golfkat Travel Blog

One of the best summer vacations we had as a family was in Sunriver, Oregon when the kids were still around.  We rented a condo for a week, and drove up there in August.  Though it was the height of summer season vacationing, it was a pleasant, restful, and interesting week.  Sunriver Resort is located on the dry side of the Cascades.  Skiing is available nearby at Mt. Bachelor during the winter.  Matt and Sarah would find lots to do there.
 
It is about an eight hour drive up to Sunriver, just 15 miles south of Bend.  We took off early in the morning, and got there in the mid to late afternoon.  We ended up with a nice condo on the golf course, and about a half mile from the Sunriver Village.  The big deal about Sunriver is the bike trails.  The trails lead all over the hundreds of acres of the resort, down to the Deschutes River, and on to Bend.  Each condo comes with bicycles, though we rented a smaller one for Sarah.  The neatest part is that nobody has to lock their bike, as there are bikes everywhere.
 
The condo had a nice loft for the kids, and lots of space for us to cook, relax, and enjoy the cool Oregon weather.  No sooner did we get there, than Matt headed out to the golf course and met some kids who work there.  It turns out that he arranged for free golf for the week, and played anywhere from 54 to 72 holes a day on the 3 courses on the property.  Needless to say, that saved lots of money.  Sarah found one of the three large pools to her liking, as it had a huge slide.
 
We ate about half of our meals in, and the remainder in Sunriver or nearby Bend.  Bend is a nice Oregon town, that reminds one of Tahoe in the old days.  We ended up in Bend, about 15 miles away, several times, both for groceries, and sight seeing, as well as a little golf and recreation with the kids.  We found a bowling alley, and enjoyed an afternoon there when it got hot.
 
The most frightening day occurred with the arrival of a huge summer thunderstorm.  The wind swept through first, slamming the doors to our condo.  It got dark, and the rain came down in sheets.  It lasted for only about an hour, but it seemed worse.  As we drove to dinner, we could see numerous forest fires started by the lightning of the big storm.  All night long, the sky was red from several small, but bright red fires.
 
The bike trails are a big attraction here.  The trail goes through the 3,300 acres of forest, and down to the Deschutes River, where the fish were biting.  It was also an easy ride into the Sunriver Village for groceries, movies, or shopping.  It really keeps the traffic to a minimum, and makes it safe for kids to ride their bikes.  Speaking of traffic, the resort makes use of the roundabout, so it is easier to get lost driving a car than riding a bicycle.
 
We took another day trip to explore the Newberry National Volcanic Monument (lava caves) near Bend.  Since I don’t like enclosed spaces, I had to leave shortly after entering.  But Sheri and kids went into the caves, and learned much about Oregon’s history with lava, long before Mt. St Helens.  Newberry is still seismically and geothermally active.  There are over 400 cinder cones in the area. 
 
The week went by quickly, and before we knew it, we had to face the drive home.  Originally, we wanted to stop at Crater Lake, a several hour side trip off of the main highway.  But once in the car, we just felt like we wanted a straight shot home.  Crater would wait for another time.  But Mt. Shasta and Lake Shasta were there for the viewing.  Another highlight was the town of Weed.  Who would name their town Weed?
 
Though we took many other family vacations, to places like Tahoe, Monterey, Disneyland, and San Diego, we thought Sunriver was a special place.  It is very family friendly, safe, and provides lots of recreational options, for a very reasonable price.  The warm summer days always cool off in the evening, just in time for a nice leisurely bike ride through the forest.  Although it is an 8 hour drive, it is a vacation we will always remember.