Bend, OR

This past weekend I went to another of my pirate gatherings as I do each year and it was at a place I didn’t know that existed, a place called Horning’s Hideout. What a cool place. Over 100 acres, some treed, some grassed with a 2 streams, a 5 acre stocked fishing pond and a separate breeding ground to keep the fish continually stocked. Three separate playgrounds for all the kids, an island in the middle of the lake, all kinds of wildlife and about 100 colored & albino peacocks & peahens. This area is absolutely stunning and no one knows where you are and would ever even know this place existed if the owners didn’t allow public use.

Old man Horning allows functions upon this property from weddings, to races, our pirate gatherings, sport competitions, concerts and just because. During these events he wanders around and visits which I thought was totally cool. One thing that really stands out and why I never got a picture is beyond me, but it is a single stump. This stump is a tribute to all those kids who have physical challenges. It is covered with things from hula hoops to fishing signs, a signed baseball, old instruments, mardi gras beads, sunglasses, sparkly objects, even a motorcycle license plate…all this in the contours of an older man. It may sound tacky but tacky it is not.

I loved wandering on the roads throughout the hideout, trekking out in the woods to follow the streams, listening to the peacocks and watching them ruffle their feathers. There is a natural order of things here w/ a cacophony of music, nature made. I loved listening to the stream below me as I drifted to sleep. I did find out real quick that the streams are a challenge to follow as the undergrowth is so thick. There is not a shortage of places to wander, nor a shortage of camping areas.

Above the main house is a trail that winds above all of the hideout. It is a fairly steep trail and in some spots quite slippery…I never did make it to the top but I imagine that if one did the view would be astronomical and overlook so much of the Willamette Valley. I fell in love with this green paradise that has so much peace and life. It seems quiet yet radical, riparian lives in the way of humans, animals, music, laughter & absolute silence. A strange and invigorating place. This is a must visit. Adults and kids alike will love it hear.

Directions to Horning’s can be found at their web page http://horningshideout.com/default.php?view=info. While at their page, take a look and see what I mean about the beauty!