Guest of the Month: Wendy Altschuler

My favorite thing about fall is the smell. I burn candles as if there is a power outage and enjoy the “pie in the oven” scents that fill the room. I also love the magic of the leaves changing color and the crisp air that somehow smells different than summer. Ahh. Can’t get enough.

As we transition to the new season and trade out flip-flops for boots and swim suits for sweaters, I find myself looking forward to things like canoeing on the river and eventually snowshoeing the Cascades. However, we visit some caves year-round! And while 45 degree AC on a hot summer day is a blessing, experiencing 45 degrees in the dead of winter is a nice reprieve from the cold.

This month Wendy and her son joined us for some underground exploration and she agreed to an interview about her journey! Enjoy!

Hometown: Chicago

Age: 38 and 10 (my son)

Have you been to Bend, OR before?

No but I'm super glad I came! 

How did you hear about Wanderlust Tours?

I first learned about the tours thorough the Sunriver Resort

What is one thing you learned on your tour that you didn't know before?

I learned what "lavacicles" are. The coolest part for me though was seeing my son get more brave and intrepid as the tour went on.  He started off a bit scared to be in the dark, clinging onto my arm, but by the end he was climbing around and exploring on his own. I loved when we all clicked our headlamps off and sat in total darkness and in total quiet. We are so inundated with stimulation and light pollution on a regular basis, that this 30 seconds was remarkable. Oh, and when our guide asked my son if he liked Sour Patch Kids and then proceeded to eat an ant he picked up off the ground, well, that was pretty swag! 

Wendy and Son in Cave - Photo Credit: Wendy Altschuler

What is your favorite thing about fall?

When the leaves turn color and the air is crisper, and there's the threat of much colder weather to come, I really have an attitude of gratitude for the outdoors. 

Where's the next place you're hoping to travel:

 As a travel writer, I always have lots of exciting destinations in the works—next up: Redding, Morro Bay and the Highway 1 Discovery Route in California. 

Follow Wendy’s other adventures on Social MediaInstagramFacebookTwitter 

Underground Cave Exploration

If you have a great story about a Wanderlust Tour, email us! We’d love to hear about your trip and feature your story! Email casey@wanderlusttours.com