Busy Traveler

Travel Notes: Redmond, OR

Redmond seems to be the town for the people who work in the mills and in the tourist industry in Bend. Downtown Redmond had evidently been catering to tourists, but seems to be hurting now.

However, plenty of big box store construction was going on, as was road work. (Oregon evidently got a lot of stimulus money for transportation.) We had a really good breakfast at the Toucan Café on SW 6^th and enjoyed the free wifi. (www.toucancafe.com) Central Oregon is not as “wired” as we’re used to in Austin and Portland, so coffeeshops and libraries are important!

 

The Red Dog Depot was voted “Best Lunch Redmond” by newspaper readers, so I decided to check it out. It was the middle of the afternoon, so the place was dead, but I enjoyed the surroundings of the historic train depot and the burger was above average.
3716 SW 21^st Place
reddogdepot.com

 

Madaline’s Grill seemed to be a popular dinner place in Redmond. We had some pretty good shrimp there with Mexican sides.
2414 S. Hwy 97
www.centormall.com/Madalines_Grill

 

You cannot beat the location of Redmond! So close to Smith Rock, Sisters, the Metolius River, beautiful drives, and the area’s commercial airport. The cherry on the top is that Cline Falls is the “city park.” It is a lovely place to swim and picnic.

And there is a pretty little hike along the river. 

Crater Lake, Part 3

We drove several miles on a gravel road to reach The Pinnacles. These are fumaroles that were formed when volcanic gas rose up through hot ash deposits, fusing them into these solid rocks, some 100 feet high.

 

We saw some glorious clouds on this clear, beautiful day.

 

As usual, I was intrigued by dead trees.

 

After all this, Steve still had enough energy to walk to the top of Watchman Peak!

Crater Lake, Part 2

We drove along the West Rim Drive, stopping and hiking to beautiful overlooks.

We tried to take the boat ride around the lake, but all slots were full for the day. If you go, make reservations for the boat! (www.craterlakelodges.com/Activities-1843.html)

This formation is called the Phantom Ship.

We were awed and overwhelmed.

Crater Lake, Part 1

The high point of our trip was Crater Lake. We drove in via the north entrance road, which is open only in summer. The first overlook is an astoundingly beautiful sight.

This caldera lake (5 by 6 miles) was created when the volcano MountMazama collapsed around 5700BC. This amazingly blue and clear lake is the deepest in the US with the deepest average depth in the Western Hemisphere. Because the lake is fed only from snow and rain and has no inlets or tributaries, it enjoys some of the cleanest water in North America.

Wizard Island was created by later lava eruptions.

Some hydrothermal activity remains along the lake floor, suggesting that at some time in the future Mazama may erupt once again!

www.nps.gov/crla

Notes: Bend, OR

The economy hasn’t been kind to Bend. Big-spending tourists are scarce this year.

But it’s still the center of what’s happening in Central Oregon.

 

Reviews of the places we visited:

Blacksmith Restaurant

I read excellent reviews of this restaurant, whose chef is from Texas. We must have made a mistake going on Sunday night—the chef wasn’t cooking, he was hosting his family for a dinner. The building, a historic blacksmith shop, is dark and cozy. Many people were enjoying the bar and the restaurant hosts live jazz a few nights a week.

The beer and wine selection was good, but my ceviche was mediocre (the chef is supposedly well known for the ceviche of the day). Steve enjoyed his fish, but we’re not impressed, especially for the prices.

211 NW Greenwood Avenue
www.bendblacksmith.com

Deschutes Brewery and Public House

This place was hopping! It seems like it is pretty busy most of the time.We had the Black Butte Porter and the Cascade Ale. Two thumbs up! But the star of the show was the Oregon Salad I got: “Grilled Oregon Chicken Breast served over Fresh Field Greens. Served with Chopped Hazelnuts, Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue Cheese Crumbles and our Oregon Berry Vinaigrette Dressing on the side.” I highly recommend it and the pub atmosphere here.

1044 Bond Street
www.deschutesbrewery.com/brewery/brew-pubs/bend-pub/default.aspx

McMenamins Old St. Francis School

Yet another McMenamins project. You can stay in the converted 1936 Catholic school, go to the movie theater here, and/or eat, which we did. I got the summer beer, the Ruby, and it was delish! I got the seared tuna appetizer and Steve got a burger. They were very well done.

However, like the McMenamins Brewpub we visited in Portland, the atmosphere is flat. Not my favorite by a long shot.

700 NW Bond Street
www.mcmenamins.com

Silver Moon Brewing Co.

This is probably a great bar to hear live music, but in the middle of the afternoon, it was flat. The smell of bacon was overpowering and the atmosphere was unwelcoming.

24 NW Greenwood Avenue
www.silvermoonbrewing.com

Strictly Organic Coffee Co.

Lovely place to hang out. In the summer, you can get a grilled lunch on the patio.

Free wifi, great coffee. I loved the “Nut and Fruity”: wedges of apple and roasted hazelnuts drizzled with honey, with hazelnut butter for dipping.

Two locations: 6 SW Bond, 450 SW Powerhouse Dr., Suite 400
http://www.strictlyorganic.com/

The Wine Shop

I enjoyed a beautiful glass of Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir while hanging out and reading. The owner was friendly and a couple of her friends were also hanging out and visiting.

“Wine, port, sake and champagne by the taste and glass” (and the bottle, of course).

55 NW Minnesota Avenue
http://thewineshopbend.com/

Tumalo, OR

Another beautiful drive. Imagine! This time, I took the Cline Falls Highway from west of Redmond to Tumalo State Park, northwest of Bend. Tumalo State Park looked like the perfect place to camp, swim, and picnic. It’s an easy walk upstream to tube down the beautiful creek.

