We returned to Oregon to check out Eugene and Bend. Eugene is a city of @ 190,000 people. It is a college town, the location of the University of Oregon. It has a quaint downtown with 1920's and 30's arts and crafts bungalows right off the main street. Around the university are lots of cute shops and restaurants. There is a lot of culture and theatre and even a Reconstructionist Synagogue. On the outskirts of town we accidentally discovered my favorite store, a Native American run shop that smokes salmon in many flavors; my favorites were garlic/pepper and soy/brown sugar.
Eugene is located in the southern end of the Willamette Valley, one of the best wine producing regions in the country. We didn't stop for a tasting since we have more than enough wine in the RV, but drove around the area including a town with a reservoir and several covered bridges.
When you leave Eugene to journey to Bend you cross the Eastern Cascade mountains. This was one of the prettiest trips we've taken all season. The leaves on the mountains were turning, the mountains were gorgeous and the streams and waterfalls, magnificent.
Bend is a town of approximately 90,000 souls, located at the junction between the cascades and the high desert. It is a great city for outdoor sports including skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, biking, and rafting. Approximately 30 minutes north is an old caldera called Smith Rock State Park. Daring individuals climb sheer mountain faces and highline, basically tightrope walk between peaks while tethered to the line just in case they fall (which everyone does).
The town is located along the Deschanes River, which meanders through town. People raft, float, and paddleboard on the river along with Ducks, dogs and other waterfowl. There are an abundance of public parks and 8 dog parks in this small city, along with quaint shops and a renovated mill district which has many upscale mall stores. It was quite impressive, but real estate seemed quite high.
 |
| Color in the Eastern Cascades |
 |
| Water sports in Bend |
 |
| Smith Rock |
 |
| Highlining |
 |
| More Highlining |
No comments:
Post a Comment