Saturday, September 20, 2014

Last Days in Bend, Oregon - Friends, Hiking and Living…

We have enjoyed our stay in Bend, Oregon and before we left there was one more waterfall hike we wanted to get in, Tumalo Falls. Tumalo Falls is a short drive west of Bend and upon pulling into the parking lot, we could hear the falls. The hike to the falls was short but we planned a longer hike so we could also see Double Falls. Total distance for our hike this day was about three miles, in and out. There is a loop trail here which we prefer but that would require us to cross a very cold creek so we opted to hike in as far as the crossing and simply return.

Another magnificent set of waterfalls on this nice hike as both Tumalo Falls and Double Falls are very worth the effort it takes to see them. It may be a while before we see any waterfalls again so we took our time to soak in their beauty and the roaring sound made as the water tumbled downward… From Bend we will be traveling east across some of the high desert in Oregon and Nevada as we plan to spend a couple of weeks in the Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks before heading southwest to San Diego for November and December.

Besides hiking to waterfalls we also found several hikes along the Deschutes River with some of our miles in the wilderness and some more urban as we hiked in the town of Bend along their nice series of river trails. As we did in Portland Oregon we stopped at several of the craft breweries and even took a tour of the Deschutes Brewery. The crafted beer scene in Bend is every bit as good as rtland and while Portland may have many more breweries Bend claims the honor of having the most breweries per capita. My favorite was Boneyard Brewery and Sharon’s was Crux but we really didn’t have a bad beer during our stay.

We are sure glad we spent some time in Bend since we were unable to the last time we passed through the area. Bend is a vibrant town with lots to see and do. It was also a treat to enjoy some social time with Pam and Vic, their friends the Hiss family and our friends BJ and Mike who flew in from Portland to visit Pam and Vic for a few days.  Our last night was spent at Pam's suggestion at Anthony's for dinner on the patio by the river in the Old Mill District.  It was a beautiful evening and we all had a great time. Had there been any vacancies at Tumalo State Park we would have surely stayed longer.

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We left today to head off into the desert as we amble towards Utah… see you on down the road of retirement!

10 comments:

  1. That is an awesome area to hike. So many gorgeous waterfalls.

    You would be in brewery heaven here in Columbia, SC. There are tons of breweries here with local crafted beers. They even have a Beers of the World here.

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  2. Beautiful shots,Oregon is a one of the most awesome States .

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  3. We missed Bend when we were in Oregon last year. I guess we'll have to go back.

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  4. Thinking it will be grand in Zion and Bryce this time of year.

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  5. ahh, the best of Bend. Seems silly that we rarely go there when it is so close, but most of the time we are simply passing through. Nice photos. Travel safe and enjoy Canyon Country at the very best time of year.

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  6. How neat that you meet up with Pam and Vic. I am sure they are hoping we all stop in Bend to visit. They are great people:)

    Sounds like we will be traveling in similar areas this winter. Hopefully, we will meet soon! The only place I know we will be for sure is Mission Bay from Dec 15 to Jan 15. We had to make the reservation so we could book our daughter's plane trip.

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