretty much killed me for the next few days. All in all I had a great time exploring new places and seeing new things with my dad! Much better than trying to visit Ohio!  ;-)