As a kid on the family farm in Connecticut during the (first) Great Depression, with the help of my grandfather, I was taught to trap, kill and skin striped skunks. I then sold the pelts to buy shoes for school. But, it is no longer necessary for me to trap, skin and sell the pelts […]
Outside
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Best Ever
Bend cyclists tell us the region's best rides
Editor's note: We asked a few of our favorite cyclists to share their go-to rides with the rest of Bend. They got back to us with sub-alpine mountain bike loops, destination coffee rides, social-hour downhills, and trails below the radar. It says something about the quality of Central Oregon's diverse riding that no two cyclists […]
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No Worries, Bro
Freeskier Sammy Carlson is living the dream
Sammy Carlson does what he wants. The 24-year-old professional freeskier has become so successful that his day-to-day job, which he loves, is simple: get better at skiing and ski tricks. And if he wants to get his bros together for a competition that boasts a $20,000 prize purse—well, he can do that, too. On Saturday, […]
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PPP=MMM (Money, Money, Mooonneeey!)
We did the math: Pole Pedal Paddle brings in mad cash
On Saturday, the annual Pole Pedal Paddle will clock through town—and competitors will measure themselves by speed and time. But what about the economic impact? Neither Visit Bend nor the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation, the event’s promoter, has ever done a PPP economic impact study, but the Source did! Get out your calculators, friends: […]
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Cradle to Grave
How to compete, whether you’re a pup or an old dog
Nature doesn’t care how old you are. Neither does Alder Butsch, 11, or Don Leet, 62, two Bend athletes from two very different backgrounds—and eras. Leet, an accomplished mountain biker and co-owner of Sunnyside Sports, was already receiving AARP mailings when Butsch, a sponsored snowboarder, was a bump in the belly. The two may have […]
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The race is on
Springtime is the starting gun for caterpillars
Spring brings with it growing grass, jumping fish and an enduring race between tent caterpillars and their host plants. Seemingly ubiquitous in Central Oregon, the industrious tent caterpillars pitch thousands of tiny silken tents among the upper leaves of awakening bitterbrush throughout the region. Those, oh, best beloved newly hatched tent caterpillars trying to get […]
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Terror on the Tooth
Bend climber grabs first ascent in the Alaska Range
After covering nearly 3,500 vertical feet in a single 24-hour push, Chris Wright and Scott Adamson arrived at their first resting spot exhausted, cold, shaken and ready for sleep. It would prove elusive. The pair was attempting to camp on a ledge the size of a coffee table, their feet dangling into the void; dehydration […]
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Diving For Cantaloupe
Korean War orphan to Mt. Bachelor king
John Gannon is a slight man, thin and a little bowlegged. The front and sides of his thick dark hair are streaked with grey, but the Korean's relatively creaseless face and quick smile make him appear much younger than his claimed 64 years. “Claimed,” because Gannon—whose journey from war-torn Korea to the United States is […]
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Changing the nature of using Nature
There was a time—in my lifetime, actually—when anyone wanting firewood for winter simply drove a few miles from town and cut a full season’s supply; no permit necessary. But not anymore. There was a time when anyone could hunt, fish, hike, pedal a bike, drive a motorcycle or snowmobile anywhere they wanted. Not anymore. There […]
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Get Wet
Summertime and the swimming’s easy
Being wet on a hot summer day is our favorite part of the season. The Green Issue going blue got us thinking about our favorite places to cool down. Bring on the heat! Gone Swimmin’ McKay Park Don’t discount McKay Park because it seems obvious. It’s convenient, it’s accessible, and the sandy riverbank is perfect […]