After a short duration stay at home in Henderson, NV, we decided it was time to get back on the road. We planned to head for the Pacific Northwest to spend the summer in cooler temperatures. It was already getting hot in Henderson (95-100 degrees F) and we knew the temperature was just going to keep climbing. We planned to take a different route to Bend OR, we decided we would take the Eastern Road up to Winnemucca NV, overnight and then push up to Bend. We were very worried we were going to be traveling across a harsh desert and would see super high temperatures.
We headed north on I-15 to just about 35 minutes north of Las Vegas. Then you turn off I-15 and head north on Hwy 93 for a long way. The first thing we came across was a beautiful golf course about an hour outside of Las Vegas (Coyote Springs Golf Club) It is out in the middle of nowhere, but we will try it in the fall. We kept headed north and came to the “Alien Investigation Museum” turn off. We decided to save that one for the fall also. One thing we noticed is we were climbing in altitude and soon we were up at about 6000ft. The valleys and mountains were all green and there was still several mountains with snow on them. The temperatures were in the mid 70’s the whole way, which really surprised us.
As you drive out through these small towns in the deserts and hills you begin to see some weird things, like cars sticking out of the ground, military surplus and a whole lot of junk people piled up around their property. We even saw where they train military drone pilots just outside of Las Vegas, pretty cool!
We made it Bend and it was my first time there. We stayed at Sun Outdoors RV Park (https://www.sunoutdoors.com/oregon/sun-outdoors-bend) and it was a great place. Lots of space for big rigs, lots of trees and right in town. This was our base camp for the next week.
The first thing we did was visit downtown Bend. The Deschutes River runs right through town, and it makes for a very small town feel. Lots of great restaurants and bars and plenty of things to do. Bend folk are very outdoorsy, so you never have to get really dressed up. They like their vegan food, we had a great meal at “The Point Pub and Grille” (https://lovemypoint.com/) and another great meal at an Italian place called “Nome Italiano” (https://www.nomeitaliano.com/). Bend is making itself known for food and brews and they are doing a good job at it.
Our son Keegan wanted to show us a local state park where they are known for rock climbing. It is the granddaddy of all climbing parks and we soon learned why. We traveled just northeast of Redmond and came to this canyon with unbelievable walls of rock. The river runs around the base of it and gives it that Utah kind of feel. We hiked down and came to a trail called “Misery Trail” which takes you up over 1000ft to the peak and then down the other side of the rock and along the base back to the trailhead. All in all, about 3-4 miles.
We saw some people starting up the switchbacks and said, “lets see how far we can get”. Next thing we knew we were on top, after some slow going and many attempts to turn around (hardheaded wife) but we got there. You are rewarded with spectacular views all the way around. Down the other side we went and then hiked back to the trailhead. The last 300ft of the hike was most likely the toughest part of the whole ordeal. Back to the RV for some much-needed relief.
We visited Sun River Resort just south of Bend and met up with Lori’s sister who lives just outside of La Pine, about 30 minutes from where we were. She has a place in the woods with some anchorage. It is very pretty where she lives but it is out there.
Bend is growing fast, and they are having trouble keeping up with it (my opinion). Traffic was much heavier than I thought it would be and they don’t have the infrastructure to deal with it yet. They are tackling it but it’s going to be awhile before they get ahead of it. It will be interesting to see what it looks like in 10 years.
We did a drive to Sisters (about 20 minutes northwest of Bend) and had lunch. What a beautiful little town just out in the hills. You could spend a day here just hanging out and eating. I suggest you pull into one of the back streets and park your car, then just walk around. The main street right through town is the road to Eugene and Portland so it is quite congested, but it works. Lots of nice shops and things to do here.
After an unexpected change in plans, we found ourselves at the “Black Butte Ranch” (https://www.blackbutteranch.com/), about 15 minutes up the road from Sisters OR. This is one of the most stunning places I have been to. Keegan came up and we played golf, and the course was just spectacular. Lori and I spent a few days there riding bikes, eating in the lodge, and checking the place out. This place is definitely going on the “maybe get a house here list”. After that we wrapped it up and headed to Grants Pass OR on the Rouge River, about 3.5 hrs southwest of Bend.
