Central Oregon, Bend, Mt Hood

Central Oregon, Bend, Mt Hood - August 2011
With the car all packed, Wayne arrived Friday afternoon at my office ready to go! We were on the road by 3:15! So on August 12, 2011 we began our trek to Bend! It was a slow start; one hour to the East side, but mild traffic after that. We went over Mt Hood and through Warm Springs, Madras, and Redmond. A beautiful drive. Our first mission was to find FOOD! Wayne had been to a pizza parlor, Old Town Pizza. One problem...He didn't know where it was. After many miss turns, but it was all in downtown Bend so it was scenic, We found it off Bond or Wall St on Greenwood. Great pizza! We then walked around the town and went back to the motel. Saturday we started with a walk from Drake Park down the river and ended up at a bakery. The Sparrow is a favorite of Wayne's with croissants to die for. He said they had really cleaned up the outdoor area since he was last there. It looked very European, industrial chic, with a jewelry making shop, pottery shop and eclectic kind of shop in an old abandoned warehouse. After a walk back to Drake Park and a wonder at a surprise quilt show in the park!!!What amazing and patient works! We left for Century Drive and headed for the Cascade Lakes and a canoe ride on Cultus Lake. No pictures of the adventure. Wayne did not trust his camera with my canoe skills. (It would have been OK). We had a small picnic at the lake and headed home. We stopped at the Mill District for dinner, knowing if we went home then we'd never make it out again. We ate at Pastini outside on the patio and watched people slowly glide by on their water toys. It was soooo peaceful.	Sunday was a walk up Washington Drive to Aubrey Butte, nice houses and spectacular views of Bend. We walked along the River Trail until there was a choice to walk up the ridge. It was beautiful. WE got a little lost, but hey, it was an adventure. Wayne stepped on a golf course for the first time!! It was the only way to get back to the street! We saw a couple of deer during out walk. Then it was off to Sunriver for a bike ride. Wayne had not been on a bike for about 40 years! He did great...in fact he fell in love with his bike and bought it!!!! (Sounds kinda like a horse story, but this one won't be so hard to take care of...no hay) After a short picnic at Fort Rocks in Sun River we headed home. There is an interesting nursery in Bend. It is fixed up like a cowboy town. It is very big....interesting..... Monday we came home via Smith Rock, just a quick look-see. We stopped at Peterson’s Rock Garden, I was last there as a child. And then a hike up to Mirror Lake by Mt Hood. At the top, we waited about 1/2 hr for the clouds to clear for a picture, but became impatient and came home. Happy Animals. What a needy group, even Oliver was excited...for Oliver. Karen

With the car all packed, Wayne arrived Friday afternoon at my office ready to go! We were on the road by 3:15! So on August 12, 2011 we began our trek to Bend! It was a slow start; one hour to the East side, but mild traffic after that. We went over Mt Hood and through Warm Springs, Madras, and Redmond. A beautiful drive. Our first mission was to find FOOD! Wayne had been to a pizza parlor, Old Town Pizza. One problem...He didn't know where it was. After many miss turns, but it was all in downtown Bend so it was scenic, We found it off Bond or Wall St on Greenwood. Great pizza! We then walked around the town and went back to the motel.

Saturday we started with a walk from Drake Park down the river and ended up at a bakery. The Sparrow is a favorite of Wayne's with croissants to die for. He said they had really cleaned up the outdoor area since he was last there. It looked very European, industrial chic, with a jewelry making shop, pottery shop and eclectic kind of shop in an old abandoned warehouse. After a walk back to Drake Park and a wonder at a surprise quilt show in the park!!!What amazing and patient works!

We left for Century Drive and headed for the Cascade Lakes and a canoe ride on Cultus Lake. No pictures of the adventure. Wayne did not trust his camera with my canoe skills. (It would have been OK). We had a small picnic at the lake and headed home. We stopped at the Mill District for dinner, knowing if we went home then we'd never make it out again. We ate at Pastini outside on the patio and watched people slowly glide by on their water toys. It was soooo peaceful.