Waterfalls

Wednesday was a hiking trip at Tumalo Falls. We didn’t finish the hike because we were about 2 hours in and still hadn’t found the mid-point, so we decided to turn around. We also concluded that once you’ve seen one waterfall you’ve seen them all, so we were satisfied with what we had seen. And the best one was at the start.

But the hike was a winter wonderland and it looked like we were in Narnia. It didn’t get cold until the sun started going down, and Rachel is so tough that she was wearing shorts for the hike. Everyone kept telling her she was so brave as they passed.

Before we left for the hike I asked Rachel for some tips on what to pack for hiking. Here’s what she said:

• Water - more than you think you need

• Sunscreen

• Extra socks

• Pants

• Rain jacket

• Micro Spikes

• Food

• Head lamp

• Water proof pants (great for butt sliding down the mountain in winter)

To summarize: The right clothing, water and a light.

We were also talking on the hike about things we’ve noticed about Bend and how it's different from other places. Here’s what we concluded.

• There’s definitely a “west coast” vibe. People are more relaxed and they seem cooler.

• All the guys have mustaches

• Instead of intersections with stops signs or street lights, they have rotaries.

• Everyone wears a hat, even when they are indoors.

• The architecture is very modern and simple and we missed the New England old style buildings.

• People are much more casual in clothing. It was normal to wear hiking boots and a winter jacket at a nice restaurant.

• The water is delicious.

• People move here for the location and not the job. There’s a lot of people that have moved here that work from home and the locals don’t love that. People are less career focused.

• There’s a cute downtown in the city, but there’s nothing else for miles.

• It’s a desert with desert plants and pine trees. So even in the winter it is green with red dirt.

• It’s really dry here

Drove home, for dinner and a movie!