It's funny how when you built something up in your mind, it often comes out differently in reality.
Bend had way more sprawl than I was anticipating. The downtown area was nice, but I'm not sure I'd consider Patagonia to be a local merchant. And what the heck was up with all the traffic circles?
However, Bend also has some really lovely features. I love the fact that the Deschutes River runs right through downtown, and I love even more the fact that for much of the downtown stretch, a public park and walkway line the river. We didn't even begin to explore it to satisfaction.
Bend also has big, pointy, white peaks going for it. These should warrant future exploration. Of course we didn't see them until our drive home, but they were lovely never the less. And the desert is its own form of beauty.
Of course, we were also quite pleased to be back on the Palouse. Back home.
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| Fish ladder on the Deschutes |
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| The deserts of Eastern Oregon |
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| Mt Hood |
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| Mt Adams |
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| Fog as we enter the scablands |
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| What a beautiful sunset...we were amazed by how nice the weather was for mid-December! |
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| My son took this picture! |
