3 days in Oregon

The flight is booked! I texted Brittany after I received the confirmation email. It was official-my husband and I would be spending our 10 year wedding anniversary in Oregon with my best friend and her husband.

We aren’t frequent travelers. In fact, I hadn’t been on a plane in 7 years. I couldn’t have been more excited! With only four weeks until the trip, I didn’t have that long to wait.

Not long after that, another one of my friends and her husband booked flights as well, and it officially became a couples retreat.

The trip was incredible and I’m excited to share all the details with you in case you are planning a trip of your own.

The plan: Cramming as many activities as possible into a 3 day trip

The best way to make the most of this trip was to not stay in one place. We decided to fly into Portland and then road trip for 3 days until we circled back to the airport to fly home on day 4. This way, we could see a lot of things since we didn’t have very much time.

Day 1: Surviving a night in the woods at Lost Lake

We started our adventures as soon as my friend picked us up from the airport. We were ultimately headed to Lost Lake, but we made a couple of stops along the way.

The first stop was Multnomah Falls. This is the textbook location that everyone will see when they are researching places to visit in Oregon. Since it is right off of a main road, it is very touristy and very busy. It was absolutely breathtaking though. I would love to see it in the fall. This is also a filming location for Twilight, so of course it made me very happy to see in person.

After the falls we made a side quest to a winery that wasn’t too far from Lost Lake. It was very, very hot outside…nearly 100 degrees, but the views from the winery were beautiful!

We also had lunch at a brewery since we were headed straight to our campsite where we would no longer have access to cooked food for the night. We wanted to make sure everyone had eaten and enough energy for the evening activities.

The views of Mt Hood from the brewery (and the winery) were beautiful and provided a stunning backdrop for our meals. The brewery didn’t have AC inside though and so we unfortunately didn’t get much relief from the heat.

The food was good and we had a lovely time.

After the winery it was time to eat. We wouldn’t have much food once we reached the campground, so we stopped at an adorable brewery with more beautiful views of Mt. Hood. It was in the tiniest town.

After the brewery, we finally made it to Lost Lake.

I also figured out why it’s called Lost Lake. It is definitely hidden out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service or anything nearby.

As you can imagine, being this far out and on a lake no less, provided the most peaceful evening. We were able to paddleboard on the lake (the water was freezing so I didn’t swim) and we spent plenty of time just talking by the water before heading to our campsite for the night.

When I say campsite, I should specify. I did not sleep in a tent. We all slept in a yurt…and it was one of the worst nights of sleep I’ve ever had.

This was not because of the yurt. This was because all of the husbands were snoring SO LOUD. I maybe got a total of 1 hour of sleep for that entire night. It was warm when we fell asleep, but chilly when we woke up. There wasn’t any plumbing where we stayed so that was a fun experience (sarcasm), but I was excited that our next stay was an actual hotel.

Day 2 Hiking in the desert to a freezing cold waterfall

Although the Yurt was peaceful at night, I didn’t get much sleep. We woke up, packed our things and headed to our ultimate destination for the evening, the River house Lodge in Bend, Oregon.

We made several stops along the way.

First, we had breakfast at a cozy little bakery in the nearby town called Moby’s. I had a gluten free blueberry muffin and it was probably the softest muffin I’ve ever had. I typically don’t reach for anything gluten free, but I think this was the only kind that was available, and I will never forger that muffin.

It was nice to eat and have access to plumbing and running water after camping the night before.

We had a plan to visit steelhead falls, which is a gorgeous waterfall and swimming hole. It was the perfect day for swimming, as the temperature ultimately reached 100 degrees.

We eventually stopped for lunch before the falls. It was important to have plenty of food and water before venturing out in the heat. We had Mexican food but I was unimpressed. I don’t even think I took photos of it. We all agreed that we should never talk about hat restaurant again.

Finally, we made it to the falls. We changed into our swimsuits in the car, grabbed some water and took the short 0.5 mile journey to the water.

It was absolutely beautiful, but the water was freezing. Even in the extreme heat, it was difficult to get in the water. As soon as I fully submerged it felt like a shock to my whole system. Essentially it was a cold plunge.

We stayed in the water for about an hour. To be honest, we were dreading the walk back to the car in the heat but it wasn’t nearly as bad as when we first arrived. It was time to head to the lodge.

I can’t say enough good things about my experience at the Riverhouse Lodge. It is located on the Deschutes River which provides an amazing and relaxing environment for a vacation.

We booked a room that sleeps six. I was fully expecting it to be a small room but it was surprisingly very spacious! It had a very large desk, large television and a mini fridge as well. I also loved that there was a second sink outside of the bathroom so there was more space for others to get ready. Details like that are very important when you are traveling as a group.

I would love to have stayed here a little longer if we had more time. I highly recommend.

Day 3: Sahalie Falls and Proxy Falls

After a lovely night at the Riverhouse Lodge, we checked out and made our way to breakfast. My friend told me wonderful things about The Lemon Tree, so we decided this was definitely the place we wanted to go.

I’m very glad that we were able to arrive a little before opening, this place is very busy and if you are late, you certainly will not get a table at a decent time. We stood outside for about 10 minutes while we waited for them to open.

I cannot recommend The Lemon Tree enough. Not only was this a beautiful restaurant, but the service was incredible and the food was delicious. I’m sharing as many photos from here as I can. If you are ever in Bend, OR, this place should be at the top of your list for breakfast.

After breakfast we made our way to my favorite destination from the trip, Sahalie Falls. I have seen photos and videos of people visiting the falls, but if I’m being completely honest, nothing compares to being here in person.

This waterfall is completely magical. The water is crystal clear, unlike anything I have ever seen. I am used to the brown water in Virginia.

I also should add that we were lucky enough to experience incredible weather here. It wasn’t too hot, and it was cloudy and slightly rainy. I had a hoodie on for most of the hike (except for taking pictures).

After Sahalie Falls, we headed back to Eugene, OR, where my best friend lives. We spent the last night at their house. We had an incredible seafood boil for dinner and I was able to get some proper sleep before waking up and heading to the airport.

Overall, I highly recommend taking a trip to Oregon if you are looking for a fun, nature filled vacation. This was a peaceful trip and I’m so grateful that we had the opportunity to explore the PNW.

We definitely had a friend who knew the ins and outs of the area which made the trip much easier and stress free. I would never have been able to plan this route by myself.