Outside Features
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Secret Garden

Where desert dwellers can get a green fix, right in the heart of Bend
Avatar photo by K.M. Collins

As spring rears its temperamental head via finicky post-equinox, high-desert indecision, green thumbs are beginning to feel an irresistible itch. At first glance, newcomers to Bend might think cultivating in nutrient-poor volcanic soils, amid the shortest summer a Californian has ever seen, is all in vain. But to the trained gardener’s discerning eye, there is […]

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If You’re New Here: Gardening in the High Desert

For those coming from warmer climates, growing food or flowers can be daunting—but doable
Avatar photo by Nicole Vulcan

If you’re one of the transplants who’ve recently moved here from Seattle or Portland or the Bay Area (as we know a lot of you are), you might fancy yourself a fine gardener, imbued with the natural ability to coax flowers and food from the ground just by tossing out a few seeds or starts. […]

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Mountain Biking Race Series Brings the Mudslinging, Chain-Breaking Fun

The series kicked off in early March, but two races are coming locally to Sisters and Bend
Avatar photo by Megan Burton

Getting on your bike is a great way to stay fit, active and soak up the beauty that Central Oregon has to offer. If you are looking for a little more adventure with your wheels, the Oregon XC Series Mountain Bike Races are packing in the dust, mud and fun. The series kicked off in […]

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Young Climbers on Keeping Competitive During COVID-19

Local junior champions talk about how they’re adapting to climbing during a pandemic, and what they’ve learned from the prolonged pause of normal life
by Ella Gann

Mira Capicchioni (15), Moxie Hovorka (14), and Shae McCarl (12) are three junior competitive and outdoor climbers from Bend who train at the Bend Rock Gym through the Bend Endurance Academy. Since the BRG is currently closed because of COVID, I was curious as to how else COVID has been impacting their training. Here’s what […]

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It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! Nope, It’s a Shero!

Kerry Sheehan is a TikTok sensation with a ski obsession
Avatar photo by K.M. Collins

Shero definition, via Webster’s Dictionary: A woman admired or idealized for her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities; a heroine. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Kerry Sheehan, Mt. Bachelor ski instructor and nanny, has seen exponential progress in her Woodward park […]

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Pro File: Lizzy Van Patten, Climber

She climbs, she plays piano and She Moves Mountains
by David Sword

Like many who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, Lizzy Van Patten was exposed to the outdoors through hiking and camping. While attending school in Washington state, she came across a book on hiking routes. “I was a math and political science major, and thought it a cool idea to do 25 of the (recommended) […]

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A Midwinter Retreat to Anthony Lakes

Ski, snowshoe, and soak in the tranquil beauty of Eastern Oregon
by Damian Fagan

“The mountains are calling and I must go” is one of my favorite John Muir quotes. Written in a letter to his sister in 1873, his words echoed in my mind during a recent visit to the Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort outside of Baker City, named for William “Doc” Anthony, a farmer and doctor, who […]

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Fine Tuning My Love

A Shred Betty fairy tale, in honor of the upcoming V-Day
Avatar photo by K.M. Collins

Shred Betty, as defined by urbandictionary.com: A cool female snowboarder of exceptional ability.  Roses are red, violets are blue, free refills stacked in the white room, fresh and new. Chocolates are dark, filling is creamy, set back my bindings for turns totally dreamy.  Amethysts are purple, diamonds are icy, untracked faces picking lines so spicy.  […]

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Exploring Oregon’s Outback One Step at a Time

The Oregon Desert Trail connects people to place
by Damian Fagan

The Oregon Desert Trail, better known as the ODT, is a 751.7-route that traverses eastern Oregon, connecting the Badlands Wilderness to Lake Owyhee State Park. The trail slips through dense sagebrush steppe and ancient juniper forests, across lava flows and through canyons incised deep into an old land. There’s wild and wilderness and plenty of […]

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