Side Quest to Bend, OR - Minnie 🐶
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| Sun naps are the best! |
We did a side trip to do some pet sitting in Bend, Oregon. We had the pleasure of taking care of a beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel by the name of Minnie for 10 days! She was an absolute angel and just a pleasure to watch.
We made sure she stayed safe, very happy, and healthy. And we watched over the house. Looking back at my pictures, I took so many of Minnie! She was so cute and sweet.
We're members of a website called TrustedHouseSitters. Basically, we pay a yearly membership for be sitters (there's a membership for people looking for sitters too), we get background checked, and we can search for members who are looking for sitters. After a FaceTime or two we figure out if we're a good match for each other. It's wonderful because your pet gets to stay in their own space, your home is watched over, plants watered and mail brought in. We get to watch a sweet pet and in exchange, stay in that home for the agreed time. No money exchanged.
We had a wonderful stay in Bend, it's such a lovely city. We got our "puppy love tanks" filled back up, we need it every so often. We miss having a pet, so this website helps us scratch that itch while getting to visit a new city/area/state.
We enjoyed a few local breweries and restaurants while we were there. I don't have pictures, but Wild Rose Thai was fabulous. They serve Northern Thai cuisine, which different than your typical Thai restaurant across the USA. We thoroughly enjoyed Bend and it's high-desert climate. It's definitely a place we see ourselves returning to, and maybe even living. It's a paradise if you love outdoor activities like biking, hiking, trail riding, skiing, etc. All 4 seasons without the extremes.
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| Monkless Belgian Ales - Bend Oregon |
The coffee culture in Bend didn't disappoint either. Thump and Sparrow were both excellent. If I had to chose, Thump coffee and a famous "Ocean Roll" from Sparrow. That's the perfect combo. Chef's Kiss....
Seeing wildlife in the city limits was so cool! We saw numerous deer during our visit.
The sunsetting behind the mountains with the sun flare outlining them was just amazing. That gets me every time.
Once Minnie was all settled in we ventured out for a hike nearby. We visited Smith Rock State Park and hiked a fairly difficult, but beautiful loop trail called "Misery Ridge & Summit Loop Trail". It is 6.2 miles long with 1,761' of elevation gain! There is about 600' of elevation gain right at the beginning of the trail! It is a lovely hike with gorgeous views of the "Crooked River". You'll also see Monkey Face, which is a rock that looks like, well...you guessed it... There are beautiful viewpoints everywhere. Take your time, drinks lots of water and rest along the way. Soak it all in. It is a pretty place. Admission was $5 to park, so not bad at all. I would recommend getting there early to beat the heat and the crowds.
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| Misery Ridge Trail - Oregon |
On our way back to Seattle from Bend, we made a stop in Keizer, OR. We hadn't had In-n-Out Burger since our time in Phoenix and we noticed one on the map. This seems to be the northern-most location, so naturally, we HAD to stop. At this point it's August 2023 and we probably had In-n-Out in April 2023, the struggle...
We also stopped at the famous Voodoo Doughnut shop in Old Town Portland. Healthy, nope, but OMG how delicious! Worth every calorie!
We wrapped up our drive to Seattle with happy bellies ready to settle back into our gym/walk/hike routines. Taking care of Minnie was a joy, but it was also a lot of responsibility. Our dogs lived into their teens, and even though I'd give almost anything for another pet, walk and kiss from them, it's a lot of work and responsibility. That's why this house sitting thing is so much fun, we can do it when we want/need, without committing 15 years to a pet.
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