Inspired to explore environs closer to home, meaning in the United States, we set out on a road trip in August. Road tripping Oregon USA began in Washington State. We traveled 3375 miles through 5 states over 13 days. Our goal was only to sate a wee bit of our wanderlust and see a few towns and regions we had never visited. This is the third installment in a three part series of our road trip adventures. Read installment number one here (Idaho) and installment number two here (Colorado).

We left Colorado early in the morning with the fires still burning, so another detour and long drive ahead. We drove about 12 hours back into Idaho where we stayed at a less-than-appealing Red Lion in the town of Boise. We were exhausted so didn’t see any of Boise. I love Boise and have been there before…next time we will stay longer and in better accommodations.

Welcome to Oregon

We hit the road bright and early for the six hour drive to Bend, Oregon, passing back into the Pacific Time zone before arriving. A light blanket of smoke hung over most of Oregon too, as fires there also burned in the summer ritual that has become so common with climate change. So sad.

We had a few hours to spare before we could check into our Airbnb so we headed to Riverbend park where we hoped to get wet and cool off on the sweltering 100 degree day.

But since it was Saturday lots of people had the same idea. It was super crowded making social distancing a bit difficult. This beautiful park on the Deschutes River is popular for floating down in inner tubes and other floaties, and 100’s of people were here for that activity. Since we didn’t have a floatie, we laid out our beach towels on the grass far from shore and just soaked up some sun and watched everyone float down the river from a comfortable distance.

Oregon has a population of just over 4 million and ranks 39th in the states with about 25,000 virus cases. Some people were masked in public but the rules were not as strict as in Colorado. Everyone was wearing masks inside stores and restaurants.

Bend Is Da Bomb

After a couple of hours we headed to check into our Airbnb, another darling little cabin on a ranch. It was small and the bathroom was in a separate building but the proprietors were excellent hosts and had done such a nice job making this a wonderful little respite. We would definitely stay here again. See it here.

Bend is one of my favorite areas in THE WORLD (you know that is saying something) and I think I could live here. We only had two days so we tried to make the most of it. We had a spectacular meal at El Sancho, some of the best, most authentic Mexican food I’ve had in a very long time. We enjoyed walking and shopping in old Bend, and tried to play golf but a huge thunderstorm kicked up and kept us from getting out on the course. Oh well, next time.

From our Airbnb in northwest Bend off of Powell Butte, I was able to do a really long run one morning. There are many parks and trails also great for running and cycling and hiking all around this region.

Microbrew Capital of the Northwest

Our last day we did a self-guided microbrewery tour. Bend has more thant THIRTY microbreweries…an astonishing number. We had the time and the stamina to enjoy only a handful. Some of our favorites were 10 Barrel, Crux, Bevel, McMenamins, Bend Brewing and Deschutes. We had planned to eat dinner at Bend Brewing or Deschutes but the same thunderstorm kept us from these outdoor dining places. Instead we ate at the historic Pine Tavern. Always a good choice when in Bend.

So our two quick days in Bend was not enough, but we hope to come back next summer and stay for a week. It really is a special place.

On day 13 we drove the six hours back to our home in Washington State, tired but fulfilled at least for awhile, as we wait for our full-time travel life to begin again. We may just need to take another road trip in the months to come.

Thanks for coming along for the ride! We love it when you pin and share our blog. Thank you.

Read our blog about Geoducking in Washington State here.

See this week’s top performing pin here.