Highway to Hoeftland

48 Hours in Beautiful Bend, Oregon

Kristin, Highway to Hoeftland

May 13, 2015

Boarding the plane at Redmond Airport.

On a Thursday afternoon in early May, our plane touched down on the tarmac runway in Central Oregon. We landed at the Redmond Municipal airport, in route to Bend.

Mike and I had big smiles on our faces and our eyes glistened wide with anticipation of what we might discover. Oh, how we love to experience new places!

The time had finally come to explore Bend—and explore we did. The next few days were a whirlwind of adventure, curiosity, and discovery.

First Evidence of Small Town Living – Toto, We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

The small and tidy Redmond airport looked more like a beautiful and well-presented grand lodge, with massive wooden beams, high interior ceilings, and scenic views, with large floor-to-ceiling windows. There were just a few people scattered around, as we walked through the airport’s lobby and outside to retrieve our rental car.

I liked the feel of Central Oregon already. It felt laid back, with an easy, low stress vibe. It almost seemed like culture shock coming from Las Vegas, with Los Angeles as our in between stop. Talk about polar opposites!

The temperature in Redmond-Bend was mild outside, about 50 degrees, with sunny skies and grand, white, mountains in the distant background. It had just rained the day before, and so the air outside smelled fresh, and of pine, juniper, green grass, and rich, damp soil.

As we drove along on the two lane highway 97, towards Bend, cows grazed in pastures along the side of the road. There were just a few cars driving in the lanes as we obeyed the slower-paced 55 MPH speed limit, taking us on a straight route into town. The highway felt more like a back country road to us, than the main thoroughfare thru town.

Arriving in Downtown Bend, Oregon

About twenty minutes later, we were in Bend. There were no tall buildings, no skyscrapers, or any sign that we were entering the core of downtown.

Instead, once we got into the heart of the city of about 80,000 people, we saw dense rows of pretty old brick historic buildings, many small and local shops, trendy independent restaurants, and cute tree-lined streets on walkable sidewalks. If you ask me, Downtown Bend is probably one of the most charming and beautiful towns in the U.S.A.

Mike, downtown Bend.

So what did we do that we would recommend to others, you might be wondering? Well, let me tell you, so that, if you haven’t already, you can experience the awesomeness of Bend someday too.

Recommended Ideas for Exploring Bend in a Couple of Days

Lunch at the Drake

When we first arrived in Bend, we were quite hungry, so we decided to go for lunch at the Drake, downtown. The Drake restaurant is kind of like a modern twist to an old diner. The food was delicious, the ambiance was comfortable and stylish, and the service was great. I had the farmhouse salad and Mike had the fish tacos.

Old Town

Our Old Town Bend historic bungalow rental, which was walkable to downtown.

Old town is a historic neighborhood, next to downtown. Most of the homes were built in the early 1900’s by the mill workers of that time. Many of the houses are small bungalows, cottages, and craftsman homes. There is a historic registry and more information on the neighborhood and the types of homes in Old Town, if you’re curious about researching the area further.

We stayed in a VRBO rental called, “The Wren’s Nest,” in Old Town (pictured above). We very much enjoyed this home and the location. We would stay there again.

Dudley’s Bookshop

Dudley’s Bookshop Café is so cute. There is a café downstairs, reading space both upstairs and downstairs, coffee, drinks, food, and books for sale, as well as comfortable living and dining room type seating for patrons to enjoy. It’s kind of like going to a quaint and comfortable public living room.

Thump Coffee

Drinking the Madagascar coffee at Thump coffee-house, downtown Bend.

The Madagascar coffee at Thump Coffee downtown Bend is the best, smoothest, most delicious coffee I’ve ever tasted. Mike liked his coffee as well.

Looney Bean Coffee

Drinking coffee in the backyard area of the Looney Coffee Bean shop.

