Todd Lake day hike

 Mt Bachelor from Todd Lake

Only 21 miles from my Bend doorstep, Todd Lake is a quick day hike from the Cascade Lakes Highway.  Hard to believe I've never done this very popular trail - but from Eugene it always seemed so far over to this area.  Nice to have some new areas to explore.

Minam-Grande Ronde River Rafting

First camp on the Minam - not raining now, but wait...

 

As soon as school was out for William in mid June we set off for the Minam again.  This time we spent the first two days largely in the rain, thanks to our extended "Junuary" weather pattern.  But it also meant lots of water in the river, incredibly green landscapes for this time of year, and fewer crowds - a fair trade-off.  We spent four nights on the river and I got to take a turn at calling and steering a paddle boat, which was a great experience for me even though I chickened out on the one Class IV rapid on the whole river.  Maybe next time.  For me the highlight of the trip was watching a golden eagle fight it out with a mother deer over her fawn high on the cliffs above camp.  We also spent a couple of days in Moscow-Pullman following the raft trip.  It had been ten years since I'd been there and it was very good to be back.  Summer in Moscow, Idaho is something I will always have fond memories of.

Lower camp - amazingly green for this far into the year.