Bend, Oregon - The Bat Caves

Last year, we enjoyed our scenic and rather challenging hike at Smith Rock. And also the year before that. Josie, on the other hand, has not!!  On the way down to Bend this year, she declared, "I will NOT climb Smith Rock again!"  It was a pretty difficult hike for a 5 or 6 year old.  She did it both years but was not happy about it.  Part of the difficulty is that you are hiking in direct sun the entire time.  No shade for Josie (and Marty and Benjamin) translates to nearly devastating conditions.  So, to try something new and keep Josie from melting we decided to try the bat caves, under round, very cool... in fact, 42 degrees cool.  Josie and Benjamin happily hiked along the entire way, underground, in the pitch black with our only light source being flashlights and head lights.  She loved it.  As did we. A very fun experience for all of us. 

We didn't see any bats but it was certainly an adventure.