Looney Bean Coffee is an adorable and charming coffee-house that sits right on the Deschutes River in downtown. We ordered our coffees and then walked outside to sit in chairs in the backyard, taking in the river views and sounds of birds chirping. Aww, how relaxing!

Mike, at the Looney Coffee Bean, with the Deschutes River in the background.

Drake Park

Drake Park in Bend.

Mike in front of deschutes river and mirror pond

Drake Park is a staple of Bend. It is located right next door (or practically in) downtown. It is a huge and gorgeous park with idyllic scenery. The river runs through it, and there are wooden bridges, tall Ponderosa Pine trees everywhere, green grass, and cobblestone walkways. When we were there, we saw big fluffy owls perched in the trees above us.

Electric Bike Tour – Let it Ride

Let It Ride

Mike and our electric bikes.

My electric bike rental from Let it Ride.

The electric bike tours from Let it Ride were absolutely awesome. If you’ve never experienced electric bikes, I highly recommend them. Essentially, we took a 1.5 hour history tour all around the town of Bend. If at any point we got tired or wanted a little “ump” to get up a hill or catch up with the others, you just pull the bike handle towards you and the motor kicks in and you don’t have to pedal the bike anymore. If you don’t want to use the electric piece, you just treat it like a regular bike and pedal the whole time.

We want some of our own electric bikes now! It was so much fun and a great way to get oriented to the town.

Old Mill District

Standing on a bridge overlooking the Deschutes at the Old Mill District.

The Old Mill District is another special place in Bend (there are many). It is an outdoor shopping mall, located right on the Deschutes River, with trails, bridges, events, restaurants, and concerts. It’s also seeped in history. The three tall and impressive old mill stacks still remain in place from where they stood when the mills were operational. Some of the buildings were also preserved from the early 1900’s. If you’d like to read about Bend’s history and the Mills, this is a great link.

Standing on a bridge overlooking the Deschutes at the Old Mill District.

Breweries in Bend

Beers at Old St, Francis School in Bend.

If you haven’t noticed yet, Bend is a playground, not only for outdoor sports enthusiasts and foodies, but also for serious beer lovers. There are many breweries in Bend and they are very good. The local Bendites know how to make great beers. When we were there, we checked out Boneyard beer, Bend Brewing Co., McMenamins Old St. Francis School, and the Deschutes Bend Public House. All of them were fabulous. There are many more to check out and many people go on the Bend Ale Trail to experience all the brew pubs in the area.

Sparrow Bakery

Delicious coffee from Sparrow Bakery.

One morning we went to a small café called Sparrow Bakery. We ordered coffee, orange juice, and the non-bacon breakfast sandwiches. The food and drinks were truly amazing. The sandwiches we ordered were so fresh and flavorful; I was blown away with how tasty the meal was (they must have just baked the bread that morning). Kudos Sparrow’s Bakery!

Jackson’s Corner for Breakfast

Kristin and Mike enjoying a meal at Jacksons corner bend.

Jackson’s Corner is a restaurant tucked away in the heart of the Old Bend neighborhood. We only had to walk a few blocks from our Bend Bungalow rental to arrive at the local’s eatery. Again, we were not disappointed. The restaurant had pleasing, wonderful ambiance, soothing music, friendly staff, and delicious, high quality food and drink. You can also order eggs, milk, beer, and other grocery items from the front counter. Jackson’s corner was one of our favorite restaurants in Bend.

Deschutes River Trail

On the Deschutes River Trail.

Riding with our tour guide along the Deschutes River Trail.

Mike, standing on the Deschutes River Trail.

The Deschutes River Trail is another highly regarded staple of Bend. It’s a several mile trail that runs through town, along the river, and out-of-town, into the woods. It’s beautiful and enjoyable and we enjoyed our time walking and biking it for leisure.

