Bend, Oregon

Bend, OR is a gem of a city. With the Deschutes River running through it, and the Deschutes National Forest beside it, we enjoyed every minute here. Except the minute I flew my drone into a tree.

Deschutes National Forest

Oscar, Gertie (the truck), and Marj (the camper) at our spot in Deschutes National Forest.

Our First Time Boondocking

To be fair, Kyle and I had 0 expectations of what Bend was going to be like. When we got here, the most we'd done was put it on our roadtrip map, look up places to stay on Campendium, and drive in. I'm not sure if we loved it so much because we lacked expectations, but this city was amazing. It also doesn't hurt that we lucked out with near perfect weather.

When we'd decided on a free dispersed camping spot in Deschutes National Forest, just outside Bend, we were a little nervous as it was our first ever "boondocking" experience. We made the mistake of driving a little too far in—turns out, the stranger you are, the further back you camp—so we turned back around and found a long back in spot closer to the entrance.

Once we set up and settled in, Kyle jumped on some calls for work, and I set up the slackline my friend Michelle gave me as a going away gift. (As a first timer, it took me hours to be able to cross it.)

RV Life

Kyle and Oskee in the camper.

Slack Lining in Deschutes National Forest

Slacklining in Deschutes National Forest.

Bend, OR

Driving into Bend.

In the City

As soon as we had a chance, we drove into Bend to check it out. One of the first things we noticed is that everyone is outdoors—it's delightful. People of all ages, from babies with their parents, toddlers, and even folks with salt and pepper or straight blue hair are out and about. Whether they're walking, biking, jogging, kayaking, or even surfing on the Deschutes River at Whitewater Park—the people of Bend know how to enjoy the outdoors.

We parked downtown, walked to a little spot called Super Burrito for a quick bite (fast and delicious; recommend), then strolled into Drake Park. We walked around the city center, then spent a few hours at Thump Coffee while we got some work done.

Deschutes River, Drake Park

On a footbridge in Drake Park, on the Deschutes River, right in the center of Bend.

Tower Theatre, Bend, OR
Our Excellent Tour Guide at Deschute Brewery

Another day, we signed up for a brewery tour at Deschutes Brewery. With thorough and informative explanations of the different processes as well as the company's history, our energetic guide walked us through the sights and sounds of the brewery.

On location, the tap room has new brews that the team is testing and working on, and you can sample any of the assortment of beers they have and vote for your favorites by purchasing a pint. The bartenders are all well-educated on the ins and outs of the brewing process, and can answer any questions about any single one of the beers. It's amazing. You should go. We were so hyped, we left and had dinner at the Deschutes Public House, just to see what it was like.

 

Another spot in town we really enjoyed was 10 Barrel Brewing. Its family-friendly original location is at the edge of a quaint neighborhood. The weather was cool and bright, and they'd propped open two garage doors that merged the indoor pub space with the sunny outdoor patio.

A band played outside, and I surprised myself by ordering a flight of 10 beers. Kyle opted for a pint and nachos.

My flight started with a crisp Golden Ale,  and included a Kosch, a few IPAs, a Milk Stout, a couple Sours. There were definitely a few surprises—one of the Sours was infused with something totally off the wall like PINEAPPLE. It was completely out there and amazing.

Another spot in town we really enjoyed was 10 Barrel Brewing. Its family-friendly original location is at the edge of a quaint neighborhood. The weather was cool and bright, and they'd propped open two garage doors that merged the indoor pub space with the sunny outdoor patio.

A band played outside, and I surprised myself by ordering a flight of 10 beers. Kyle opted for a pint and nachos.

My flight started with a crisp Golden Ale,  and included a Kosch, a few IPAs, a Milk Stout, a couple Sours. There were definitely a few surprises—one of the Sours was infused with something totally off the wall like PINEAPPLE. It was completely out there and amazing.

10 Barrel Brewing in Bend, OR
Beer at 10 Barrel
Maribeth and the Beer Flight at 10 Barrel
The Last Blockbuster

Kyle at the last Blockbuster.

Always suckers for nostalgia, we made the obligatory stop at the last Blockbuster on earth. Yes—this is the last remaining store from the once ubiquitous video chain.

Spoiler: it's exactly like you imagine—but that's why it's great. It smells popcorny and kind of like an old library. It has new releases, VHSes, and a little shrine-esque museum at the back, with a guest book, newspaper clippings, original membership cards and other ephemera.

Better still, this Blockbuster still has actual patrons. Locals stop in, return, browse, and rent movies, just like the good ol' days. This stop is a delight.

The Last Blockbuster

Outdoor Spaces

It took us a couple of days to realize that just behind our boondocking spot in Deschutes National Forest is the access point to a few very popular mountain biking trails, KGB and Marvin's Garden. We saw mountain bikers coming in and out every day.

