Fun Things To Do Archives - Page 2 of 3

Sunset Magazine Likes Bend, Oregon too

It seems as if there is never a shortage of publications touting Bend as a great destination to visit or place to live. About a year ago Sunset Magazine listed Bend as one of the West’s Best Ski Towns. Bend was chosen as the most food focused ski town. The brief synopsis only mentions a few restaurants: Zydeco, 900 Wall, Jackson’s Corner and Joolz along with food cart Spork. Those places serve great food to be sure but a list of great restaurants in Bend could go on and on. Plus, at the time the article was written, one of my favorite restaurants, Brickhouse, wasn’t even up and running in Bend yet. If you would like to add your favorite restaurant to the list please do so by adding a comment below.

Of course it could be argued that perhaps Bend should have been chosen for being the most beer focused ski town. With ten breweries currently operating and another one under construction I think it is safe to say this town is pretty focused on beer. The brewers are pretty focused on their craft too as three local breweries won awards at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival.

The list of the West’s Best Ski Towns is not the only evidence that Sunset Magazine likes Bend. I found 16 different articles mentioning Bend on their website. One of those articles was a fun little story about one woman’s weekend adventure and her concerns about being sucked in by all that Bend has to offer after being warned that “Whoever visits Bend, moves to Bend.”

If you are one of those people who has visited Bend and would like to move here or at least own a second home here then the first place to start is with a great realtor. Look no further than Becky Seim and Preferred Residential. Call her today to make your Bend real estate transaction the best you have experienced.

Crap People Say in Bend, Oregon

It’s time for a little light hearted fun at the expense of those of us who live in Bend. The video below was produced by the folks at 541 Threads. These people do great work in our community. For every shirt they sell they donate five meals to a local food bank. Sadly, I haven’t yet purchased my 541 shirt or sweatshirt but I will be doing so very soon. If you would like to buy a shirt you can find them in Bend at The Blvd, Desperado, Cascade Cottons, Serendipity, Elite Fitness, Oregon Crossfit, Skjersaa’s, Lulu’s, and Aspect Board Shop.

Next time you are out and about in town be sure to listen for these things people say.

KTM Adventure Rider Rally Coming to Bend, Oregon

September is shaping up to be a busy month for national athletic events in Central Oregon. First Life Time Fitness announced that they are bringing their Leadman Triathlon to Bend September 21-23. Now Austrian motorcycle maker KTM has announced that their 9th annual Adventure Rider Rally will be held this year in Bend, Oregon September 14-16. This is the only national festival for KTM riders and is, of course, designed for KTM Adventure and Enduro owners but is open to riders of all brands of street-legal motorcycles. Between busy days of dual-sport riding KTM will be providing a technical overview of the Aventure, opportunities for participants to demo the KTM line of street bikes and a chance to meet KTM professional athletes.

If you plan on attending this event then you should definitely register early. Cost will increase to $160(USD) at the event from $125 if you pre-register. Follow this link for more information and click on the orange button to register.

You are hereby warned that once you visit Bend you will want to stay. We at Preferred Residential would be happy to give you a guided tour of homes for sale while you are in Bend for the KTM Adventure Rider Rally. Please call or email us at least two weeks before the event so that we can customize your tour to match your needs.

2012 Fly Fishing National Championship in Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon has been chosen to host another national championship event. Visit Bend announced yesterday that the 2012 Fly Fishing National Championship will be held October 18 – 20 at five Central Oregon fishing locations. The press release doesn’t state what lakes or rivers will be included but it does say that those areas will be open to the public during the competition.

If you need a place to stay during the Fly Fishing National Campionships and don’t want to stay in a motel be sure to call Preferred Residential. We have vacation rentals to suit every taste and budget.

Here is the full press release:

Bend, Oregon (PRWE February 14, 2012

It’s no secret Bend, Oregon has become a fly fishing mecca, with publications ranging from Fly Fisherman to Field & Stream to Outdoor Life declaring its pristine waters some of the best in the nation for the sport. Now, Visit Bend has announced that Bend has been tapped to host the 2012 Fly Fishing National Championships October 18-20.

The event is expected to draw approximately 100 anglers to the area, as well as 100 family members, fans, and event organizers. Participants will fish a combination of lakes and rivers on a catch-and-release basis.

“This is an excellent opportunity to expose fly fishing experts from around the nation to see the amazing diversity of fishing in Central Oregon,” explained Doug La Placa, President & CEO for Visit Bend. “We had the pleasure of hosting a regional competition for the last two years, and it’s exciting to be recognized as a destination worthy of hosting a national championship.”

The event will have three days of fishing in five different areas. Scoring is done by size and number of fish caught, with points awarded according to regulatory guidelines. Though anglers must qualify at a regional championship to participate, there are ample spectator and volunteer opportunities for fishing enthusiasts who wish to be involved.

“All of the waterways will remain open to the public during competition, and we’re hopeful the dates we’ve selected will minimize impact on other anglers,” La Placa added. “From a tourism standpoint, this is an excellent way for us to share Bend’s amazing fly fishing opportunities with sportsmen and sportswomen from around the nation.”

In recent years, Bend has been named #1 Town for Sportsmen (Outdoor Life), America’s Top Adventure Town (Men’s Journal), Top 10 Fly Fishing Towns in the U.S. (Fly Fisherman), one of the Best Fishing Towns in America (Field & Stream), best trail running town (Outside) one of the country’s Top Five Ski Towns (Travel + Leisure), and the #1 mountain biking town in the United States (Mountain Bike Action).

