My family is pretty awesome. So awesome in fact that my older brother Paul and my mom drove all the way across the nation to drop off a car so that my brothers, my cousin and a friend can all road trip back home at the end of the summer (plenty of photos will come from that). I wish I had photos of their trip coming west as they made a bunch of really fun stops (Great Salt Lake, Buffalo Bill's grave, Arches National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redwoods National Park, and Crater Lake National Park). They stayed in a small inn nearby the headquarters for a couple days so I was able to spend time with them and show them around the area. The first day my mom's friend from college, Shannon, who lives in Bend joined us for a hike along the Lookout Creek Old-Growth Trail inside the Andrews Experimental Forest. There was the perfect amount of rain to really let the forest display its full beauty. The second day my mother and her friend went for a hike along the McKenzie River Trail while Paul and I used mountain bikes Shannon and did an out-and-back ride on the trail.
It was Paul's first real mountain bike ride and just like myself he caught the mountain biking fever by the end. Side not, Paul recently got a job in Tomsk, Russia which is in southern Siberia, so I am sure he will have many adventures of his own.
After the hike/bike we all stopped by Belknap Hot Springs. An interesting combination of upscale resort and RV camping in the same place make an amusing first impression. We were told by the owner of the inn to go check out the secret garden in the Belknap area. A footbridge behind the resort brought us across a big bend in the McKenzie River (above).
On the other side of the river were a series of beautiful walking paths which made us think we had already reached the secret garden. Pools of crystal clear water, and bright bushes of rhododendron made for a pleasant walk.
My mom and brother explore the area.
A very tropical rainforest feel to the place.
Paul coolly strolls across a bridge.
More beautiful waters.
We followed the ladies directions to go left at every path intersection and then follow the moss-covered stone wall until it ended and then voila! It really took us by surprise, a spectacular garden with water running in every direction and well-manicured green spaces and flower beds. The whole place looked like it was out of some fantasy world.
Fun stepping stones across the water.
My mom takes photos of the garden. An iris in the foreground.
The end of the stone wall demarcating the entrance to the secret garden.
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