Just a short drive from our spot are multiple day use access points to the Deschutes River Trail. On a sunny afternoon, Oscar and I headed over to check it out. 

This area has all kinds of mixed use trails all through out the National Forest, as well as several other areas next to it, like the Newberry Volcanic National Monument, the Three Sisters Wilderness, and the Shevlin Park. There are horse trails, bicycle trails, hiking only trains, even ATV trails, and of course river access points.

Lava Flows across the Deschutes River

Lava Flow across the Deschutes River.

Rapids on the Deschutes River
Oscar on the Deschutes River Trail

The Deschutes River Trail has a $5 day use fee, or you can use any of the National Parks Passes to waive the fee. From where we parked, near Lava Island, there was an Osprey nest high up on a dead pine.

From the trail we could see lava flow in the Newberry Volcanic National Monument, just across the Deschutes River.

The trail wound through pine forests, with beautiful views of the river, which was sometimes calm and steady, and other times swift and turbulent.

There weren't very many people—probably because it was midday on a weekday. Just a few other hikers, a couple runners, two bikers, a dog walker, and Oskee and me.

Hiking in Deschutes National Forest
Deschutes River Trail

A lush section of the trail.

Oscar on the Trail

Oscar, posing for a photo.

We walked along beautiful riparian areas, passed a group of white water rafters. We mostly roamed alone, enjoying the scenery, the sounds of birds and flowing water.

Along the Deschutes River
Oscar in tall grasses

Oscar hunting for sniffs.

Deschutes River

Very lush, even in early September.

I definitely recommend checking out the Deschutes River Trail for cycling or hiking. It was beautiful.

I spent a while here looking at it all, thinking of how long people have lived here, how this land has changed over time, and what these petroglyphs have seen over the ages. With my head spinning, I headed home.

I would definitely checking out the Deschutes River Trail, for cycling, hiking, or even bird watching. It was beautiful.

Mishaps and New Toys

A few days into our boondocking, I got real courageous and decided to fly the drone on my own. Where normally I'd wait for Kyle to watch over my shoulder to make sure I wouldn't screw anything up, I was on a streak of indepedence and confidently set and and set the drone into the sky.

I spent a while here looking at it all, thinking of how long people have lived here, how this land has changed over time, and what these petroglyphs have seen over the ages. With my head spinning, I headed home.

Kyle in Deschutes National Forest

Guess what Kyle's doing here... ):

Less than 4 minutes into flight above the 130 foot pines, the low battery warning started beeping, sending me into a nervous, frantic state of reactionary thinking. Kyle watched, sitting next to me in his lawn chair, while I flew the drone in towards us and it caught a branch of a tree and tumbled down, still over a hundred feet in the air, and then caught, nestled in the branches about 100 feet up. A few minutes later, it was completely lodged and completely dead.

I'd be lying if I said half our time in Bend wasn't spend trying to get the drone down. Over the next few days, we tried everything. We bought a slingshot and tried to shoot tennis balls up at it to knock it free. We made makeshift arrow with wooden dowels and fishing weights and fishing line on the end, sending them up with a youth bow, catching the line over the branch and trying to shake it loose.

We eventually even caught the attention of fellow boondocking neighbors—a kind, fun-loving fulltiming family who wrangled their sons into helping us try to shoot arrows with fishing line over the branch.

A few days into this savage adventure though, we gave up and called in a pro. We got in touch with Mr. Shriver, an arborist who replied to an ad we put up on Craigslist. It took about an hour, but he scaled the tree with a harness and specialized equipment, and got back down safely with our drone in tow. We were amazed.

I spent a while here looking at it all, thinking of how long people have lived here, how this land has changed over time, and what these petroglyphs have seen over the ages. With my head spinning, I headed home.

Shriver, an Arborist
Drone Reach

Since Bend is such an outdoorsy town, we figured it'd be a great place to shop for a kayak, which I'd been wanting to have as we travel the country. The folks at Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe were great—they had us try a few out (they're located right on the Deschutes River), made recommendations, and eventually we headed off having purchased a kayak for each of us. Because their shop also rents kayaks throughout the year, we were able to purchase used kayaks for almost half off the new price—and with the assurance from their helpful staff that these were sturdy, great beginner kayaks.

I spent a while here looking at it all, thinking of how long people have lived here, how this land has changed over time, and what these petroglyphs have seen over the ages. With my head spinning, I headed home.

Kyle Kayaking the Deschutes

Kyle testing a kayak in the Deschutes River.

Heading North

From Bend, we headed north to Crooked River Ranch, a beautiful and affordable RV and golf resort, where we'd have hookups for our rig and quick access to the birthplace of American sport climbing, Smith Rock State Park.

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© So Tiny So Big 2020

© So Tiny So Big 2020

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Happy travels!

Happy travels!