First Days of Spring

Spring is upon us in Bend, Oregon, and we are feeling the excitement because Bend is one of the best* places to live this season.

There's nowhere else you'd rather be... and we'll give you seven reasons to prove it! Even though we know we don't have to. 

1. That first week after the time change is always rough, but look what it gives us! With the sun staying out until almost 7:30 these days, there is a lot more time to play after work. And no one has ever complained about more play time. If you're into following the sunset times, Crux Fermentation Project can help - they offer happy hour the 1/2 hour before and after the sunset! 

2. Spring Break has arrived for Oregon! And with vacation comes all the good relaxed vibes that we like to feel all year long. Even if you're not a student, embrace the idea of vacation. Enjoy this video from Visit Bend to get you ready for your adventure! 

3. If you play your cards right, you can do it all in one day. Snow on the mountain, dry roads in town, and brisk mornings on the riverfront mean that you can enjoy everything like mountain biking, fishing, cave crawling, skiing, rock climbing, canoeing, or dog walking, all in the same day! And now that you have a little more sun time, you really can pack your day with all the best activities!

4. Bend loves its beer because Bend has really great beer. So much amazing beer. We know you know. So as we head into the spring season, just remember that these are the last days to enjoy the winter seasonal beers before the next thing comes. Seasonal beers help us to not only enjoy the time we have, but also look forward to the next chapter. We'll miss you, Red Chair. 

5. River canoeing is just around the corner! We are almost ready to uncover our boats and launch them into the Deschutes! The roads to the Cascade Lakes may be closed for now, but we can enjoy so much good paddling in the spring months! 

6. Have you seen the blooms around town? Seriously gorgeous, and it's just going to keep getting better. Vibrant colors are popping out of the ground all over the place. Soon we'll be walking in a wildflower wonderland. Want to start a garden of your own?! Check out these local spaces where you can make your own beauty. 

7. Speaking of beauty, the views and the ability to sit outside are unbeatable this time of year. If you're in town, head over to Looney Bean where you'll get to sip some amazing coffee and catch the most amazing scene around on their back lawn. The mountains, the massive trees, the river, and the coffee, of course.

*It is. But don't take our word for it. Below, a few sources to get you started. 

1. Men's Journal

2. Livability

3. The Washington Post

If you're here for Spring Break, stop by Crux Fermentation Project on Thursday for the grand opening of their new container! Find more details on their Facebook page. 

They now have 20 beers on tap in a 20' shipping container! Now that is resourceful! 

We'd love to hear why you love spring in Bend! 

Let's Adventure Together

Meet Emily. She joined us for a Shoes, Brews, and Views Snowshoe Tour at the beginning of the year and was kind enough to share a little about her trip with us.

Hometown: St. Paul, MN

Age: 33

Favorite winter activity: "Hmmm.... That's a tough one. I have a lot of favorites: snowshoeing, ice climbing, cross country skiing, fat biking, and simply hiking through a winter wonderland."

Have you been to Bend, OR before?

"January was my first time in Bend! I loved it!"

Continued below... 

I know you came on the tour with a friend; tell us about your friendship and how you decided to do this tour together.

"Bek and I have known each other all our lives. She moved to San Francisco a few years ago. I was in bed recovering from a minor surgery, dreaming up trip to take and landed on Bend. I have wanted to visit for quite some time but was never able to make it happen. I called Bek and asked if she could meet there for the weekend. She did! We ran the idea by our husbands, made arrangements for our kids (I have 3, Bek has 4), booked the flights, and met each other at the Redmond airport 3 days later!"

Running, gliding, and sliding down the slopes on snowshoes in the Deschutes National Forest. 

After consulting Google on "what to do in Bend," they came across Wanderlust and immediately booked the Shoes, Brews and Views. Emily said it sounded like the perfect event for their spontaneous girls trip! We are so glad they did! 

Enjoying beer samples in the snow from Cascade Lakes Brewery.

Everyone paused to take in the quiet of the forest and the beauty of the sunset at Mt. Bachelor.

Thanks so much for joining us Emily! We can't wait for you and Bek to come back to Bend! 

If you'd like to be one of our featured readers, tag us in a picture from your Wanderlust Tour or send us an email!  We'd love to hear your story! 

Courtney Explores Bend, OR (with kids!)

For myself, Bend and central Oregon are synonymous with epic adventures: long runs up Broken Top, high first bolts at Smith, deep snowfields awaiting first tracks on South Sister, century rides, and all the things that make my lungs hurt but my heart happy. This past week I was able to realize the lure of central Oregon as the total package.

It all started with a visit from my family- a 9 year old baseball star, a 5 year old super gymnast, and my older sister who all live in New York. I had some planning to do to show them as much as I could in the week they were here. The ensuing days were full of things that I now call adventures and made me appreciate all that central Oregon can offer a family.

Here were the highlights:

Adventuring
We drove out to Village Bike and Ski in Sunriver to rent gear for the kids. Their amazing staff helped us outfit the kids with great looking skis and boots before we headed up to the mountain. We started the kids on Carousel to see where their skills had progressed since their last visit.  Having a free lift is such an incredible offer from Mt. Bachelor. It wasn't long before we were buying lift tickets and heading up Sunrise. New trails and great groomers kept the smiles plastered on all of our faces.

A journey into one of over 600 lava tubes helped give the kids the chance to explore, crawl, squeeze, get dirty, but also learn about the volcanic history that shaped this cool state.  Illuminating the rock by headlamp and squeezing into the unknown is a memory that will stay with them for a long time.

Smith Rock State Park brought wide eyes and big dreams as the kids looked up at the huge towers of volcanic tuff and watched the silhouettes of climbers high above them.  A nice hike and sunny lunch spot on a rock gave them the opportunity to get excited about trying to climb. A nice 5.5 climb called Night Flight was an almost 35 meter journey that allowed the kids to safety sit on top of a great block of rock and look at how far up the wall they traveled. Kids have such intuitive movements that climbing comes naturally. No matter how many times you climb in a gym, the feel of the rock is enough to hook anyone!  The rest of the week they looked at rocks differently. Each rock they saw, they looked at, and wondered if it was climbable....the power of wonder leads to big things!

Learning
A porcupine walking on a log while snacking on veggies, and a walk through the Spirit of the West exhibit with one of the amazing volunteers at the High Desert Museum was another highlight. The presentations at the museum are incredible because they incorporate live animals to keep the kids' attention, but also throw in fascinating information about their adaptations and ecological importance!  The eldest loves American history. For him to be able to walk through the Spirit of the West and follow 100 years of Great Basin history was great for him to compare and contrast Eastern and Western US history. After leaving the museum, all they wanted to do was take down notes to later share all the cool stuff they had learned with their classmates. 

As they boarded the plane on the last day, I realized that even after a full week exploring all over central Oregon, we could have filled another 2 weeks of constant exploration, learning and wandering. We are so very lucky to call a place like this home. I learned that not all adventures have to be epic...sometimes belly laughs, inquisitive minds, and awe at the natural world is enough to satisfy the soul.

So much more...

We did so much more while they were here. Check out these places if you're planning your own adventure! 

Movies at McMenamins            Breakfast at Sparrow Bakery

Indoor Rock Climbing              WinterFest at the Old Mill District

Disc Golf at Pine Nursery