Tuesday, June 3, 2014

From Sisters to Bend

 

We liked Sisters so much we decided to hang around a few more days. We almost never stay at a place that’s right in town, so it’s been fun to walk or bike from the campground. In two days we rode about 25 miles on the local mountain bike trails, Peterson Ridge and Sisters Tie Trail. Nice, easy trails if you don’t mind a little dust. And Jim only fell once.

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On Sunday we met up with fellow RVers and bloggers Gary and Leslie (Next Horizon), from Green Valley, AZ, on an extended trip escaping the southern Arizona heat. It was a beautiful evening so we wandered around Sisters and found a strange little bar with outside seating for a beer and some good conversation. They will be here all month so we hope to meet up again at one of the many Bend breweries.

Yesterday I visited the urologist in Bend and have to return on Thursday for a cystoscopy. He said the bleeding I had could be the result of a small tumor, kidney stone, or nothing.  If the cystoscopy is normal the next step will be a CT scan. He also sent my urine off for a culture to rule out an infection. I really don’t like being a patient.

We scoped out some places to boondock near Bend and found a few possibilities. We really wanted to camp near Phil’s Trailhead and the huge network of mountain bike trails a few miles west of town. Jim spoke with a forest service ranger who said it is okay to camp there but they are discouraging it because it is such a popular biking area. We drove down the road to check it out and found a locked gate that said the area was closed due to noxious weed spraying. So why didn’t he just say it is closed??

We did find a couple other places farther out of town, and had decided to move to one of them today, but then yesterday we had a generous invitation to park in the pasture of a friend of a friend who lives in Bend. We are so very grateful!

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How great to be camped less than a mile from a Trader Joe’s and just a couple miles from downtown. This afternoon we went over to Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint and climbed the mile long trail to the top of an old cinder cone. We had great views of Bend and the Cascade mountains and were surprised we could even see Mt. Hood way off in the haze.

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Since there are quite a number of breweries in Bend we decided we might as well give one a try after our hike, so we stopped downtown at Bend Brewing Co. We both liked our selection and look forward to visiting some of the other breweries while we’re in town. We also walked down along the Deschutes River and through some of the downtown. I think we’re really going to like it here.

12 comments:

  1. Bend is a great town and it looks like you have some great accommodations. Enjoy!!

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  2. I enjoyed the High Desert Museum near Bend a few years ago. http://www.highdesertmuseum.org/

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  3. This is one of those times where you hope nothing is wrong but want to know what is wrong. Praying that they do find a minor issue and it can be taken care of very easily.

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  4. Too bad about the spot near Phil's Trailhead. When we stayed there we hardly saw any mountain bikers ride by so I am not sure why they closed it off. At least you found a nice spot in the end. It's good to have generous friends who live in beautiful spots! enjoy your time in Bend, and I hope all goes well with your tests.

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  5. Wishing you well on your upcoming tests, Gayle. I know exactly how you feel when it comes to being a "patient." If anything, we are im-patients…
    Box Canyon Mark

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  6. Looks like you guys have found a sweet spot. Glad you are getting in some good biking. "A friend of a friend in Bend" sounds like a good lead-in to a limerick. I trust it will have a happy ending come Thursday. You are in my thoughts....

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  7. LOL at "Jim only fell once". Poor Jim. Love your pasture campsite very generous of the offerers. Everyone I know has liked Bend so I'm not surprised you do too. Being a patient is definitely on my list of things I like to avoid. Hope all goes well.

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  8. So you have no patience with being a patient. :-D. I hope everything works out okay.

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  9. Fingers crossed your test results lead to a simple, easy to fix diagnosis.

    You are in one of my very favorite towns in the US. 10 Barrel and Cruz were our favorite breweries. Boneyard had some good beer too. Smith Rocks is incredible. Deschutes River trails are gorgeous...you get the idea!

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  10. I guess Jim and I need to be partners when we finally meet up. That would be John's comment for me, Pam only fell once!! Haha!!

    Boy, it is wonderful to have friends in the right place for sure!! Looking forward to all that you find. Hope you tests come back with good news:)

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  11. Hi Gayle and Jim, It was great meeting you in Sisters. That was an interesting little bar. Our friends from Seattle have been tour-guiding for us around Sisters and Bend the last few days. We would love to meet you again for some more pubs in Bend. Glad everything went ok with the Drs visits.

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