About Visit Bend:
Visit Bend is a non-membership, non-profit economic development organization dedicated to promoting tourism on behalf of the City of Bend. We’re a leading provider of information on Bend, Oregon hotels, restaurants, activities, and Oregon vacation planning. To learn more or to order a complimentary Official Visitor Guide to Bend, contact Visit Bend at 1-800-949-6086 or visit http://www.visitbend.com.

Forest Service Christmas Tree Permits

Now that Thanksgiving is over we can begin thinking about Christmas and putting up trees and decorations. If you want the “fun, old-fashioned, family Christmas” experience of going out to the forest to find that perfect tree like the Griswolds then be sure to get a permit before you go. Permits to harvest Christmas trees from the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forest are available at any Forest Service office and a number of Central Oregon retail outlets for $5. You must have a permit for each tree that is harvested with a maximum of five trees per household. Happy Hunting!

Bend's Ale Trail Makes Top 10 List

Are you thirsty for some good beer? Bend has beer. I’m talking about award winning beer brewed right here in Central Oregon. Bend is quickly becoming as much a destination for beer as it is for skiing, mountain biking, fishing and golf. The website CraftBeer.com lists the Bend Ale Trail as one of the top 10 beer trails in the country. Of course there isn’t actually a trail linking all of Bend’s breweries together but there are many options for exploration.

If you like to walk there are eight breweries within walking distance of each other. Stop by the Bend Visitor Center downtown and pick up a map or you can download a Bend Ale Trail app for iPods, iPhones or Android. If you plan on visiting all of the breweries in one day, being able to read the map might be difficult after the first few breweries. Have no fear, there are trail options available that do not require the you to read a map or drive. If you like bikes then the Cycle Pub is a good option.

How often do you get to pedal and drink beer on city streets? Maybe you want to go really old school, like horse drawn carriage old school. The Buckboard, Biscuits and Beer tour will take you to four breweries and feed you lunch.

Do you want to be green but not so green that you have to pedal or ride behind horses? Try the GetIt Shuttle’s Bend Brew Tour. They will drive you around in their alternative energy shuttle. A final guided option is the Bend Brew Bus. However you decide to tour Bend’s Breweries, enjoy.

A list of breweries in Bend and Central Oregon can be found on our website.

Video of Whoops Trail Ride

Today I am taking a break from talking about real estate news and homes for sale in Bend and Central Oregon to share a video about one of the things that makes living in Central Oregon great. Mountain biking. For all you mountain bikers out there, here is a cool video of a ride on Whoops Trail. The video was shot in 2008 and was directed by Len Stryker one of the owners of Cog Wild Bicycle Tours in Bend and produced by a local mountain biking celebrity Kirt Voreis. There are some great riders in this video doing things that novices should not attempt. None the less it makes me want to get out and try it. Enjoy.

Local Motion from remer on Vimeo.

If you don’t know where Lower Whoops trail is, here is a link to a pretty comprehensive list of mountain bike trails in Central Oregon with maps and directions to get there. The link is also on our website in case you lose track of it.

BMC Announces Urgent Care Clinic at Mt. Bachelor

Don’t worry about getting hurt when you ride the mountain this winter. Bend Memorial Clinic (BMC) announced last week that it will be staffing a “satellite urgent care clinic” at Mount Bachelor this winter. The clinic will be open on weekends and major Oregon holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Spring Break from 9am to 4pm. through the ski season this winter. BMC says they will be able to treat everything from illnesses to minor cuts to fractures and will have a digital x-ray machine on site. For days when the BMC clinic is not open the Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol will provide first aid and medical assistance as they have in the past. Bend Memorial Clinic says that most insurance is accepted and self-pay patients are welcome.

Finally Friday!

It seems like all of my posts this week have been about real estate: buying and selling homes, mortgage interest rates or bank owned homes. Too much work and no play is no fun so I thought I would share a fun video. I’m sorry about the quality of some of the clips but I have no control over that. Speaking of videos, the 8th annual Bend Film Festival is this weekend. If you like independent films they will be showing throughout Bend and Sisters all day today and tomorrow (10/7-8). Have a great weekend!

Day Hikes in Central Oregon

Hiking is one of the few things we haven’t done much of since we moved to Bend. It is something we talk about every summer but for whatever reason, never seem to get around to. There are a huge number of relatively easy day hikes that can be found in Central Oregon. In fact, there are so many trails that there are books about them. The other day I came across a story on SnowShoeMag.com that highlighted three day hikes: Paulina Peak, Tumalo Mountain, and Fall River. You can read about those hikes here. I also found a couple websites with more ideas for day hikes. The Amateur Guide to Hiking in Central Oregon has 42 trail reviews (scroll down the page) with photos, good descriptions of what you will encounter and driving directions. A second site, Trails.com, has 30 trails under the heading “Best Easy Day Hikes.” There seems to be very little overlap with “The Amateur Guide…” This site requires registration (free) to view photos and driving directions but you can read user reviews of the trails without registration. If you are really into hiking, this site has some GPS routes that can be downloaded or you can upload a GPS route to the site from your hike.

If you hike around Bend and Central Oregon and have a story to share I would love to publish it on this blog. It doesn’t have to be very long as I usually try to keep posts between 200 and 600 words. Please send photos with your story if possible. You can send stories and photos to my email address (Dan Seim) which can be found on our contact page.