There were many more things we did while in Bend, including spending quality time with relatives who live in the area, and checking out the Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway, the highly acclaimed Northwest Crossing neighborhood, the Galveston Corridor and River West, Maverick’s Country Bar and Grill (my uncle who lives in Bend likes this place; the country line dancing was impressive) on the Eastside, and more.

Bend is a Gem

The historic Tower theater, downtown.

Bike in downtown Bend.

A huge Pondarosa pine tree in Drake Park.

Bend is a really special place. We felt right at home there. We were impressed with the eateries, the breweries, the parks, the cute homes, the high-quality neighborhoods, the walkability in the downtown core and River West neighborhoods, the Deschutes River, the Old Mill District, the preservation and appreciation of Bend’s history, the friendly people, the mild and sunny weather, the independent shops, and essentially–the entire vibe of Central Oregon. If all that wasn’t enough, there are so many festivals, events, and outdoor activities that draw people to Bend.

We’re pretty much in love with the place. Therefore, we shall return. More on Bend coming soon.

Sincerely,

Kristin

Update: Find out why we decided to move to Bend in our post titled, “Top Ten Reasons Why We’re Moving to Bend, Ore.”

Why We’re Considering Selling Our House and Moving Downtown

Kristin, Highway to Hoeftland

5 comments

May 5, 2015

Have you ever felt ready to mix things up in your life and make a change? That’s where we’re at right now. We’re looking for a new adventure, and not just a mini camping excursion or road trip this time.

In fact, we’re considering selling our house and moving.

Walkable Vibes

Mike and I are very interested in moving somewhere that is walkable. Right now, we live in the Las Vegas area suburbs. We own a tract home that is barely walkable to anything and sits far away from the core of the city. This means like many Americans, we have to drive everywhere to get anywhere. But in all honestly, we’re tired of that, and want to try out a different lifestyle from what we’ve always known.

If you’ve never read the book, “Walkable City,” and are into urban planning, I highly recommend it; I couldn’t put the book down. The information presented on how our cities and neighborhoods are set-up, and how to improve them, was a big eye-opener for us. There is also a fascinating Ted Talk on the subject of the enormous benefits of living in a walkable community. After renting some vacation places in walkable areas, reading up on the subject, and watching Jeff Speck’s Ted Talks, we decided that living in a walkable neighborhood is something we want to pursue, if possible.

The Ogden Condos, Downtown Las Vegas

The Ogden condos.

So off we went this last Saturday with a realtor, to check out some condos in a walkable area of downtown.

The condos are very nice at the Ogden. They are essentially “lock and leave” units with secured entry into the building.

The views from each condo are outstanding. You can see downtown Las Vegas, there are some Strip views, views of mountains, and most units have floor-to-ceiling windows. All of the units have balconies, modern kitchens, and well-designed layouts. There is also a rooftop deck, a year-round pool, an exercise room, and other nice amenities.

We especially liked the Ogden because the condos are within our budget (lowest current list price is $235,000), it’s in an energetic place, and it’s potentially a great investment.

Downtown Las Vegas is continually growing and changing – we think for the better. There is now a grocery store downtown, there are green bike lanes everywhere, there are local, fabulous restaurants going in all the time, and the city is working towards revitalizing the area.

Concerns Regarding Moving Downtown

I must admit, I am not completely sold on moving to downtown Las Vegas. It’s something I will have to think long and hard about, as well as consider the pros and cons over several discussions with Mike.

As much as I think it would be an exciting and unique experience for us to explore living downtown, I am a little worried that the location might be a bit chaotic, touristy, and too-high energy for us as a full-time home.

I also really struggle with the extremely hot temperatures in Vegas during the long summer months. If there was a way to escape the summers out here, that would be my personal preference.

But, the Ogden is definitely on our list of serious contenders because Mike likes the idea of living downtown. I also like that it’s walkable, and a new experience, with beautiful, expansive views.

The pool.

Mike, enjoying the rooftop deck and pool area.

Pictures of the Ogden condos, downtown Las Vegas.