And don’t be silly like me and assume Tumalo Falls is in TumaloState Park ! That’s a in a different location, 10 miles west of Bend, after 2-1/2 miles of gravel road. On the approach, you see verdant valleys and enormous ridges.

And the beautiful river which must be downstream from the falls.

Tumalo Falls isn’t well publicized in the Oregon travel guides, so I was almost alone on this outing. The sign at the falls gave a good explanation of the site:

Cascade Mountains20,000 years ago the Tumalo Creek canyon was filled to the brim with ice. Moving at a rate of six inches per day, the 900-foot tall glacier carved out this canyon and the steep ridges all around you…Winter snow and spring rain collect in the , percolate through porous volcanic rock and emerge through fissures as springs.

And what an impressive sight it is!

I took the short hike (uphill…pant, pant) to the overlook at the top of the falls. You rarely get to look down on a large falls and this view was mesmerizing.

 

MacKenzie Pass Scenic Byway

This pass was closed for road work when Steve and I drove over the Cascades, so I decided to go to the summit today and see what we missed.

First stop was at Windy Point. Unfortunately, a heat wave has settled in and there was no wind. But it was a fascinating look at three different lava flows, the most recent 1500 years ago.

No wonder the astronauts who were training to walk on the moon spent a lot of time around these volcanoes!

 Then I drove to the summit to the amazing Dee Wright Observatory, built in the 1930s by the CCC. (I overheard an old codger saying that the CCC was for the young men and the WPA was for the old men.) I sure wish our economic stimulus package could put people to work at our national and state parks systems!

I fell in love with this observatory.

The views were amazing. You can climb up to the structure and peer at each peak through a small portal…

(I don’t know how to set my camera to also get the mountain in view.)

…or admire a stunning panorama through an arched open window.

It was a little too hazy to see Mt. Hood well. But the Sisters were close and magnificent.

From the vantage point, you also overlook a huge volcano flow, estimated to be 2700 years old.

 

I loved the ½-mile loop through the flow that stretches for about 8 miles. The fissures, ridges, gutters, and outcroppings that were formed as magma and lava cooled at different rates are amazing.

The scientists say these volcanoes are still active and will blow sometime. (Remember Mt.St. Helens? Part of the same chain.)

This was one of my favorite spots during the trip—a unique gem.

Bend, OR: Restaurant and Museum

Victorian Café

This café is consistently voted “Best Breakfast” by locals and I see why! My Crab Benedict was amazing and the home fries were way above average. The café is only open 6AM to 2PM, but they serve breakfast the whole time and add lunch around 11. It’s an old funky house, very Austin-y vibe, with a pretty little outdoor patio shaded by huge trees. I intend to work my way through their menu and I suggest you do the same when in Bend!

1404 NW Galveston Ave
(541) 382-6411

High Desert Museum

This well-regarded museum just south of Bend consists of several halls and a few outdoor areas. In some of the halls are Native American art, tools, and clothing.

 

Other halls present dioramas of pioneer life, a spooky dark mine, and the kids’ favorite: a teepee.

Can you believe the Forest Service used these in the ‘30s to fight wildfires?

 

The outdoor nature trail passes by an otter pool and a birds of prey exhibit. Because I was there during the heat of the day, the critters were comatose.

I HIGHLY recommended this museum for school-age children! The pre-schoolers seemed bored, except for the teepee and the animals.

www.highdesertmuseum.org

 

Sisters, OR

One of the most beautiful drives I’ve seen is Highway 126 between Redmond and Sisters. As you drive past ranches, some irrigated and bright green, some fallow and brown, you see the Sisters Mountains in all their glory.

On the other side of the road, you glimpse Three Finger Jack

 

The tiny town of Sisters has adopted a Wild West look and plenty of shopping for tourists.

I had a delicious marionberry biscuit at the famous Sisters Bakery (no website, 251 E. Cascade Ave). And, of course, I had to patronize the Stitchin’ Post (www.stitchinpost.com), quilt shop extraordinaire. I hope to make it to their huge quilt show some July.

Sunday: Ranch Girl?

I headed out to the Middleton’s land to help with watering and irrigation. Between shifts of hauling water via bucket from the irrigation ditch to trees and plants, I sat in this idyllic spot:

And this was my view (I promise I did not retouch the photo…the sky really was that blue!):

Their land is right next to Smith Rock, a very impressive landmark:

Though I was tired by the end of it, I also felt refreshed after spending the day in such a beautiful setting.

Saturday in Bend, OR

It was glorious August weather: sunny and dry, warm in the sun, pleasant in the shade. First stop was Pioneer Park for a quilt show. What a lovely setting to enjoy the handiwork of the many quilters in the area!

Onward to the Old Mill District. I didn’t really see much in the way of historical buildings, but did stop at the shopping center. Standard chain stores with a couple of local ones scattered about. I had a delicious lunch at Allyson’s Kitchen (www.allysonskitchen.com), a kitchen store plus café. The Natural Choice (hummus, cukes, avocado, tomato, red onion, organic greens, and tapenade on 8-grain bread) was to die for! Check out their website for some fabulous recipes.

I had to go by Between the Covers (www.btcbooks.com), an independent bookstore on the outskirts of the Old Mill District. It was a lovely place to browse and I picked up “Sometimes a Great Notion” by Ken Kesey because Steve and I are in the mood to re-read it after visiting this area.

Next, I drove up Pilot Butte (should have hiked up, but I was lazy). www.oregonstateparks.org/park_42.php I was treated to a beautiful 360-degree view of mountains and buttes. To give you an idea, here is the map:

Imagine seeing these mountains and buttes every day!

 

Muriel says it’s inspiring, but humbling, to live surrounded by such majesty.

 

Stopped at Trader Joe’s (yea!) on the way home for dinner. What a blissful day!