Oregon Travel Guide - Central Oregon

Over twenty years ago, my husband and I rolled into central Oregon in a large U-haul truck, our blue Toyota pickup trailing behind. My orange tabby cat, Maurice, rode in his travel case on the seat of the pickup, with our dogs, Shilo, Favle (sister dobies), and Izzie ( a mix,dumped in front of our house the day after Christmas) in the pickup bed covered canopy. It was a twelve hour ride and, let's say, I didn't jump for joy over the area when we first arrived at two in the morning. But I've since come to love it here and now feel like a true Oregonian.

Central Oregon, considered high desert, is comprised of the towns: Bend, Redmond, Terrebonne, Madras, Sunriver, Prineville, Warm Springs, Tumalo, Culver, Metolius and LaPine. It's located on the east side of the Cascade Mountain Range and is approximately three hours from both Portland and Eugene. And, only two hours from Oregon's historic Crater Lake, a must see if you visit the area.

Some say there is 300 days of sunshine here, but I've never actually counted them. Because of the range of elevation, 1,500 feet to 4,200 feet, the weather will be different depending in what town you are located. I live in Crooked River Ranch on a five acre parcel. It is a rural subdivision in Terrebonne. The weather here is quite often warmer with less snow than the Bend and Redmond areas.

Outdoor Recreation

The area is best known for it's outdoor recreation. Rafters and Kayakers propel down the Deschutes River. This river along with the Crooked River are used by fly fishermen to brag about the great steelhead and trout they've caught. There are a multitude of top rated golf courses in the area. Mountain biking is quite popular because of the vast terrain available - lava fields, dessert, mountains, and forest. There's an abundance of winter sports at near by Mt. Bachelor. Let's not forget world class mountain climbing and hiking at Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne.

If you take a walk or drive up to the top of Pilot Butte, a 511 feet high cinder cone, you can view all of Bend and much of the surrounding area including nine cascade mountain peaks.

Other Events

There's more than just outdoor recreation here in central Oregon. Bend has the largest number of restaurants per capita in Oregon. Sunriver is a family resort area with golf courses, tennis courts and miles of walking/bike paths. Redmond's old down town area is full of antique stores and fun shops.

The High Desert Museum educates it's visitors about culture, history, and wildlife in the area. It's a living museum where you will see many animals, settler's cabins, historic sawmill, and logging displays.

The Bowman Museum located in Prineville, features a wide range of Crook County historical events, including the Prineville railroad and timber industry.

The Deschutes Historical Museum is dedicated to the heritage of Deschutes County. Exhibits include Native American Tribal history, early American exploration, fur trapping, homesteading and logging.

The Museum at Warm Springs, located on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, shares it's cultural heritage through artifacts and displays.

Working Wonders Children's Museum encourages the hands-on approach to learning with events that include Music Workshop, After School Homework Club, Rock Wall Wizards, Pet Hospitals and much more.

The Cascade Festival of Music with musical events throughout the season.

Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort & Casino for your gambling fun.

Petersen's Rock Garden in Redmond is full of amazing rock formations and education.

Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery restores the fishery resource. They release young Chinook salmon are released into the Warm Springs River every year.

Operations Santa Clause is two miles west of Redmond and has the largest herd of domesticated reindeer in the country. They travel the country during the winter season for all to enjoy.

The Crooked River Dinner Train travels at a slow pace while dinner is served and a play (sometimes interactive) is performed for your entertainment. It's a great way to view the beautiful and diverse high desert country during the 2 ½ hour ride.

We have the Art Adventure Gallery, Central Oregon Symphony and the Obsidian Opera House. In March Ben hosts the Taste of the Town and there is the Kah-Nee-Ta Marathon in Warm Springs. April brings the Lewis & Clark Festival at the High Desert Museum, The Central Oregon Rod & Custom Show, Easter Eggstravaganza and Desert Nights. With the start of nice weather in May we have the Big Band Jazz Concert, Blues, Brews and BBQs and Music in the Village at Sunriver. Sunny days of June brings Bite of Bend, Crooked River Round-up and the Rockhound Show. July, when the Black Eyed Susans are in bloom so comes the La Pine Rodeo and Frontier Days in La Pine. The Deschutes County Fair is showcased in August. La Pine hosts the Dixieland Music Festival in September. October brings the Cowdeo in Madras, the Oktober Fest in Sunriver and Bend Fall Festival. In November don't miss the Monster Truck Fall Nationals and the many tree lighting events. And too many Christmas and winter celebrations in December to mention.

Famous People of Central Oregon

The most famous person to come out of central Oregon may very well be River Phoenix. He was born in Madras with the name River Jude Bottom. The twenty-three year old actor died suddenly of a drug overdose in 1993. His brief career included movie parts in Stand By Me, Running On Empty, My Own Private Idaho. The Mosquito Coast, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Little Nikita, Dogfight and Sneakers. He was a well known animal activist and vegan. River was the oldest of five. His siblings, Joaquin, Summer, Rain and Liberty are all actors, as well.

Ryan Longwell, attended Bend High School where he played football for the Lava Bears. He's played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. In 2006 he went to play for the Vikings.

Jimmy Torres lives in Bend. He co-wrote the song "Sugar Shack" along with Keith McCormack. He also was a member of the String-A-Longs, a country band in the ‘60s.

I've heard of some rodeo stars living in these parts, but they are laying low.

We're Not All Perfection

While I'd love to say central Oregon is the perfect place to live, we have our problems. Housing has gone up because of mass Californians replanted. Even with the housing market in the dumps, prices here have not dipped all that much.

The roads, oh where to start. Redmond roads have been the pits for as long as I can remember. And I think they only do a patch job every hundred years or so, when they should be resurfacing. And who in the world mapped out the new road passages in Bend. It was to help with traffic, but it can take forever to get anyplace because of the maze one has to follow. Redmond is now trailing behind in suit - they must have hired the same person.

Employment opportunities are minimal at the moment. And most of the jobs available don't pay enough to live in the area. We are all dealing with the increase in gas, food and clothing so I'll stop my complaining. After all, life is always better if you start out the day with a positive attitude.

My challenge, as first set forth by Constant Walker, is to showcase your town

with articles on the internet. Let the world get a personal view through your eyes.