Bend, Oregon June 3- July 2 - Part 2 Sights

There was a lot to do in Bend, but there is also so much to see! 

The most amazing sight in Bend is the spectacular mountain range that greets you everytime you look West!  On a clear day in Bend you can always marvel at the beauty of the snow capped mountains.  One day we took a ride up to Mount Bachelor to check out the hiking trails.  But, as we got closer the snow got deeper.

When we got to the trailheads we could readily see that the snow was too deep and the trails were all closed - not a problem we expected in June!

But we were entertained by the incredible views of Mount Bachelor...

...as well as the ability to see some of the ski runs!  My kids and grandkids would love Mount Bachelor.

Mount Bachelor is just one of the majestic snow capped mountain tops that form the backdrop for Bend.  We traveled up to Pilot Butte (where they will be setting off the Fourth of July Fireworks).  Here is a view of Bend framed by the mountains.  On the right you can see the famousThree Sisters which rise in elevation to over 10,000 feet.

It really helped us identify all of the mountains with this compass that was situated at the top and center of Pilot Butte.  It is somewhat eye opening to realize that all the mountains and buttes in this area are sites of potential erruptions!

We visited the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This 18 mile caldera containing East Lake and Paulina Lake is home to the country's largest obsidian lava flow.  It was just unbelievable to see the devastation that still exists where the lava flowed millions of years ago.

Traveling to the top of Lava Butte, at 5.000 feet, we got a birds eye view of the lava devastation as well as a panoramic view of the mountain range.

Closer to Bend we enjoyed many of the wonderful restaurants in the City.  Here we enjoyed watching the activities on the Deschutes River as we dined in the Old Mill District on the patio of Pastini Pastaria.  You can even see in the background (lower left) some of the creative cycling options they rent for people who want to take advantage of the Deschutes River Trail.  It wasn't even a very warm day and there were people in tubes floating down the river!

We also enjoyed the trail and the interesting sites on the trail like "Two Bits" donated by Penny and Phil Knight.  It is a metal sculpture made from some amazing old parts.   We found that paddle boarding is one of the "hot" new things on the river.  We were going to try it until I found out that the water temperatures were well below 60 degrees!!

We couldn't leave Bend without a visit to the High Desert Museum.  We found the "Cat Talk" and the "Bird of Prey Talk" to be very interesting.  Especially when we found out that Birds of Prey, like the Horned Owl in the photo, kill their prey with the sheer strength of their talons.  Humans have about 40 psi strength in our hands and the owl has over 400!!  Even more amazing when you realize the owl weighs about 2 lbs!!  The Eagle and Raven have over 700 psi!

Without a doubt, the highlight of the museum was the "Otter Talk"  I did not know that otters catch their food  in the water but take it out of the water to eat it.  That is where they are most vulnerable.  You just have to marvel at how adept the otter is in the water.  It was great fun to watch from above and from below.







One last stop in Bend and it is to one very special lake...read on!