A Perfect Summer Day

Summer is in full swing in Bend, OR. The daytime temperatures are heating up, each weekend hosts concerts, festivals, and activities at the Les Schwab Amphitheater, and there is so much to do you just might be overwhelmed with choices. The truth is, you can't go wrong. Whether you choose to mountain bike at Phil's Trail everyday or hang out and read at Dudley's Bookshop Cafe, we're quite certain you're going to love Bend. 

So here, for your enjoyment (and mine), I'm putting together what I think is the perfect summer day. Please keep in mind that this is a REALLY difficult task because there is so much to do and it cannot all be done in one day! I strongly advise planning your second trip before you come on your first because you probably won't be able to get it all done. 

First off, breakfast at Jackson's Corner. If you're staying anywhere near downtown Bend, it's a short walk to the cutest neighborhood restaurant who prides themselves on serving seasonally inspired items that are sourced locally and organically whenever possible. They open their doors at 7AM so you can get an early start to your packed day. 

After filling the body with coffee and fresh eats, head out on the Cascade Lakes Highway to your next destination: Benham Falls. Bring your camera, hike around, and enjoy being out in the forest. Bring your pup to the trail too! (Don't forget to clean up after him/her!) Dogs do need to be leashed throughout the summer on these trails, but they will love being outside with you!! Read the posted information along the trails to learn about the area and watch for professional kayakers cruising down the river. 

As the afternoon starts to warm up, you're going to be ready to cool off. It's time to head down to a different part of the Deschutes River. First, a Wanderlust Tours favorite lunch stop is Pihuamo's Tacos on S Hwy. 97 (also called 3rd Street). It's quick, inexpensive, and has some seriously delicious tacos and burritos. Drive on down to the river with your floating device and jump in! Here are full instructions and safety on how to float the river. 

Photo from BendSource.com

After you dry out, the Wednesday Farmer's Market is a great place to taste and purchase all the most delicious fresh fruit of summer. It's conveniently located directly next to Drake Park which provides for people (and duck) watching and walking along the peaceful river. 

Next up, dinner at Wild Rose -- amazing Northern Thai food in a cute, eclectic restaurant. My personal favorite is the Kow Pad Boo (fried rice with Dungeness crab) and Thai iced tea. If it's the First Friday of the month, downtown is the place you want to be to walk around after dinner. 

And the icing on the cake: Moonlight Canoe Tour. End your perfect Bend day with a canoe tour under the light of the moon or stars, any night of the month. You'll learn about the surrounding area, look for wildlife in the forest, and enjoy hot cocoa or beer from Deschutes Brewery, and dessert from Sparrow Bakery. 

This could be you!! 

 Hope you have an amazing sumer! Tell me how it goes! 

Written by Casey
Marketing Mngr at Wanderlust

Under the Stars

Unplug, connect with people, get outside.

Summer is the perfect time to relax and take deep breaths on repeat. We hope you get the chance to spend time with family, spend time away from work, and spend time outside.

We were so delighted to hear Sandy's story about her family experience this summer. Read the whole post on her blog. Bonus: if you read it, you may also learn how to make delicious lemonade pie! 

While on one of our Moonlight Canoe Tours, Sandy's daughter took some pretty amazing photos. Hope you enjoy! (Check out more of her photography here.)

[All canoe tour photos, photo cred: Abbs Co Photography] 

A Family by Any Other Name

A few thoughts about family from owner Aleta Nissen.

When you talk to most people who live in Bend, they do not have extended family living in town. People have chosen to live in Bend for very specific reasons – clean air, clean water, outdoor recreation access, small town feel, good schools, conservation-minded ethics. For all of those wonderful qualities, they have given up the benefit of living close to their extended family. Visiting parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces and nephews is usually a plane ride or a long car ride away. So, people who have chosen Bend as their home need to create second families with friends, co-workers and people of like-minds who have also chosen Bend and want to form a supportive community.

A couple weekends ago, we at Wanderlust Tours closed our offices for three days to head out together on our annual staff retreat…eating, relaxing and hiking up near Mt. Hood and the Sandy River. There are many guide and staff outings and activities throughout each year as we all look to each other as companions to play on volleyball leagues, climb mountains, carve pumpkins, have corned beef cook-offs, and in this we have chosen one of our families. It was fun to watch all of our staff together, a few new, most veteran Wanderlusters, and the dynamics they created between each other as the family bonds solidify.

A few years ago I heard a speaker from Oregon State University, a professor of Human Development and Family Sciences, and he spoke about a book called Traits of a Healthy Family by Dolores Curran. I came away from that lecture thinking that not only blood relations benefit from these traits and qualities, but also chosen families. I thought of our Wanderlust Tours family and realize that these traits are at the center of our Core Values as a company. I told myself I would create posters with these traits to hang all over our office and warehouse. I never did that because I realized that I see these traits being lived out amongst our Wanderlust family every day and being shared with our guests, which I hope is the true litmus test of our chosen family feeling strong, close and supported…when their primary family is living miles and states away.

TRAITS OF A HEALTHY (SECOND) FAMILY (Coming soon to a poster near you!)

1. COMMUNICATING – The healthy family communicates and listens.
2. AFFIRMING AND SUPPORTING – The healthy family affirms and supports one      another.
3. RESPECTING OTHERS – The healthy family teaches respect for others.
4. TRUSTING – The healthy family develops a sense of trust.
5. SHARING TIME – The healthy family has a sense of play and humor.
6. FOSTERING RESPONSIBILITY – The healthy family exhibits a sense of shared responsibility.
7. TEACHING VALUES – The healthy family shares a consensus of important values.
8. ENJOYING TRADITIONS – The healthy family has rich rituals and traditions.
9. RESPECTING PRIVACY – The healthy family respects the privacy of one another.
10. VALUING SERVICE – The healthy family values service to others.
11. PROBLEM SOLVING – The healthy family expects problems and develops problem-solving techniques.

As the de facto “mom” of this family and the mother in my own little family, I feel fortunate that these traits have come easily to our Wanderlust Tours clan – a testament to the good people with whom we have surrounded ourselves and chosen as our second family.