Saturday was a very, very nice day in Bend. I’ll set the stage for you, the sky was immaculately clear, you could see the snow tops of Mt. Bachelor, one of the Sisters and some other peaks. The Deschutes River runs through the middle of Bend and reflected the blue sky completely. The Parks and Rec and the City of Bend have developed a great riverfront for all to enjoy. There are river paths for pedestrians and bicycle riders on both banks. They also have man made rapids for leisure river floaters, kayakers and surfers. The kayakers and suffers can practice on separate never ending waves. The leisure floaters can float for about 4 miles which includes the man made rapids. And there are plenty of eateries and drinkeries, including Deschutes Brewery along the river. There is even a small mall in a refurbished log mill.
Our day started out with a walk on the river paths up and back. Then Diane and I took a double leisure raft down the man made rapids. I then took my dip in the Deschutes River. Not as cold as the South Fork of the McKenzie but really refreshing. Then we visited a few breweries and sample their wares. We visited Deschutes, Immersion and Crux breweries. My favorite was a NW IPA, River Rider from Immersion.
We topped off the evening with a delicious meal at Wild Rose a Northern Thai restaurant in downtown Bend. It was delicious food, everybody loved it. A great day!
