Rose of Sharon Jewelry

Spent 3 full days in lovely Bend, OR this week so I thought I’d share with you what a great place this is for a relaxing getaway.

I spent plenty of summers in Central and Eastern Oregon as a kid but things have changed a lot over the past 40 years! Bend is the largest Central Oregon town and has developed into a wonderful year round vacation spot with plenty to offer no matter what your interest.

Traveling to Bend is typically by car as flights are limited and costly. Your local travel agent or preferred online travel site can help you with the best buy based on  your location and the amount of time you have to vacation.

Travel Distances

Bend is 122 miles from Portland, 252 miles from Seattle, 380 miles from Sacramento and 710 miles from Los Angeles.

Weather is Great Wish You Were Here

Oregon is known for its rain but Bend is a high desert community where the weather is much sunnier year round with about 250 clear and sunny or mostly sunny days! Temperatures range in the high 80s in the summer and drop into the 50s during the night for a refreshing relief.  Winter temps are equally moderate and comfortable.

Bend typically gets under 12 inches of rain a year. Snow fall averages 33.5 inches – perfect for snow activities but not enough be unpleasant.

What to Do In Bend

Bend is the perfect spot for outdoor exploration and adventure. Beautiful Mt. Bachelor is a great ski area with wonderful powdery snow. In Spring and Summer, the many Cascade Lakes surrounding the mountain are brimming with wildlife, flowers and water fun.

 

 

 

We ate lunch at Elk Lake Resort and watched people play on water boards, skim off in canoes and even some sail boaters! It was 88 degrees with brilliant clear  blue skies and we had great juicy burgers. Arden had an elk chili burger from locally raised and organic elk meat.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunriver Resort is a great golf destination and upscale facility.  A major Pro-Am tournament was under way this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re not an outdoorsy person, there are museums, galleries, purchasing opportunities and great restaurants in the area also.

Two restaurant discoveries we made this trip were Typhoon – modern and bold Thai food and Amalia’s – modern (i.e. lighter) Mexican and a fabulous bar with dozens of Tequilas and Margaritas!

If you are visiting during Oregon’s extended berry season, be sure to sample the wild huckleberry and marionberry products sold in gift shops and cooking stores. You’re eyes will pop out of your head with the depth of flavor! Nothing equals an Oregon grown berry. For our last morning in Bend, we had big pieces of fresh marionberry pie at a local Shari’s restaurant!

Downtown Bend is a great walking tour of jewelry shops, spas, candy shops, restaurants, boutiques and drinking establishments. Wall and Bond Streets are a park-and-walk destination for a leisurely afternoon. Check out Powell’s Candy Shoppe for all those childhood favorites you never knew still existed!

For another great park-and-walk afternoon, travel 20 miles west to Sisters, Oregon. Sisters has grown into a wonderful destination for window shopping. A great quilting community is here and there are 3 shops with colorful and unique fabrics, classes and finished products to ogle!

Don’t forget to search out the local clock shop in Sisters with a fabulous inventory of antique and modern clocks (it’s closed on Wednesday’s so we missed out this trip).

I could go on and on about the great times to be had in Bend and Sisters, Oregon! Exploring the small towns of America is a wonderful way to learn about history, meet new people and try new things. Plan a trip soon!

For more info on visiting Bend and nearby Sisters, Oregon, check out these sites.

• Welcome to Bend
• Bend OR Visitors Center
• Mt. Bachelor Resort
• Sisters Oregon Guide
• Bend, OR weather

I almost forgot to tell you about the wonderful High Desert Museum and the geological wonders of the Lava Bed tourist attractions were the lunar astronauts trained before going to the moon!

 

 

• High Desert Museum
• Newberry Crater

I’m a native Oregonian and proud of the state which has so much beauty and bounty to offer.

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Taking a short trip with Arden this week in lovely Bend, OR. He will work in the a.m. and we’ll tourist in the p.m. It was a leisurely drive through some pretty parched countryside. Oregon may be known for its rain but not this year.

Tomorrow’s Tantalizing Tuesday post will be some wonderful handmade purses!

 

Off to the brew pub!

Sharing today more great historic lighthouse vacations. Learn about great destination spots in Florida and Virginia in Mellow Monday, Part 3.

Florida Lighthouses

In the 1820s, the little town of St. Marks on Florida’s western panhandle was an important port for shipping agricultural products from middle Florida and south Georgia to the rest of the country. But boats leaving St. Marks often ran aground in the muddy shallows of the Apalachee Bay and the St. Marks River. The whale-oil lamps of the St. Marks Light, first lit in 1831, guided boats safely through the shallows.

