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K.M. Collins

A native Oregonian, K.M. Collins is a geologist-gone-writer. Covering everything outdoors and a spectrum of journalism, she's a jack of all whitewater sports and her favorite beat is anything river related. Don't blow her cover as a freshwater mermaid amongst humans.
Posted inOutside

Wild and Scenic Paddler

Oregonian, river advocate and photographer Tim Palmer releases Forever Heritage Art and authors his 28th book
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Against a Deschutes River and basalt backdrop at Tumalo Creek State Park, nationally renowned river advocate, Tim Palmer, gave a heartfelt dedication for the release of 12 forever stamps, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Among the dozen, Palmer’s own photographic creations showcase the Skagit River in Washington, Flathead River […]

Posted inBend Nest

Monkeying Around

How to turn up the volume on a backyard kid’s zone
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When I was a girl, my dad heroically took play time to the next level. Having no backyard, he put a public park-style 10-foot steel slide in the living room of our Portland studio apartment. Though, how he obtained said play aid is strictly classified, I will never forget how much joy that recovered rubbish […]

Posted inCulture

Best Seat in the House

Prohibitions, party-fouls and penalties to know so you won’t be that guy during summer concert poaching
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Many seasons ago, during the Old Mill District’s annual Michael Franti psychedelic musical time-space continuum trip, a man in a capsized canoe T-boned my raft just before nightfall. Knowledgeable paddlers aboard, we auto-piloted into rescue mode. A few of us hoisted the stranger into our vessel. Others began the painstaking process of surfacing and purging […]

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

Dual Sport Mission

An epic paddleboard bike shuttle on the Deschutes, with bonus points for good company
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Note: Precise locations are not divulged here. With much controversy surrounding geo-tagging and increased traffic to outdoor wild spaces, this writer feels non-disclosure is the best stewardship practice. Up-down, up-down, pothole, gravel spin-out, open toes, dusty feet. My college bestie flew in from Salt Lake City to spend a long weekend with me—and forgot her […]

Posted inNews

Making River Stewardship Habit

In its second year, Enjoy Protect Respect aims to spread the word of protecting the Deschutes River
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On the heels of local writer Katy Bryce’s 2016 blog post, “Bend Is Being Loved to Death – And It’s My Fault,” many more Bendites woke up to the notion that the region is seeing negative impacts from tourism—and also from abundant activity by locals. The Enjoy Protect Respect river stewardship committee mobilized, aiming to […]

Posted inOutside

King of the Marathon

Local elite runner Max King celebrates a decade of his running club and the acquisition of the Bend marathon with Kari Strang
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Max King and I meet up to talk about his local running club and the Bend Marathon—but pretty soon, we veer off, discussing his wins in the 2014 100k World Championships and the 2011 World Mountain Running Championships. “This is going to be an article that bounces around from topic to topic, like me,” King […]

Posted inNews

Wild About Rivers

Oregon gets more miles of Wild and Scenic river designations
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Amid the fever pitch of a long-awaited spring equinox, boaters, kayakers and other water-loving Oregonians are celebrating the recent victories won with the Natural Resources Management Act. Passage of the Act, also known as the public lands bill, means new Wild and Scenic River designations for 621 miles of rivers nationwide—plus, additional default river protections […]

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

The Rub on CBD Tropicals

From athletic ailments to epidermal irritations, CBD tropicals are the next big thing in pain relief
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Balms, lotions and creams are popping up like seedlings on dispensary shelves all over Oregon, featuring phrases such as “hemp derived” and “full spectrum.” But what does it all mean? Have no fear: we checked out a series of CBD topicals to help you decipher the products available locally that could be right for your […]

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

Domiciliary Dope

Mastering home-grown cannabis outdoors in the High Desert
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So you want to join the rest of bourgeoisie Bend by home growing buds in a post-black market, above the board, private, small-scale venture? The good news: you could need less than $10 to get started! The bad news: there’s no cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all approach. Still, we asked some local experts for tips to make […]

Posted inBend Nest

The Sound of Adventure

Cascade School of Music enjoys a new home and director
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 With the new year came a big change at Cascade School of Music—including a new Executive Director, Robert Lambeth, and the relocation to a new space on 3rd Street and Emerson. As the zealous Lambeth walks through a labyrinth of music rooms (formerly real estate offices) in the school’s new building, the melodic notes of […]

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