Downtown Las Vegas, with the Ogden condos in the background.

Looking at the views from the Ogden condos.

Mike, looking towards the Strip, Las Vegas, NV.

View from inside a condo.

Next Up – Bend Oregon

We also want to check out some other walkable neighborhoods, in entirely different cities. Next up, we’re going to finally check out Bend, Oregon—basically the complete opposite of living in the Vegas area. The following post will be all about how we liked the medium-sized central Oregon town and what we did while there.

As always, please let us know if you have any suggestions, questions, or comments. We like hearing from our readers. 🙂

Thank you for your readership!

Sincerely,

Kristin

Note: We will not be taking the Casita on this trip to Bend because we have limited time now. We’ll be flying and staying in a small house.

90 Days of Procrastination and Other Writing Truths & Tips

Kristin, Highway to Hoeftland

2 comments

April 14, 2015

I sigh heavily and begin nervously picking my lips as I’m reading the last few sentences of the book, 90 Days to Your Novel, by Sarah Domet. I’m annoyed with myself because I’ve surpassed 90 days since I bought the book and I have not written one sentence yet of my upcoming novel. Where has the time gone?

In all honesty, I’ve just completed 90 days of procrastination, while reading the book 90 days to Your Novel. That’s the truth. Whoops!

However, despite screwing up on this project initially, I did learn a lot and I intend to see this task through to the end. Therefore, my new plan is 90 weeks to my novel. Now this, I can do. 🙂

90 Days to Your Novel - or if your Kristin, more like 90 weeks.

90 Days to Your Novel – or if you’re Kristin, more like 90 weeks.

There is a lot of very helpful, concise, detailed advice on how to write a first novel—and how to write better overall. The book made me feel more hopeful, confident, and informed about getting started.

I’d like to share some useful tips that I learned from reading Domet’s book. These tips are in no particular order—They’re just general ideas that stuck with me after reading this very useful guide.

Tip # 1 – Use the Senses When Writing

What do you see, smell, hear, taste, and feel? That’s what you should write. Instead of telling the reader, “The tree was beautiful,” it’s more helpful to describe what the tree looked like exactly, as well as smelled like, felt like, sounded like, etc. Using the senses in writing helps bring the reader into the story, so that they can feel like they are there with you in the story, experiencing it as well.

Tip # 2 – Begin with Some Action

Try to hook the reader in the first paragraph by beginning in the middle of the action. Domet is a writing teacher, and she says that most of her students start their stories with too much introductory information at the beginning, and as a result, risk losing the reader due to boredom. The idea is to begin in the middle of the action so that the reader is immediately curious about what’s happening and wants to read more.

Tip # 3 – There Must be Conflict and Yearning

The protagonist of the story cannot get what she wants, until nearly the end (if at all). In order to keep a reader interested, there needs to be unresolved conflict and yearning throughout the story. Otherwise, again, the reader will be too bored.

Tip # 4 – Use an Outline

Domet says that writers need to have an outline to write a good book. That means, instead of sitting down and just writing what comes to mind, you should map out act-by-act, scene by scene, what is going to take place throughout the story. Picture an index card with information for each act. Develop characters in advance, have an overall theme, a point of view, and narrator —before you sit down to write the bulk of the novel. Otherwise, it’s too easy to drift off course and end up writing a bunch of gobbledygook.

Tip # 5 – Practice Writing Every Day

Domet explains that an aspiring novelist should practice writing every day. There is no way to get better at your craft unless you do this. Writing is not just an art. Writing is a skill that needs tending to. Practice writing, learn about writing, edit, revise, and proofread to become better. Unless you’re extraordinarily gifted, this is usually the only way to find success as a published writer.

For tons of more handy tips on writing, you can buy Sarah Domet’s excellent book here.

I hope these strategies help aspiring novelists as much as they did me! Now I just need to read a book on how to tackle procrastination, and I’ll be set.

