Going Big in Bend

When I say we went big in Bend all you outdoor enthusiasts are probably imagining a tale of epic climbing. Or maybe an ultra trail run, zip lining, or bagging one of the Sisters? While we did go climbing (of the non-epic nature) and did manage a few short road runs, when I say big I’m referring to the gigantic house we stayed in!

Every year my siblings and I gather with our families for an annual reunion. We weren’t able to pull it off these last few years so decided to go BIG this year and rented a pretty spectacular house for all of us to gather. It was a fun first stop for us, complete with a swimming pond that you can peep here from my reading spot.

We spent our first afternoon climbing at Smith Rock. My nieces and nephew joined us and had their first turns on a rope. Since we were taking folks who had never climbed we parked ourselves at the Rope de Dope Rock. It’s an ideal family spot with an easy walk-up approach, lots of room for kids to run around at the base, and plenty of short, top roping options. Zoe had fun doing laps on the rock and despite the warm temperatures we stayed pretty cool in the shade.

The rest of our time was spent going from one game or competition to the next: swimming, billiards, ping pong, chess, paddle boarding, baseball in the yard, push up contests, and more. Throw in shared meals, a few runs, shopping, watching movies and we had a pretty incredible and full weekend!