1859 Sept | Oct 2018

trip planner
For those who prefer terra firma, or if you have a mixed group of
interests, try the nearby Green Lakes Trail just up the road. This hike is
a consistent climb of 1,100 over 4.2 miles up to a mountain lake. This
is another beautiful place for a picnic lunch or merely to dip your feet
in the cold water. You can either double back from there or go the full
loop by taking the Soda Creek Trail. Either way, the average round trip
without a lunch stop will take four to six hours.
Back in downtown Bend, the BendFilm Festival is abuzz in theaters,
restaurants and bars. Now in its fifteenth year, the film fest brings in
some of the best up-and-coming filmmakers, who mingle with festivalgoers
and are incredibly accessible at BendFilm parties throughout
the weekend. This is a good chance to step out of the mind-numbing
blockbuster formula and get back to a mindset of active film watching.
Downtown Bend offers an ever-increasing palate of restaurants and
cuisines. After a film, stay downtown and duck down the back side of
Tower Theatre for Oaxacan tacos and craft beer at Taps & Tacos, a new
cultural offering from Worthy Brewing. Wild Rose, a cozy northern
Thai restaurant on Oregon Avenue, serves up beautifully spiced dishes
like manna. Zydeco Kitchen + Cocktails offers a refined Southern and
Cajun menu that updates American classics in the process.
If you have an ambitious travel planner in your party, get a reservation
for a longtable dinner at Rainshadow Organics, a 40-minute drive into
neighboring Sisters. This experience on a stunning organic farm will
last well beyond your weekend.
Day
LOCAL BITES • GRAVEL RIDING • CRATER LAKE SPIRITS
Megan Morse
Sparrow Bakery in Northwest Crossing is one of the best ways to
start any day. Handmade pastries with good local coffees fuel the
buzzing bakery. Downtown, La Magie Bakery is the place for french
toast stuffed with marionberry and mascarpone cheese and dipped
in custard. Either of these bakeries should get your day started on the
right foot.
When you ponder Bend in the high desert, Ponderosa pines
dominate the landscape of that reverie. Shevlin Park, on the northwest
side of Bend, however, is situated around the babbling beauty of
Tumalo Creek. Aspens and Western Larches mark the changing of the
season with vibrant yellows in an otherwise evergreen forest. There
is the 2.5-mile Tumalo Creek Trail that meanders along the western
bank of the creek and the scenic 6-mile loop if you’re feeling up to it.
From the parking lot, it’s easy to right-size your hike—whether you’re
with small kids or determined thru-hikers.
By now, you know about gravel riding and the miles of trails in and
around Bend. You may have even ponied up for your own gravel bike.
No matter—there are some stunning vistas up toward Tumalo or out
toward Sisters that only gravel bikers will witness. Check in with one
of the local bike shops—Sunnyside Sports, Pine Mountain Sports or
Crow’s Feet Commons.
If you have small kids, for whom the world is a wonder a
day, definitely take them to the High Desert Museum south
of Bend. There, they can be themselves in the company
SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2018 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 101