Sincerely,

Kristin

PS: Our Bend, Oregon, trip is finally scheduled and I’ll be writing a post on that next month. Stay tuned for more travel posts coming up next.

Lake Merwin Camper’s Hideaway: A Unique & Beloved Private Campground in the Pacific Northwest

Kristin, Highway to Hoeftland

11 comments

April 9, 2015

Lake Merwin Camper’s Hideaway (LMCH)—a private campground one hour northeast of Portland, Oregon, is one of the most unique and beloved campgrounds in the Pacific Northwest. I’m biased with this opinion, however, because it’s also where I own a vacation home. Sometimes, Lake Merwin feels as close to “home” as I’ve ever felt.

You see, I’ve been coming to this members only hideaway since I was little girl. In fact, many of my relatives and friends have places here too—within walking distance of each other. How neat is that?

Kristin and Kim boating on Lake Merwin -

Kristins sister kim on the boat at Lake Merwin -

During the summer months, friends and family meet up at our trailers and modest cabins, which are tucked away in the forest, alongside, and overlooking Lake Merwin.

We hold parties on our decks, go boating, play pickle ball, take walks around the 1,500-plus member campground, swim at the clubhouse pool, and meet for breakfast or lunch at the camp kitchen, or just sit and relax under the trees.

You’ll see deer meandering by, as they are plentiful here. Some of our sites have lake views, others have distant views of Mount Saint Helens, and all of them are just a very short drive to beautiful Lake Merwin, where there is a sandy beach and private boat launch.

On Saturdays, members of the hideaway often take their boats out on the lake. My husband Mike, my sister Kim, and I, hitch a ride with a family member or friend, since we don’t have boats…yet. 😉

As we cruise along the lake, with the motor humming, the wind in our hair, and the white waves crashing under the boat’s bow, we speed past a plethora of the greenest, densest, most striking trees you will ever see. The warm sun beats down on our smiling faces, while we munch on chips and sandwiches, and drink ice-cold bottles of beer and diet cokes out of the coolers we packed that morning.

Hours later, and back at the hideaway again, dusk begins settling in. We change into our sweatshirts and long jeans, as the evening turns chilly. We start campfires and gather around in big circles in our lounge chairs, as storytelling and hearty laughter ensues.

We eat delicious food and share specialty cocktails, wine and beer. The fun nights go on like this, sometimes into the wee hours.

Eventually, we all grab our flashlights and find our way home in the pitch dark to our respective trailers and cabins for a cozy and contented night of rest.

You can find us—this group called block six—under the starlit sky of Amboy, Washington, exchanging conversation, and making great memories each summer. In my humble opinion, life does not get better than days and nights like these.

I don’t know how many groups of friends or families can say that they’re able to meet together in the same forested campground weekend after weekend, year after year. If you’re able to, be grateful—as I truly am, for this comforting and heartening experience, called trailer camping in the woods with cherished loved ones.

Because as the years pass, and I’ve moved, and traveled around the country exploring—I feel like Lake Merwin Camper’s Hideaway is always there, waiting for me to return home.

To this day, it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I can’t wait to go back; summertime is just around the bend!

For those interested in learning more about this private, members owned campground, you can visit the Lake Merwin Camper’s Hideaway website here.

Sincerely,

Kristin

Block #6, Lake Merwin Camper’s Hideaway member

Travel Trailer Camping at Serrano Campground, Big Bear Lake, California

Kristin, Highway to Hoeftland

11 comments

March 31, 2015

Pine trees and the sun setting at Big Bear Lake

It was my birthday, and the start of spring, so it was a perfect time to pack up our little 17ft Casita travel trailer, grab our three pets, and hit the desert road for some mountain camping at the Serrano Campground, in Big Bear Lake, California.

As we climbed in elevation to over 6,000 feet, making sharp hairpin turns up the steep mountain with our trailer, the desert scenery began fading away, and green trees and rocky boulders started appearing in sight out the window.

