Highway to Hoeftland

My heart starts quickening, and I’m feeling excited, as I’m reading yet another cool article about a place on my radar.

“Mike, would you like to visit Bend, Oregon?” I ask with growing enthusiasm.

He looks over at me, with an eyebrow raised. “Why do you ask?” he says.

“Because I’ve heard so many great things about Bend, it’s important we check it out!” I reply.

“You grew up in Oregon. Shouldn’t you know what Bend is like?” he asks incredulously. “Besides, isn’t Bend a really small town, far away from bigger cities? I tend to get bored in small towns. I need things to do.”

Well, that’s a good point, actually. I scratch my head, wondering why I can’t remember much about the Central Oregon town, a few hours from where I was born. The only thing I can remember is that my uncle, Jerry, has lived there forever. We used to go visit him from time to time. I can picture Jerry’s house and big yard. He lives up against some old lava beds, if I recall correctly. However, I can’t picture the downtown, the outdoor activities, or the Deschutes river at all. Perhaps I’ve been away from Oregon for too long.

Or maybe I’m unfamiliar with Bend because it’s changed and grown so much from last time I was there. When I was much younger, there were only about 20,000 residents. Now, nearly 80,000 people call Bend home; I don’t think we can call Bend a small town anymore. On the other hand, maybe my blinders were on when I lived there. Bend was too close to home and I accidentally overlooked it.

No matter the reason, it has my full attention now.

I started noticing many positive articles about Bend over the past couple of years. National publications, such as the Washington Post, are very upbeat about Bend (well, in a jealous sort of way). Gone with the Wynns (one of my favorite RV travel sites) says it’s great. My friends and family like Bend a lot, and the pictures of Bend are awesome—green trees, a river, nearby lakes, mountains, breweries, high-quality restaurants, charming homes, a quaint downtown, independent and local shops, parks galore, and the famous old mill district and bridges, to name just a few.

It’s in my heart now. I yearn to see Bend again.

Therefore, I explain to Mike what I’ve learned, and surprisingly, his interest peaks too. Mike has always been a curious person and he loves to travel to new places.

“Well, Bend does sound interesting. Okay, let’s do it.” he says. He nods thoughtfully and goes back to reading his newspaper.

“Okay, good! I’ll start making the plans right away,” I reply. I am smiling from ear to ear now.

I must say, I have a good feeling about our upcoming visit to Bend, Oregon.

-Kristin

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Stay tuned for what we think about Bend in our upcoming article, “48 Hours in Beautiful Bend, Oregon.”