Christmas in Bend

Christmas Tree in Drake Park (Bend, OR)

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Things have been quite busy.  This Wednesday was New Years, last Wednesday was Christmas, the Wednesday before that I got two of my wisdom teeth pulled out, and the Wednesday before that I was taking a final for my poli-sci class! So all in all, December was a bit crazy. However, I got to spend the week of Christmas in Bend and it was a much needed rest from my crazy schedule. I am adding Bend, OR to my list of potential places to live.  This is the view from a bridge just minutes away from where I was staying:

I made it to Bend in time for solstice and it felt like a miracle to see the sun after ages of fog in the PNW. We hiked Flatiron Trail in the Badlands Wilderness.

At the end of the hike were piles of lava rock that we could climb up for a breathtaking panorama of the Badlands Wilderness and the surrounding mountains.

That evening we watched the sunset behind Mt. Bachelor and the Three Sisters from Crux brewery.  They had an awesome fire pit on the patio.

A few days later we hiked Pilot Butte.  I still can't get over this view.  From the top you can see all of the surrounding mountains and buttes, Jefferson, Hood, Bachelor, Three Finger Jack, Broken Top, and the list goes on... 

We also did the traditional Christmas things-baking cookies & putting up decorations. After a delicious Christmas dinner of seafood pasta, my mom and I walked through Drake Park to see all of the lights.  We had an impromptu dance party when we found a portable radio that someone left on a park bench. 

I got some reading in and I got to snuggle with the cat at the house I where I was staying.

Christmas Tree at the Bend Library

With graduation just around the corner, I'm excited to get back to Bellingham, but I loved the opportunity to spend my Christmas east of the Cascades.  Although there was no snow while I was there, Bend provided me with a much needed break from Washington's grey weather.

My pup and I at the top of Pilot Butte