Enjoying Bend Oregon till the last day…

 

After getting past our ordeal with the flat on our CRV in Bend we finally met up with Pam and Vic. Sadly we were too late to go to the farmer’s market so Pam suggested we go straight over to happy hour at the The Pine Tavern. What a nice cozy place it was and it was obviously a favorite of the locals. Their happy hour was great! Our burger and garlic parmesan fries were perfectly complimentary to my Bend RPM IPA.

After happy hour Pam and Vic had more surprises in store for us! It was time to go “Back to school in Bend!” There was a live music event at the McMenamin’s Old St Francis Pub. which is one of many such cool restored buildings created by the McMenamins brothers. This one is set in a former Catholic school's main building and has five different and unique bars. We listened to music provided by a very talented guitarist and song writer. Though I can’t remember his name, he was quite good.

After a while Pam and Vic wanted to show us the rest of the McMenamins. First they showed us a really cool soaking pool and a very neat looking theater bar where I am sure it would be fun to watch some college football games. We were next shown a hidden door to a room full of interesting lighting fixtures and art under black lights. It was a little room to nowhere… We also saw all of the bars but the very coolest of all was one called the Broom Closet.

We walked down a hall and Pam told me to open the door to the broom closet and lo and behold we were in a broom closet with many interesting broom art pieces. There was yet another door inside the broom closet that led us all into a small and quaint speakeasy-type bar…very unique and clever!

The next day Sharon and I drove back over to Bend to go for a hike with Pam on the Deschutes River Trail. Vic was at a Tai Chi class so off we went. I am not sure how we ever missed this urban hike. It took us about 3-4 miles alongside the river flanked by a gorge of basalt cliffs. We enjoyed scenic vistas, white water and the sounds of rushing water  which was such a treat.

Afterward Sharon and I had reserved a tour of the Deschutes Brewery.  Pam  tagged along and was able to get on the tour as well. This free tour is a must do when visiting Bend in our opinion. To see one of the largest craft breweries in action is impressive. The four, four ounce, samples which come with the tour are also a treat. I tried two of their fresh hops beers which were really good.

Our time in Bend was coming to a close but Pam had one more stop for us before leaving to pack up for our journey south. We stopped in a makeshift garage in a neighborhood that turned out to be a brewery called Boneyard. We ordered the sampler of nine beers to share as they do not sell pints. I liked the RPM IPA the best. We also tried an interesting Ginger beer that they collaborated with a brewery in Shanghai China with. Tasty!

We enjoyed the day and it was time to take Pam back home and bid our goodbyes to both Pam and Vic, the “Ambassadors of Bend” (credit to Hans for this one)…What a fun stay!

NOTE: We are now in Klamath Falls Oregon where we will be until we can get a new tire for our RV…...