Stay and Eat - Oregon

Sunset over the Deschutes River in Bend

Our 12 days in the state or Oregon started and ended at PDX.  We flew non stop from ATL on Alaska Air, and though airfare was high, we were impressed with the airline.  Once on the ground in Portland we took a shuttle to Fairfield Inn near the airport.  The room was small, but they did allow a roll away bed to make Alyssa's first night more comfy than sleeping on the floor. Michael Smith, a Berry grad who lives in Portland came to the hotel the next morning to take Randy and Stephen to get our rental van.  More on Michael later!

We don't camp, so traveling with 9 people is expensive.  Whenever possible we rent through VRBO and enjoy the spaciousness of a house.  On this trip we had two houses, one in Bend and the other in Bandon on the coast. Homes give us space, the opportunity to cook and do laundry.  That may not seem like fun on a vacation, but we enjoy the experience of a vacation rental.

House in Bend

TV and WiFi is always a plus!

Aaron and Brandon enjoy the hot tub

The house in Bend was new and furnished by IKEA!  There were 4 bikes that we could ride around town, plus our house was not far from downtown.

The sunsets in Drake Park were the best.

Always great to enjoy a local coffee shop!

We love to stay in the National Park Lodges but it isn't always feasible.  This trip we spent three nights in lodges.  Crater Lake is in a remote area of southern Oregon and beautiful.  The lodge has lovely views of the Lake, superb food and lots of history.  Warning - staying and eating in a National Park is NOT cheap!  I save, save, save to enjoy a few meals in a NP lodge.

Crater Lake Lodge was built in 1915

Our group of nine enjoyed a variety of foods at Crater Lake Lodge: lamb chops, bison, steak, chicken, clam chowder, duck and some tasty desserts! We also ate breakfast at the lodge and loved the Marionberry syrup and jam.

Bison Meatloaf - yummy

The lobby provides a place for Skip Bo and chatting with other travelers.

Dinner at the lodge!

Crater Lake is all about the view and I have plenty of pictures that I will post later, but here is one to give you a glimpse.

A volcano from 7700 years ago created this beautiful scene.

Our next stop was Oregon Caves, which is a National Monument that was established in 1909.  The lodge was built in 1934.  This was such a pleasant surprise as we didn't know what to expect. There was no TV, no WiFi, no cell service and we loved it!  It was a the end of a 20 mile road and we arrived during the final game of the World Cup when they were in penalty kicks.  If you know our family, soccer is a big deal!  We still loved this location and lodge.  We took the 90 minute cave tour which was awesome and I would highly recommend it.

The Chateau at Oregon Caves

Brandon and Beth at the main entrance of the lodge

Carrie at the piano

Our comfortable bed

Time for games in the girls room.
We had a family suite, which was two rooms sharing a bath.

Fancy salad that was delicious

Old phone between our rooms

Old fashioned diner. The kids all had thick milkshakes with their breakfast!

Relaxing in the lobby

House in Bandon, Oregon. 

Binoculars and a telescope gave us a super close view of the beach.

Kitchen was adequate for all our needs.
We grilled out twice at this house.

Our house was across the street from the beach!
We explored tidal pools, caves and sea stacks.

We love ice cream!
 Face Rock Creamery provided huge portions for an amazing price.

No trip to Portland is complete without experiencing doughnuts, food trucks and Powell's bookstore. 

Open 24/7 and there was a line to get in. 

Many options at 50th and Division Food Trucks.
I had Mexican, Alyssa had Vietnamese, others had Fish and Chips.

Our last night was at the Staybridge Suites near the airport.  The accommodations were nice, the continental breakfast was satisfactory.  We flew home with no glitches while the Williams waited to take Amtrak and will arrive home 5 days later!