Bend, Oregon

One of our best camping trips was back in September of 2008, when I was just moving into the 2nd trimester and getting over morning sickness with our son. My family and I had vacationed in Bend a few years before and enjoyed it so much, I was anxious to take Jeremy and relive some of those great memories and make new ones for ourselves.

The trip started with a night in Portland and good friends. 

We heard about Voodoo Doughnuts and well, Jeremy needed 

to try the "Captain my Captain". We also got the Mountain Dew  

and my favorite, French Cruellers.

 We came early September and did not realize that East of the Cascades 

would be so frigid after the sun went down. We spent our first night awake, 

shivering until 5:30am when we decided to go find a coffee shop. 

We found this gem, Thump, in the artsy downtown. I loved the cozy decor, 

they had wooden slats hanging from the ceiling that guests had written 

their wishes on: my favorites were "that Bryan Adams would come 

to Bend" and one a child had written "for families to have a good time". 

 Thankfully, the yurt next to our campsite opened up and we moved on in. 

Tumalo State Park was awesome, close to town, but near the Deschutes 

River for early morning fishing. Our neighbors were the nicest camp host 

you'd ever meet, he brought us chips and a bowl of his freshly roasted salsa.

 One of the many parks you can hike or ride.

 One of the highlights, the Lava Caves. 

Bring a jacket! Not for closterfobes!

 This was a fun trail to ride which followed the edge of the lava flow, 

you can also drive to the beautiful Benham Falls.

 We took a day to visit Sisters, and got in a game of Disc Golf.

 Got to fly fish the Metolius. Yikes, the white balance is way off!?!

Oh yeah.

 Best find in Bend, The Sparrow Bakery, 

tucked away, all by itself, this rustic little bakery.

A uniquely gourmet menu.

   

The River Trail which extends for miles along the Deschutes River 

is a peaceful walk in town with beautiful homes and gardens to drool over.

In all our travels, Bend is the one place Jeremy says he could settle. We learned that a few years ago Donald Trump was asked where to invest money, his answer: Bend, OR. The town has seen tremendous growth in the last decade and continues to thrive. The Old Mill district is a unique shopping center with a lot of your favorite stores. Other local attractions: the popular ski resort at Mt. Bachelor; the touristy Sun River and the rock climbing hub at Smith Rock.

For more information on things to do, places to stay, food to eat, click here.