Bend, OR

I should have written about Sumpter before now as I have been there before and summer is vastly different than winter. Maybe it is something about old mining towns, on the verge of becoming a ghost town that intrigue me. This time that I went was just recent and with a group of friends from John Day so that we could go snowmobiling. Sumpter in the summer gives much more access to what is really there, what you can’t see beneath the snow.

Bandon is part of Oregon’s southern coastline. Though small Bandon thrives and has its’ own bit of history. Originally it was a gold mining town though that didn’t last long. What Bandon is famous for are the commercials that have been filmed there by Budweiser and their Clydesdales, Chevrolet and Jeep, all ocean scenes, as well as a few other companies.

One day in July a good friend of mine asked if I wanted to go to the Mosquito Festival. I thought he was crazy. A festival about mosquitos is all I could think of and the look on my face must have showed it as he started to laugh and explain that it wasn’t about mosquitos. His explanation was that it was a huge, weekend long festival but he wasn’t sure why the mosquito part but he had always enjoyed himself. So in the end I said ok.

Crane Prairie Reservoir has a resort on one side which has the usual full amenities known to most any lakeside resort to include camping, boating, fishing, a store and cabins but that isn’t what holds the appeal for me here at Crane. I rather prefer the road that can be traveled that goes all the way around Crane as well as the log jams that sit out in the reservoir itself. Though on the other side of Crane sits regular campsites which I prefer anyway, and a small boat launch and no facilities.

In my posting of Central Oregon at Large I mentioned Kokanee Café. The little know café yet large with reputation. While being only 45 minutes from Bend on W. Hwy 20 it seems as if few local residents make the trip here. In the summer there are actually thousands of patrons, mostly from out of town. This café sits on the Metolius River and is the most esteemed river for its’ fly fishing and is a challenge to fish even for the most seasoned fisher person, as I call those of us who fish.

Read through the article and you will find out exactly why it is that Hoodoo is so aptly named. Located just over an hour from Bend and 15 minutes from Camp Sherman is Hoodoo Ski Resort where my preference to ski is. I drive this pass a lot when I visit my daughter so in that I pass the ski resort frequently so it is nothing for me to plan a stop for some skiing should I choose to do so.