Avoid the stress of jockeying for parking spots at the ever-popular Meissner Sno Park this winter by taking a new shuttle. The Meissner bus is scheduled to make three trips every Saturday and Sunday through March. The best part? Itโs a bargain at $5 roundtrip! Visit Bend, Deschutes Trails Coalition and an anonymous donor contributed […]
Outside
All Wags at Wanoga Sno-Parkย
Jeff Johnston has a ritual during Central Oregonโs winter months. Several times a week, he finds himself, along with Kundi, his Australian Shepherd, standing in the pre-dawn light at Wanoga Sno-Park. As he unlocks a shipping container that houses a utilitarian Ski-Doo Skandic snowmobile, Kundi tears around in the snow, marking his favorite spots. After […]
Three Sisters Backcountry is Making Cascades Magic
Put down that beat-up Harry Potter paperback. With the right guidance, the forests of Central Oregon can put a spell on you, no wands or wizard hats required. Just ask Three Sisters Backcountry about the โmagic that existsโ at their two mountain yurts. Theyโre located at the base of what the outdoor recreation company calls […]
Shooting for the Snow Zone
Pete Alport arrived at the young snowboarderโs home at 11pm on a winterโs night in late 2022. The pair bid a cheerful goodbye to Kai Hugginโs parents and drove south from Bend into the night. Where Highway 138 intersects the north access for Crater Lake, they ditched the truck and fired up the snowmobiles. During […]
Return of the Snow Dragon at Virginia Meissner Sno-Park
What originated as construction on a quinzhee (a snow shelter made by hardened show and hollowed out) at Meissner Sno-Park and evolved into an annual tradition, artist Joshua Cook and a team of volunteers are once again inviting participants to experience the “Snow Dragon” art installation on one of the most magical nights on the […]
Phase II of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge Restoration
When Susan and Dwight Sheets toured the defunct Santiam Pass Ski Lodge on a rainy October day in 2016 with Willamette National Forest Ranger Terry Baker, they were saddened with the condition of the historic lodge that had been unoccupied since 1986. โThe archaeologist wouldnโt come in because it was horrible,โ said Dwight. โWe were […]
Time to Shine with a Freak Holiday Salad
Jello salad was created in 1904 by Mrs. John E. Cook of Pennsylvania. She called it the “Perfection Salad.” The colorful item became especially popular after World War II as a convenient, inexpensive dish for busy housewives. It became overshadowed in the 1960s and 70s with the rise of other cooking trends. Nonetheless, many families […]
Species Spotlight: Burrowing Owl
Pronghorn are perhaps the most graceful animal native to the high desert country of central and eastern Oregon. Golden eagles are the most majestic, greater sage-grouse the most emblematic. And burrowing owls? Theyโre the funniest. For starters, burrowing owls have the peculiar habit of living in underground burrows โ not the trees that most birds […]
Volunteers Needed at Bunny Rescue
Most pet owners will reminisce about their favorite pet, one that deeply touched their heart, was a bonafide family member and by which each future pet is compared. Lindsey Provost took that sentiment to extremes after falling in love with her first pet bunny, Ember, in 2015. When Ember passed away in 2019, Provost started […]
Rats! Central Oregon Hosts an Autumn Uptick in Cohabitating Vermin
With UB40โs classic reggae hit echoing in my mind, I pondered this question for the first time since moving to Central Oregon three decades ago. Tipped off by my dogsโ unusual curiosity around the furnace vents from the cellar, sniffing the blowing air, I set a few small snap traps in anticipation of an errant […]

