My mom was raised in Spokane far away from her cousins in the Salt Lake City area. Each summer, however, Peggy (my grandmother) and she would board the train and head for a cousins visit.
Mama extolled the virtues of these trips and the strong relationships developed with extended family. As for me, I have just one first cousin who is quite a bit older and two second cousins, one that I have only met once.
A friendship grew with the older of the two as we spent summers together at Priest Lake, but we were never really close. That is one reason why I am so pleased with the cousins – first, second, and third – that my children have. Regardless of age and distance apart, everyone has high regard for one another.
The connections expand as my grandchildren unite with more cousins creating a rollicking family bond. We had dropped reunions due to family consternation and then my great nephew-in-law, Dallas, asked, “Why aren’t we enjoying family parties more often?”
Of course, other than some deep sighs, there is no reason not to get together and so we designed “Bend Bonds”. While I had driven through Bend, Oregon, many years ago, my how it has grown. From a bump in the road to well over 100,000 residents there is something for everyone as we soon learned.
With a VRBO rental for 16+, cars arrived from Boise, Spokane, and Winnemucca. With six bedrooms and some couches as well, we were set.
Meals had been divided in advance so no single family had to fret over cooking – we each had our assignments. Indoor dining at multiple tables or outdoor seating with a firepit proved perfect. Plus, Bend is full of excellent breweries and restaurants many with outdoor space for the kids to play.
And then there is Mount Bachelor. Just 30 minutes from our rental, several of us jumped up that first Friday and headed for the slopes. Hoping to avoid crowds on a weekday, we did it! In addition, the resort is vast with both gentle and steep runs to make every skier happy. Lessons for the little ones meant open skiing for adults with a round-up for lunch.
There are few meals more delicious than a (veggie) burger and fries in the warm-up hut. With more skiing action later, we ended the day by sliding right up to our car door for disassembling our ski ensemble and returning for dinner – cooked by someone else!
Later Dallas gathered snow and made a sledding hill right outside the front door. Just one sled made no difference as kids from babies and up took turns breezing down the miniature mountain.
Even with busy days and no naps, every child remained happy and excited to share just one more slide. With so much room inside they could sprawl out to read, play a game, and snuggle. Cousins! Wow!
With laughs, stories, and new traditions, leaving Sunday became easier as we planned our “Next Year in Bend” adventure. I am thrilled to return and see more of this city. Bend City Planners took the population explosion in stride and fashioned housing tracks to meet natural contours with trees and rocks left in place.
To alleviate traffic snarls Bend utilizes round-abouts. These are truly amazing and not only tame cars, but make it easy to turn onto streets that spoke from the center.
As for the drive from Winnemucca. It is 350 miles through beautiful open country. Lynn says I am really a Nevadan now as I see such loveliness in the desert. Farms, ranches, antelope, small towns, and roadside stops dot the route. While it is 2-lane traffic, it’s quiet and very little passing is necessary.
Oregonians tend to follow the speed limit, typically 65, so most maniacs are under control. Even I adhered (fairly closely) to the speed.
Being a Nevadan I also know about distances between gas stations so I advise filling up a time or two along the way. Allison and family came in on fumes as per usual with my three children.
More gatherings are on the calendar: the Great Potato Race in Boise and fun at Priest Lake this summer and who can guess what else? I just feel so fortunate to have such a marvelous family!