Smith Rock

Yesterday we picked up my Mom & Dad and went for a great hike at Smith Rock State Park. It's a beautiful spot less than 30 minutes from our house. The hike was only about 4 miles, but it had a section with a 1,000 foot elevation gain and then a 1,000 foot descent, all in the space of just 1 mile. That's somewhat steep for many hikers. I think it was right at the limit of where Mom & Dad wanted to go, in spite of the vertigo-inducing views from the top of the rock.

Just outside the park we found The Central Oregon Pumpkin Company. A real slice of Americana just before Halloween. Hay rides, food stands, many varities of pumkins, train rides, a maze in a corn field, and, most fun of all, a huge cannon that shot pumkins hundreds of feet into a field.

10/27 update: Dad posted his photos from the hike.