Today, the historic light is a major attraction at the St. Marks Unit of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, celebrated for its fishing, hiking, butterfly watching and birding. Boat ramps and nature trails help make this stretch of Gulf Coast popular with outdoor enthusiasts.

A seven-mile drive winds from the refuge visitor center through fresh and brackish water impoundments to the foot of the Apalachee Bay, near the lighthouse. The lighthouse is open to the public only a few days a year during special events. Future dates the lighthouse will be open for tours include during the annual Wildlife Heritage and Outdoors Festival on Saturday, February 5, 2011, and Florida Lighthouse Day on Saturday, April 23, 2011. Even when the refuge is closed, however, visitors can get a great view of it from the refuge.

The refuge charges a $5 entrance fee; the fee is waived for visitors with a federal Duck Stamp or annual pass. A plan to transfer lighthouse ownership from the U.S. Coast Guard to the refuge is near completion. Tours. For more information, visit http://www.fws.gov/saintmarks/ or call 850-925-6121.

Cedar Key Light, located on Seahorse Key offshore from Cedar Key, Florida, was built in the mid-1850s in the hope that development would bring settlers to the area. The light now beckons travelers to the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge, a national treasure known for its colorful birds, its marine life and its history. The refuge’s 13 coastal islands, reachable only by boat, provide feeding, nesting and breeding grounds for more than 20,000 wading birds such as ibis and egrets.

The light sits on the highest Pleistocene dune on the Gulf Coast. Since 1952, the University of Florida has used the lighthouse as a marine research center. Cedar Key Light is open to visitors only twice a year. Once, on a Saturday in July (the date varies with tide schedules), and again during the third week of October in conjunction with National Wildlife Refuge Week and the Cedar Key Seafood Festival.

A boat ramp in the town of Cedar Key, a base for commercial and sports fishing, is the closest access point to the refuge islands. The town charges a fee to use the ramp. Boat rentals and tours are also available from concessionaires. For more information, visit http://www.fws.gov/cedarkeys/ or call 352-493-0238.

Virginia Lighthouse

Assateague Lighthouse, surrounded by Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, is popular with tourists for its history, abundant wildlife and rich refuge lore. Built in 1833, the original lighthouse was only 45 feet tall. Found too short, it was rebuilt in 1867. The lighthouse now stands at 154 feet above high water mark on the Virginia portion of Assateague Island.

More than 320 species of birds have been recorded on this barrier island refuge, which has been designated a Globally Important Bird Area and a National Audubon Society Top Ten birding hotspot. Its resident species include the bald eagle and piping plover. Famously, the refuge is also home to the famous wild Chincoteague ponies, descended from horses presumed to have swum ashore from Spanish galleons that foundered off the coast in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Lighthouse tours are offered by the Chincoteague Natural History Association on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. from April 3 through June 14 and from October 1 through November 29. Entry fees are $2 for children, ages 2-12 and $4 for adults. Fees support the maintenance and restoration of the lighthouse. From June 18 through September 28 the lighthouse is open Thursday through Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The refuge maintains several miles of trails for hiking and biking and a loop wildlife drive. The Lighthouse Trail, a quarter-mile foot path through the woods to the lighthouse, is for walkers only. The refuge charges an $8-per-car entrance fee. Adjacent Assateague Island National Seashore, managed by the National Park Service, offers beach parking and bathhouse facilities. For more information, visit http://www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco/ or call 757-336-6122.

For a map of all National Wildlife Refuges and a detailed description of what each has to offer, visit http://www.fws.gov/refuges/.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

Would love to hear about your visits to any of the historic lighthouse landmarks in this 3 part series or your own discovery!

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Americans own the most majestic land in the world. Why not explore this boundless heritage for free? Thanks to America’s Greatest Outdoor initiative, our parks are open for free on select 2010 dates.

Across the U.S., National parks, wildlife refuges and BLM lands will be open for free access on:

1. June 5-6, 2010
2. August 14-15, 2010
3. September 24, 2010
4. November 11, 2010

“President Obama has made connecting Americans to the outdoors and our history a fundamental goal of the conservation initiative. . .” announced Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently.

Special activities are being scheduled during these days, too. To learn more. . .

• National park events at http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm
• National wildlife refuges at http://www.fws.gov/refuges/
• Bureau of Land Management areas at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/Recreation/BLM_Fee_Free_Days.html

 

The November event on Veteran’s Day would be a great time to  see parks like Yellowstone blanketed in  snow. Bundle up and explore!

 

 

 

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Back in the office today with way too many emails and that doesn't even count the SPAM folder that has almost tilted. We had a fabulous time with Hunter at racing school in Sonoma, CA. We also found some really great food by shaking my iPhone! What fun to explore and take changes. I'll be back later today with additional info on our trip and my newest handmade find.