Bend the beautiful
California was great, but by then Oregon was calling us. First we headed for the Eastern part of the state. As a student at the University of Oregon and later when I lived in Portland, Bend was a popular destination for skiing and biking with various groups of friends. One of my very first outings with a UO outdoors group was to the Three Sisters wilderness for a hike in the black lava fields. But that was…a few years ago. I was not prepared for the craziness of today’s Bend.
The striking thing around Bend is that every car seems outfitted for the outdoor life. There are canoes and kayaks on roofs, bikes secured to racks and every car is some kind of 4x4. We hear that the town grew from less than 20,000 people in the late 80s to around 80,000 today. Apparently the growth spurt began when a rich Portlander decided to invest some of his money in golf courses in that naturally beautiful area covered with mountain peaks, rivers and lakes. The retired crowd flocked to Bend, followed by city refugees from San Diego to Seattle and probably beyond.
As a man who has lived there and worked in the construction business since the beginning of the boom explained to us, newcomers now outnumber Bend natives, running the city and all decision-making bodies. While we did not witness any sign of strife between the two communities, it is striking to come across a few old, run down barns and buildings in the middle of the spanking new condos and developments. The influx has slowed down with the current recession and we saw many newer apartments sit empty with “Lowered prices” signs calling out to potential buyers. But Bend’s attraction is still powerful. We met a woman who had just moved there from Davis, California after she decided the Golden state was just too expensive for her.
Massive growth might not sound attractive if you are trying to escape city life and high real estate prices. But Bend and the surrounding area remain a wonderful playground for anybody who likes to run, hike, rock climb, bike, canoe, kayak, fish or otherwise enjoy the outdoors. We did our share of that. For our first day, we headed out of town on the Cascade Lakes Highway/Century Drive. A few minutes out, we picnicked along the Deschutes River and checked out several falls admittedly under a menacing sky and clouds of pesky mosquitoes.
The next day we headed to the High Desert Museum which everybody had recommended. It was delightful from the “Sin in the Sagebrush” exhibit to the raptor birds live show to the reenactment of pioneer life and the wildlife sculptures scattered around the grounds. We now highly recommend it ourselves. We had barely finished our outdoor picnic when the skies opened and it started hailing. Mountains are unpredictable.
Other highlights of our days in Bend included fishing for the boys, some relaxing time for my mom and I in a local spa discovering the pleasures of hot rock massages, dinners with three sets of friends who live in Bend and a visit to the wonderful Museum at Warm Springs whose mission is “to preserve, advance and share the knowledge of the cultural, traditional and artistic heritage of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.” Purely by chance, we arrived just as a local group was starting a dance and drum performance. The group was composed of elders, youngish people and two children. At the end, the guests sitting around the circle were invited to join in.
On a medical note, Bend is also the place where my parents were reunited with their medications. After they lost a carry-on luggage with all their meds in it at the Paris airport, their French doctor issued a new prescription. A friend filled it and mailed it express to our home in California. Because she had honestly identified the contents as medications, the package was first delayed in France and then held in Florida until customs could be satisfied that national security was not threatened. This took many emails, phone calls and even an old-fashioned fax. By the time customs cleared the package, we were already on the road. A friend sent the package from California to another friend in Bend. When we got the call that the package had safely arrived in Bend, there was much relief, especially for my dad whose respiratory problems had started becoming quite uncomfortable. There is a happy footnote: they were able to get the luggage back, complete with meds and a couple other cherished items, on their way through the CDG airport on their return trip. All is well that ends well.
In the next installment, we stop for lunch at Track Town Pizza in Eugene and reach Manzanita and the Pacific Ocean.
kelloucq
le 30.08.10 à 11:13
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