Bend’s Julie Cutts was the 2013 road bike and time trail national master’s champion, so she can’t be faulted for registering as a pro for any bike race, as she did at a race at Mt. Rainer that same year. The only problem? It was a cyclocross race. “I had just met Scott Peterson [owner […]
Outside
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A Drinking Game With A Rugby Problem
At 40 years old, Bend Rugby Football Club is still young
Nope, the Bend Rugby Football Club (Bend RFC) isn’t anything new in town. It is 40 years old, founded in 1975, from a time when Bend was a sleepy post-glory mill and pre-corporation ski town, and when the closest locally brewed beer was a good 300 miles away (like, maybe, Olympia, Washington?). Early on, the […]
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Pitch a Tent
These campsites may fill quickly, so don’t delay
Everyone’s definition of camping is different. For some, it means towing their full-amenity travel trailer to the RV park with full hookups, playground, and swimming pool. On the other extreme, camping means parking the car (or locking the bike) and heading as far into the Three Sisters Wilderness as possible. For most, somewhere in between […]
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Monarch Waystations
Planting pit stops for migrating butterflies
The monarch butterfly is in a world of hurt. Right off the bat it has problems because it’s so unique; it’s a migratory insect that flies thousands of miles to survive winter, then returns to continue life in northern latitudes—and they travel right through our neck-of-the-woods. Everyone knows birds migrate and do it in astounding […]
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Mountain Biking and Road Cycling Have a Baby!
Gravel biking now has an official race in Central Oregon
The Ochoco National Forest, northeast of Prineville, is a diversely magical place, chock full of towering old growth trees, rough-cut canyons, and sprawling hard-scrabbled dirt and desert. Next weekend it will also host the Ochoco Gravel Roubaix, Central Oregon’s first gravel bicycle race. Its European namesake, the ultra classic Paris-Roubaix, is known for rough terrain, […]
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Go Here 8/19-8/26
Look Up!
Last week’s visit by the annual Perseid Meteor Shower turned Central Oregon’s eyes to the sky. For some continued star-gazing, here are some nearby—and not so close—locations for taking in the marvels of the sky on any optimal evening. Simply go where it’s dark A quick drive out to Tumalo Reservoir Road (head west until […]
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No Slacker
Local manufacturer is helping pioneer the emerging sport of slacklining
Like most rock climbers in Central Oregon, Jason Fautz was drawn to Smith Rock State Park. But scaling those sheer volcanic cliffs was not what drew his attention. Having moved to the area two years ago from Washington, Fautz was “in a transition in my life;” he naturally sought out what was familiar to him—rock […]
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Make Your Own Summer Camp
Go Here 8/12-8/19
Dave Dallas is well qualified to recommend activities for kids—he teaches third grade at Amity Creek School. He and his wife, Mary, are also known for their participation in strenuous outdoor activities. Dave is a triathlete who recently completed his first Ironman in Coeur d’Alene. Mary’s preference is cyclocross and mountain bike racing, and also […]
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Pounding The Pavement, Off Road!
Haulin’ Aspen presents trail road challenges and charms
Luke Larsen knows a thing or two about trail running, having participated in the Wasatch 100-miler that includes 5,000 feet of elevation gain in a single leg-busting, nine-mile stretch, and the Speedgoat 50k held in Snowbird, Utah, a marathon-plus run that sends runners up an 11,000 foot elevation gain. For good measure, Larsen has also […]
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Go Here 8/5-8/12
Getting Out of Town
It could be easily argued that living in Bend means never needing to travel far to access a wide variety of recreational and scenic opportunities. But, if your hunger for the mountains, the hiking and biking trails, the river, the music, or the beer becomes sated, there are an equal number of doable road trips […]