Bend, OR

Even though the nearest beach is more than 150 miles away, Bend residents don’t seem to notice. When the weather warms up, the Deschutes River fills in for our ocean and Farewell Bend Park becomes our beach. During the summer months, Farewell Bend Park fills with sunbathers, beach cruiser bicycles, playing children, and droves of river floaters clumsily hauling inflatable mats and inner tubes.

Farewell Bend Park offers 22 acres of tidy paths, big grassy areas, picnic tables, a playground, and brilliant views of the Deschutes River and the abutting marshy areas. I pass the park, which stretches alongside Reed Market Road, nearly every day, and look forward to the view–a layered panorama of snow-capped mountains, evergreens, the sparkling Deschutes and grassy fields– every time.

The Deschutes River Trails offer pristine river views and nicely cleared paths, perfect for an impromptu (and undemanding) romp around Bend’s beloved waters.

This past weekend downtown Bend transformed into a culinary dreamland (more than it is already) as dozens of local restaurants showcased their cuisine at the 6th annual Bite of Bend. Walking down Bond Street was like a gastronomic world tour: where else can you down a plate of Pad Thai with a slice of brick-oven pizza and wash it all down with a local microbrew that came from a barrel-shaped cart? In addition to hundreds of food choices, the two-day event featured live entertainment, a kid’s play area with all manner of inflatable bounce houses and slides, and an Iron Chef-type competition for local chefs.

Located 20 miles west of Bend, the town of Sisters, Oregon, is Bend’s distinctively western neighbor. Every building on the little downtown stretch has an old-town western façade, and when driving through town I almost expect a band of cowboys and Indians to come charging out of the saloon and have a confrontation at the intersection of Main and Spruce. This past weekend, part of my vision came true (sans Indian altercation) as cowboys and cowgirls took the town by storm at the 68th Annual Sisters Rodeo. My friends and I went on Friday night, the opening night of the three-day event, and enjoyed some good old fashioned steer roping, barrel racing and fried food consumption.

A shady oasis just a stone’s throw away from downtown Bend, Drake Park is a slice of European charm in the middle of Central Oregon. The buzz of activity, long winding paths, and 13 acres of grassy grounds overlooking Mirror Pond remind me of some of my favorite parks I visited in Europe. This past Saturday afternoon Drake Park was alive with picnickers, bicyclers riding cruisers instead of mountain bikes (a rarity for Central Oregon), and kayakers floating through Mirror Pond’s calm waters.

This past Friday a friend and I ventured out to the Tumalo Falls area to check out the trails and find a sunny spot to catch up on some reading. Neither one of us knew much about Tumalo Falls except that it features a cascading chute of water and some wooded stomping grounds. With the trusty (and entertaining) black lab Mokie as our guide, we had a fun afternoon exploring the trails, tromping through the lingering snow patches, and marveling at the beauty of the waterfall.

I have always been fascinated by the steep canyons & largess in which Columbia River resides; the barge boats that pass through occasionally and the wheel house boat , where as a kid I was intrigued by the fact that the large wheel on the back of a boat propelled this boat forward; the myriad waterfalls and extravagant views that I see in the 14 miles that I normally travel.Columbia River itself is a 1200 mile river spanning 7 states (not including Canada) from Canada to Oregon and is the largest in the Pacific Northwest and flows into our Pacific Ocean. The majority of the Oregon part of the river is nestled within a deep canyon providing extravagant & exceptional panoramic views.

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.

Stand along the high wild edged coastline and feel the wind, the sea breeze and watch the sun set or rise amongst this craggy face of the cliff that hosts Cape Perpetua. Wander among the 2700 acre forest that is denser than the Amazon Jungle, see the meat eating plants throughout this same forest and no they do not eat us humans. Take the little ones up to visit the giant spruce tree that is at least 30 feet thick and is written as 185 feet tall.

As soon as I moved to Bend a few weeks ago, I started hearing rumblings about Bend’s annual Pole, Pedal, Paddle, a six-part race in which participants ski (Alpine and Nordic), bike, run, kayak, and sprint their way from Mount Bachelor to the Les Schwab Amphitheater. Tongue twisting title aside, the Pole, Pedal, Paddle celebrates the essence of Bend: serious outdoor sport that takes full advantage of Bend‘s mountains, rivers, and trails. Plus, the entire population of Bend seems to show up, either to compete or cheer on the thousand or so participants. The sextuple-threat contest attracts everyone from elite athletes, to teams of friends or coworkers, who divide up the legs of the competition and often dress up in costume.