We headed up to Bend, Oregon for a short stay last week. We lived up there for about six years and loved it. We lived on an acre of land with a view of the Three Sisters Mountains from our living room window. For those of you that have never been there, if you get the chance, take it. It is high desert, beautiful mountains, streams and lakes and a very modern, beautifully set up downtown area. We eventually moved away because I was finding it hard to be that far away from our kids. But whenever we get the chance, we head up there for a visit.
There are three areas actually that are connected. Sunriver is a resort area that has two golf courses, miles and miles of bicycle trails, the river that you can canoe down and a small mall. There are two pools, one is a regular pool with grass surroundings and the other has been turned into a sports complex with slides, a gym and other amenities. This is more of a destination type resort that many go to for relaxation, golf and outdoor activities. The second one is Bend itself. This is the new, updated, very cosmopolitan downtown area. Specialty shops and restaurants and a good supply of breweries. The entire area is surrounded by lakes, rivers and mountains. The third area worth mention is Sisters. This is the town that we lived the closest to. It is just a very small, locals type town. It has one main street that runs through it and little shops, cafes and restaurants. Until about a year ago, it actually still had wooden sidewalks. Very sad that they upgraded them actually! Its one major claim to fame is that they have a quilt festival once a year. It is such an adorable, little reflection of how towns once were.
One of our favorite restaurants is Anthonys, it’s located downtown Bend, with seating on the side of the Deschutes river. It doesn’t get much better than sitting out on their deck on a summer evening, enjoying their great food and watching the river go by! Another one of our favorites is McKays Cottage. This is located downtown Bend, a little hard to find, but all of the locals know how to get there. It is a converted house, has a great garden with tables for dining outdoors, a bakery and a great selection of food items. We always go there for breakfast which is wonderful. Another standby that is known mostly just to the locals is The Breakfast Club. It has good solid, old fashioned breakfast. It is a tiny place with no pomp or flair but just good food. We always head to our favorite coffee shop, again downtown Bend, called Looney Beans. Fresh bakery goods, bagels and cream cheese, delicious iced organic drinks and coffee. The best part of this place is that they have a long, sloping grass garden that has the river running by. A cup of coffee, a book and one of their adirondak chairs and we are set!
Taking day trips up to any of the lakes is magical! Drake Park is well worth a mention as it is one of the most beautiful parks we have ever seen. Take a picnic blanket, a packed lunch and enjoy!
The Bend/Sunriver/Sisters area is truly magical. It is well worth a visit!
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