Types of turns there are heading up and down Big Bear

Tricky turns for trailers heading up and down Big Bear

I had never been to Big Bear before. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the town has many great amenities—a veterinarian, medical services, tons of cute and delicious restaurants, grocery stores, as well as recreation activities.

Mike, reading at our campsite.

The Serrano campground, a mix of tent and RV sites, is very nice. We stayed in the Snowberry loop, site number 40. It was a lovely spot in our opinion, and we would reserve it again. It felt wonderful to be able to stretch out, have some privacy and space between campsites, sit under humongous and beautiful trees, and yet, still be able to use all the Casita’s amenities, such as water, sewer, and electricity.

More Firsts with the Casita Travel Trailer

This trip was the first time that we actually hooked up the water and sewer in our Casita travel trailer (before we used the restrooms on site). Hooking up the water was easy, but when it was time to unhook and clean out the sewer, Mike and I were both freaked out and feeling wary about the process.

It took us about an hour to figure it out, although I will be honest and admit that I got toilet water on my face. When I was trying to clean the inside of the toilet with a water wand, by spraying the black holding tank with water, the water sprayed up unexpectedly; I closed my eyes, frowned, and felt disgusted to realize water had splashed up on my face and eyeglasses. I wondered to myself in that moment why I volunteered to take care of the black tank? Mike was lucky (or smart) to be standing out-of-the-way. Hopefully, next time, it will be a much-improved process, because we’ll have a better idea of what to do!

Camping with the Casita at Big Bear Lake.

Falling in Love with the Travel Trailer Camping Experience

I could sit here for days.

Despite a few mishaps during the learning process, Mike and I are beginning to love our travel trailer, or more aptly, the experiences it provides, more and more. We now feel like the Casita is a true home—our own personal space on wheels.

On this last trip, we sat there and marveled at the ingenuity of the trailer. How can we be sitting in the woods, around the campfire, but also have access to a comfortable warm bed, movies on a TV, cold food and drink in a refrigerator, a bathroom, sink, and shelter? It’s amazing realizing you can pull this whole home behind your vehicle anywhere you want to go.

When we’re in the Casita, we start imagining possibilities, such as taking off for a month at a time, an entire summer, or even full-time RVing someday (maybe when Mike retires).

My Birthday

The interior of our Casita trailer, looking out at beautiful scenery.

In all honesty, I was feeling a little disturbed by my birthday this year, because I had to face that I’m getting older and leaving my youth behind. Don’t get me wrong, I’m truly grateful to be alive and healthy, but for some reason, this year was one of those birthday numbers that seemed different.

Alas, the birthday trip to Big Bear Lake made me feel much better and I stopped worrying about it once we got to the campground. Once out under the stars, in the chilly evening, it didn’t seem to matter anymore.

Sitting across from Mike in our lounge chairs, near the soaring pine trees, while watching plump blue birds hop around on the ground scouring for food—essentially connected to nature and each other—made me feel at peace, and satisfied with life.

It didn’t matter what was going on day-to-day back at home; what mattered was relaxing in front of the fire, with my husband, and pets, just being present together, and enjoying simple pleasures.

That’s what camping in nature can do for us. It brings everything that matters back into focus and all the other non-important distractions fade away.

Mike also enjoyed himself very much, which made me happy because initially, we didn’t know if he would like camping as much as I do—but he was feeling great as well. What a wonderful time for both of us.

We look forward to our next adventure!

Spot #40, Snowberry Loop, Serrano Campground.

Jet and Lei Lei in the camper.

Spot #40, Snowberry Loop, Serrano Campground, Big Bear Lake, CA.

Sincerely,

-Kristin

Questions for Readers:

Have you been to Big Bear Lake? If so, how did you like it? Do you have any questions? How do you enjoy camping and/or RVing? Please feel free to leave your opinions in the comment section below. We like hearing from you.