Outside Features

Stratton Matteson loved snow. As a child, he’d zip around his family’s Vermont neighborhood, on his bike, in the snow. He built miniature ski areas in his backyard complete with chairlifts, lodges and little Lego characters schussing his makeshift runs. Flash forward several years and you might have spotted him climbing Bend’s Century Drive, on […]

In their book, “On the Loose,” Terry and Renny Russell write, “One of the best-paying professions is getting ahold of pieces of country in your mind, learning their smell and their moods, sorting out the pieces of a view, deciding what grows there and there and why, how many steps that hill will take, where […]

After listening attentively to the first episode with Cornelius Edison, my 10-year-old daughter said to me, “Mama, you forgot to say your name!” Even though it was her first time ever listening to a podcast, she was completely right. I had forgotten to present myself. I humbly nodded and she immediately asked me, “But, why?” […]

The passion Rasmus Petersen felt as he began creating the Petersen Rock Garden in 1935 remains alive to this day in both the caretakers of the property and the visitors who flood the grounds daily. Petersen lovingly built the ornate rock sculptures over four acres on his rural property between Bend and Redmond, first sourcing […]

Perhaps drawn to the sheer natural beauty surrounding Bend and its endless trails and terrains for hiking, biking, running, rock climbing, kayaking, skiing and snowboarding (and so much more), the city has attracted many individuals who get out, play, compete and thrive in this vibrant outdoor playground. And along with them, so have a great […]

My first experience with lead toxicity as a veterinarian was in a sweet basset hound that developed acute lead poisoning from licking lead paint dust from his paws. Currently, in the wildlife hospital at Think Wild in Bend, we see a different manifestation of the same toxicity, from an avoidable source. In mid 2025, a […]

If the Seattle Seahawks lived up to their namesake, they would be known as the Seattle Osprey. Inspired by these magnificent birds of prey, the team unveiled their team sea hawk logo in 1976, which was a stylized inspiration paying homage to artwork of the Kwakwaka’wakw people who lived along the Pacific Northwest coast, primarily […]

In the time it takes to polish off a breakfast burrito and listen to an episode or two of your favorite podcast, Derrick Bell wants you to know that you could be enjoying the solitude of nearly 600 miles of biking and hiking through serene forest trails, reminiscent of Central Oregon a couple decades ago. […]

Oregon Natural Desert Association’s 2026 High Desert Speaker Series invites audiences across Oregon and beyond to uncover the landscapes, geology and cultural histories of eastern Oregon through a pair of engaging online talks this winter. Registration is now open for the free, online public series, which runs from February through March. The High Desert Speaker […]