Playing in Bend

We have been playing, eating, drinking and touring in Bend the past few days and we are not done yet.  It has been so much fun that I am glad I take pictures as they are my diary.  We are getting ready to go out for another day so I am going to be brief here and mostly tell you about it with my pictures.

 We went Cider Tasting.  Just like wine tasting but it was hard cider.  There was apricot, cherry, apple, cinnamon pear and a pomegranate.  And a few more that I can't recall.  If that wasn't fun?!  It is much less sweet that regular cider that they sell in the grocery store as it is pure fruit and of course it was "Hard" cider meaning it was alcoholic.  Each couple ordered a flight which was six different ciders to sample.  I think the winner was the apricot.

When we went to the Brewfest our favorite ale was from 10 Barrel Brewing.  So yesterday we headed to the brewery/restaurant to have another glass of our favorite and a great lunch.  It was a gorgeous day so we all sat outside.  I sure was wishing we had brought Jake.  He would have loved it!

Then we found our way to Tumalo Falls which is a 97 foot waterfall just a few miles out of town.  The drive was lovely and the falls were just gorgeous!  I wish we had time to travel to lots and lots of Oregon waterfalls.  Maybe we can find one or two more before we leave.

I miss our hiking days when we would have taken the trail up to the falls and done some exploring.  But we can do this and see a lot of things and we can drink beer so we are good.

That left us a bit parched and I had read that there was a distillery in town so we set off in search of it.

So, Cheers, Everyone!!!  See you after the next adventure!

Bend Brewfest

Bend Brewfest!  The reason we are here!

We traveled from southern Arizona for this event and we were not disappointed!  It was an incredible day for all of us - even the non beer drinkers in the group.  It is a three day event and we went on the second day. 

There were four of us in our little group.  Lou was Kirby's best man at our wedding 17 years ago....they go way back.  So, we called a taxi so we wouldn't have to worry about finding our way there, parking or not having a designated driver to get back home.  It worked out so, so well and was only $15 each way with tip.

It was a bright and sunny day and not too crowded  -  that is because we were there shortly after the gates opened.  We purchased a plastic beer mug and some tokens.  Each 4 oz taste of brew was one token.  There were 170 different beer taps.  Yes, you read that correct - 170!  How to choose?  Well, we love IPA which is big and bold so that was all we tasted.

Here we are standing in front of what turned out to be our favorite brew.  10 Barrel Category 57 Double IPA.  It was the winner as far as Kirby and I were concerned!

There were 3 tents of brews and we made our rounds selecting an IPA here and an IPA there.  We were in heaven.  Kirby is having some knee problems going on and Lou found what appeared to be a good way to wheel him around but security came and took it away.

You can tell that we are having a good time in this picture.  It still wasn't crowded and we could just walk up and get another 4 oz drink whenever we wanted.  I will confess that we did throw some out.  Not all IPA is created equal.  (IPA stands for India Pale Ale)

All of the people serving the beer were volunteers.  I thought that this young lady was so cute with her garland of fresh hops on her head.  Everyone was so friendly and even those that were working were having fun!

And with all that beer, you must be wondering what kind of facilities they have.  Well, just check this out!  And this picture does not show all the toilets!

After a while we were ready to sit in the shade a bit so I went in search of four chairs and a table with people who would not mind sharing with us.  Did we ever hit the jackpot! We got Bob, Harold and Ben.  They were locals and full of good information on the area.  I think we partied with them for at least and hour and a half - maybe more.

Ben was off getting another brew and Vivian took the picture for me.

I am so glad that we made the plans to attend this brewfest!  It was an incredible experience and something that we don't usually do.  We pretty much like to stay away from crowds but this was certainly worth it.  Good friends, good brews and a wonderful husband.  What could be better??

"Jake, I Promise You Will Have Grass Soon"

All winter long and into the spring and summer in Yuma I have promised Jake nice green grass.  He was beginning to not even believe me anymore.  But yesterday I finally produced.  We reached Oregon and GREEN!

It is not the greenest green but it is not gray gravel either.  Jake is happy.  His mommy is happy!  We sat outside amid green grass and tall green trees and I was in heaven!  It caused me to have what I call my Happy Bubbles.  I haven't had them in so, so long.  Between breaking my foot last February and not being able to walk or bike and then the hot, hot desert days, I was feeling pretty low.  But by golly, I am back and it feels good.  All I needed was some outdoor time!  Yea!  I plan on having a couple more weeks of it!

So, yesterday we landed in Burns, Oregon after about four hours of travel from Winnemucca.  Burns is a small town in eastern Oregon.  It is right where the green and the trees seem to begin as you go west.  It is a sweet little town with the friendliest people.  Everyone seems to want to talk.  Or maybe it is me - now that I have my Happy Bubbles back.  Whatever, it is a nice place.

I did my research and I knew there was a small brewery here in town.  That was part of the reason for stopping here.  Well, wouldn't you know - they were closed yesterday and today.  I was quite upset!  I had brew plans!  Well, the Beer Gods were on our side.  As we drove down the highway after getting some fuel, lo and behold what did appear but a Growler Station at a country store!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  Kirby made a quick U-turn and we parked and headed in to explore.  They had 10 or 12 different local taps and about three different IPA's, which is our favorite.  The nice friendly owner of the store let us sample all that we wanted and we selected an IPA from Terminal Gravity and got ourselves a half a growler (a jug of beer).  We took that back to the RV park, sat out in the grass under the trees and enjoyed a nice glass each.  Now tell me, who wouldn't have Happy Bubbles with a life like that!

We (meaning Jake, really) made friends with our neighbors who are from Washington state.  They had two dogs and a little girl - all for Jake!

If you are familiar with Jake, you will notice that he has filled out a bit.  That is what 5 months of no walks will do to a dog - and his mommy!

These two pictures are what we saw on our drive yesterday.  It was another barren day but it was beautiful in it's own way.  The highway was not busy, had frequent pull-outs and life is good!