Prineville Bike Park Kick up the dirt in Prineville! After a combined three years of planning and construction, Prineville Bike Park officially opened this past Saturday, July 16. The bike park is the first of its kind in Central Oregon and was designed to be versatile for all types of bikes and all skill levels. […]
Oregon Explored
Posted inOutside
Rattlesnakes: Born to do Battle?
In our travels assisting the Oregon Eagle Foundation to survey Central Oregon for active Golden Eagle breeding territories, my wife, Sue and I come across a wonderful variety of reptiles. When the days are nice and warm, just about all the lizards that live in the Great Sandy Desert dash across the road ahead of […]
Posted inOutside
Go Here 7/13-7/20
Mt. Bachelor Bike Park The Mt. Bachelor Bike Park is now open for the summer. Mountain bikers can explore trails from the top of Pine Marten, including Lava Flow, Cone Run and lower Rattle Snake. Chairlifts open daily at 11am, closing at 5pm on weekdays and 7pm on weekends. Lift ticket prices vary based on […]
Posted inOutside
Let’s Pokémon Go for a Walk
Exploring Bend through new mobile game
I made my first important life decision when I was six years old: I choose Squirtle as my starter. This decision was made on a brand new GameBoy Color, and motivated by a desire to be competitive against my brother’s Charmander. A lot of people will comprehend those statements, but for the confused and uninitiated, […]
Posted inOutside
Go Here 7/6-7/13
Lavender In Bloom Central Oregon’s high desert environment allows for the cultivation of some of the most beautiful and unique floral life in the world. Budding and seasoned florists can get a dose of that wildlife at Tumalo Lavender Farm. The farm grows the calming, purple flower, which reaches full bloom in mid-July. Visitors can […]
Posted inOutside
Enduring the High Cascades
Riders compete to finish 100-mile bike race
With its mix of mountainous terrain and high desert flatlands, Bend is a mountain biker’s paradise. The trails here offer a variety of challenges and sights, and their abundance makes it easy for riders to spend at least a week exploring all of them. Or, they can compete in The High Cascades 100 and see […]
Posted inOutside
Mercury in Our Air, Water, Soil and Fish
In April of this year the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) issued a warning about consuming too many bass found to be contaminated with excessive amounts of mercury in fish tissue sampled from a number of water bodies across the state. Dave Farrer, Ph.D., toxicologist in the Environmental Public Health Section at the OHA Public Health […]
Posted inOutside
Go Here 6/29-7/6
Bend Kayak School Learn the skills necessary to navigate the whitewater rapids of Central Oregon! The Bend Kayak School is offering beginner classes this summer. These immersion classes will teach amateur kayakers how to safely and expertly maneuver kayaks downriver. The class will be spread across two days, and attendees can expect personal instruction that […]
Posted inOutside
Dining on the Waterfront
Wanderlust tour explores taste buds and lake life
For Dave Nissen, founder of Wanderlust Tours, coming up with new ideas is a group effort. “We at Wanderlust often find ourselves hanging out, sipping on suds at the end of the day, and brainstorming what would knock people’s socks off,” he said. After 23 years in business, Nissen and his team of guides and […]
Posted inOutside
The Sweet Sounds of Spring
Thanks to hearing device technology from Central Oregon Audiology, I am acutely aware of the cacophony of hundreds of male Pacific tree frogs in Central Oregon’s irrigation ponds, decorative water features, and drainage ditches that are making their presence known to one and all. They are gleefully summoning their lady-friend partners to come join them […]