Sunday we headed out to Bend to check out the city. We were a little late getting out of town (3pm) so we kinda had to rush over the beautiful McKenzie Pass. The road parallels the McKenzie River, and the trees were starting to turn colors. Up where the road gets small an narrow, we started getting snow along side of the road, and the going was slow. At one point we had to pass a bulldozer, who had evidently either caused or was there to clean up a rock slide that took up the inside lane with golf-cart sized boulders.
Up at the top of the pass, you go along the edge of an old (in human terms) lava flow. There is a great observatory view-tower built out of the same lava rock. The ramp up to it spirals around and around, leading to a observation platform on top, with a circular bronze disc on a pedestal in the middle. From the center of the plaque, lines radiate out in different directions, naming the surrounding peaks and mountains, direction and their distance. Under the platform was a cave-like area, with little viewing portholes of individual peaks, again naming them. It was cold outside, about 36 degrees, so we were running around trying to keep warm.
We arrived in Bend about 6pm, and had fun playing phone tag with our hosts there, Isaac. We would call for directions, and he would give us the next turn to make, and tell us to call when we got there. We made all the right turns until the last one, when Tony misdirected Adam to a street too soon. Then we drove by the house once before we figured out what we were doing. The amount of driving the last week or so, especially all the time in the car, really wears you down!
Issac and Jon have a fabulous place in Bend, and helped us figure out the town. Jon is the senior designer for a home and lifestyle magazine, and he and Issac really have their house done up beautifully. They are transplants from Southern California and Seattle, so were able to give us their perspective on moving to Bend and all the wonderful things that Bend has to offer. It is a beautifully treed city (if that is an adjective for having trees), and the Deschutes River looks like it would be great to float down. Tony is again intimidated by the short growing season, but it certainly is filled with outdoor enthusiasts and lots of cultural activities.
We cooked some dinner with them after going to a great market. Shrimp scampi with garlic bread, and bruchetta for appetizer. The wine flowed and we had some good conversation on everything from Bend attractions to personal healing energies. We learned that they are a bit of a famous couple (we’ll keep the reason why under wraps for now, not sure they want to be outted for it). Their pug puppy Thelma was a riot of cute, snorty love. All too soon it was time to retire for the evening, for Jon had an early morning photo-shoot the next morning.
The next day (Monday) we drove around Bend for a little bit, stopping first for some breakfast items from the supermarket. We drove up to a Pilot Butte just east of downtown for a spectacular 306 degree panorama of the city and surrounding mountains. We noticed lots of active people out and about, jogging, walking, hiking, and enjoying the beautiful weather. Snow capped the higher mountains, making for a great view. Unfortunately we were so absorbed in looking and navigating that we forgot to take many pictures in Bend.
But up on the Butte in Bend we were able to get ahold of Tony’s cousin Aimee, and determine that she was, indeed, back in Eugene, so we decided to go back to Eugene for the night of visiting her and Uncle Marvin. We skirted through Bend for a bit, checking out neighborhoods, and drove out the north end of town. We returned to Eugene via another perfectly picturesque route. There are so many places around Oregon that are beautiful and rural, that by this point Adam and I are less concerned with finding a beautiful area, as finding a place where we can have jobs and live a good life.
No comments:
Post a Comment