FIVE YEARS MARRIED!!!

Original plans were to revisit Denmark & Holland but with Covid and flights being over-the-top expensive, we decided to spend some time exploring Oregon - something we also haven’t really been able to do with all the restrictions. We always heard how cute and cool Bend was and some of our favorite PNW Breweries live here.

Our first stop was a highly rated gastropub, Bangers & Brews. We were greeted by the owner who walked us through his menu and helped us order a Duck & Bacon and Wild Boar Sausage over their mac&cheese. I cannot express enough how good this was. This place is 10/10 and the best part is that the owner’s Father hangs out there and chats with everyone. It was so cute and personal.

After dinner we made out way 10 Barrel and Duschetes Breweries and walked along the Drake River before calling it night which was very quaint and peaceful sans the massive amounts of goose poop. No one warned us about that.

The first two nights we spent at an Airbnb in Tomolo, a quiet town 15 min outside of Bend. It was definitely rural but very beautiful and quiet. We napped, read & drank wine outside, and hung out the owners cat, Grey, who I liked to call Alphabet.

The next day we planned to hike Smith Rock: a very picturesque State Park with great hiking trails, rock climbing, and more. We chose to Misery Ridge for it’s views but it 100% lived up to it’s name. It was one the hardest hikes I have ever been on. And going down isn’t a blast either since it’s so steep but it had incredible views. Would probably do it again.

BUT the best part of the day was when we were driving to the park we passed Crescent Moon Alpaca Farm and we had to stop. This farm homes over 200 Alpacas of all ages, even 1 day old babies. We spent hours here feeding and petting them. I even talked to owner about buying some but now is not the time. This is another 10/10 most visit.

We ended the day dinner at Dogwood Cocktail Cabin, which was highly recommended by our friends and it was great. A nice spot of top notch cocktails and bites - get the Firecracker Shrimp!

Bend is also home to Sparrow Bakery, famous for their croissants, especially their Ocean Rolls. We enjoyed one of these as the best Chicken Waldorf sandwich I have ever had. There will be a line and worth the wait. Also, they do sell out so get there early!

After our stay at the airbnb we checked into McMenamin’s Old St. Francis School which we were really excited about. We got a lovely corner room in Art House that was just perfect. After grabbing a cocktail we immediately went into robe life and went for dip in their Roman inspired soaking pool. The roof is open in it which would be so cool to be in if it was raining hard or snowing. After, we roamed around the grounds visiting all their bars and getting stamps and locating all their secret rooms, including the Broom Closet Bar which is so fun.

Having visited and stayed at a few McMenamins, this is definitely my favorite for food. Though they all kind of serve the same food, their chef at this location does an exceptional job. You can’t go to Bend without popping in here and at least getting some tots.

All and all Bend was cool and we are glad we went but I would like to come back during off season. The one thing I didn’t mention was how crowded it was - EVERYWHERE. And lot’s of BROS. Water Sports + Beer = Bros. Also tons of Bachelor/Bachelorette parties but it come with the time of year. It also drizzled the majority of time which we coined Bendrizzle. It’s definitely clean, pretty, and has tons to do for everyone.

Thanks, Bend. We’ll see you in the winter.