Hello Everyone!
Greetings from sunny Bend, Oregon. It feels like this week has lasted considerably longer than the seven days since I last wrote. Unfortunately, I was falling into a bit of a funk in Idaho as everything seemed to still be closed for the winter. From roads and trails to campgrounds and museums, I constantly felt like it was more effort than it should have been to find things to see and do. And since it was cold out there, I struggled to get out of bed in the morning. I wouldn’t say I was depressed, just kind of bored and anxious to be out exploring, as summer is fast approaching and this may be the last summer I have off from work for a while. I want to make the absolute most of it. A little dose of Oregon was just what the doctor ordered. Oregon has been bright and sunny since I arrived over the weekend and it’s been amazing to be out on the trail, chasing waterfalls and beautiful scenery and finding things open around town. I will look forward to seeing more of northern Idaho in a few weeks, but for now it is great to be back in the Beaver State.
After finishing this post last week, I set out into the night to enjoy one last wander through downtown Boise, a city I have come to really enjoy and feel comfortable in over the last year. I stopped into Gatsby’s 1920 speakeasy, where the correct password got me buzzed in through the plain door in a dark alley. Once the door shut behind me I found myself in a small library where a bookshelf was swung inward to reveal a beautiful old wood-paneled bar. I had a nice cocktail and then moved on to Press and Pony, another prohibition era bar, where a Guinness seemed to be the best option. I wound up back at my old favorite, The Pengilly Saloon, for some live music and a nightcap to end my time in Boise for now.
I hit the gym on Thursday morning and then hit the road from there. I hopped onto Idaho Route 21 North and followed Mores Creek all the way to Idaho City. The road into the canyon was beautiful, with volcanic cliffs on either side covered with lush green grasses and plants. Forty-five minutes up the canyon, I turned onto Idaho City’s Main Street. During the Boise Basin Gold Rush of 1862, Idaho City (or “Bannock City” as it was called at the time) became the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, growing even bigger than Portland. Idaho’s first Catholic Church opened in Idaho City, as did the territory’s first Masonic Temple and Odd-Fellow’s Hall, all three of which are still standing and in use today. Chinese immigrants made up almost half the population of Idaho City at the time (and a third of the population of the entire Idaho Territory). When the gold played out, the miners moved on and today Idaho City is just a shadow of its former self. That said, it has some great old buildings to explore and retains a lot of its gold rush character. I loved it and spent several hours wandering around the historic district, taking photos and reading up on the local history. The day was cloudy, but the sun kept peeking through to keep it warm and offered up a few nice stretches of blue sky. After a quick happy hour beer at Harley’s, I headed up the road and found a nice pullout near the top of a big, snow covered hill where I read my book until the sun went down and then cooked up some dinner and tucked in for the night. I was there for almost 12 hours and only 3 cars went past during that time.
It was a quiet night and I woke up with a dusting of snow on my van. Nothing one swipe with my wipers couldn’t take care of, but it was pretty to see. It was definitely below freezing up there on the hill, and it was nice to turn on my heater as I dropped down into the tiny community of Lowman. I took a left (a right would have taken me back up to Stanley), and followed the South Fork of the Payette River to the 55 and then turned north. The river was beautiful to watch as it flowed through the canyon below. I continued north until I hit the town of Cascade and then turned off to go see Cascade Lake. It was really beautiful, but still pretty cold and windy out there so I mostly looked at it from inside my warm van. I continued north until I reached McCall, a clean and pleasant lakeside town on the south shore of Payette Lake. I’ve had a lot of people recommend McCall to me, and I can see why as it seems like a really nice little town and the lake itself is stunning. I took a wander through town and then headed out to Ponderosa State Park for the afternoon. I found a nice trail through the north end of the park which brought me to some nice viewpoints out over the lake. Mostly I enjoyed the exercise and fresh air and seeing the deer which seemed to be everywhere. I got back to my van in time to cook up some dinner and watch the sun set over the lake. Then I headed back into town to see some live music at Forester’s, a great old pub right in the middle of town. I really didn’t like the band which seemed more intent on being quirky and ironic than on playing good music, despite the fact that they were obviously talented. I stayed for a beer or two and then called it a night.
I went back down to the lake on Saturday morning and enjoyed a cup of coffee and read my book for an hour or so before getting on the road to Oregon. I made stops in the little towns of Cambridge and Payette along the way and then popped over the Snake River and into Ontario, a cute little border town I had spent some time in last winter. There are some cute little bars in Ontario and I enjoyed some live music out at Cowboys by the interstate before calling it a night.
I was up and out on Sunday as it was a long drive out to Bend and I wanted to get moving. There’s a lot of volcanic landscape and farmland between Ontario and Bend and it wasn’t a bad drive but there wasn’t much to see along the way either. I’m glad I filled up before leaving Idaho, because gas was up over $6/gallon in some of the more rural towns out there. I got into Bend in the afternoon and decided to take a night off the road since hotel rooms are cheap and plentiful this time of year. I checked in and caught a quick nap and then had a nice meander around downtown Bend in the late afternoon. After the sun went down, I went and had an amazing dinner at Wild Rose which served up some amazing northern Thai cuisine. I love Thai food, but it’s not often you get food from the north of the country and this place was fantastic. It was busy too, so apparently the word is out. After dinner, I headed back to my room to get a solid night’s sleep and get ready to start exploring again in the morning.
Monday was a beautiful day and I headed up to the incredible Smith Rock State Park, north of Bend and just outside the town of Redmond. Smith Rock is another volcanic area which has incredible rock formations and the Crooked River cutting through middle of the landscape. It’s just a stunning place to see. I set off to hike the aptly named Misery Ridge Trail, which I personally found challenging but reasonable but others were really struggling on. The trail meanders from the river up a bunch of switchbacks to the ridge which has awesome views down to the rest of the park and out to the magnificent snow-covered mountains of the Cascade Range. Dropping down the other side, I followed the river back around to my van. Every turn offered up magical scenery, and I was very happy to be out there on the trail and taking photos. Returning to my van, I had a late lunch and then drove over to Cline Falls State Park to do a short hike to a pleasant little waterfall. The day was waning at that point, so I decided to just tuck into downtown Redmond for the night. I popped into a little bar called The Wayfarer Club for a beer and sat on their comfy couch and read until bedtime.
I enjoyed a coffee the next morning at Junction Roastery before making my way back towards Bend. I wanted to enjoy the morning sunshine and climb Pilot Butte, a cinder cone right in the middle of town. The trail to the top spiraled up the butte at a perfect grade to get some good exercise without being too steep. A lot of people in Bend make that climb every day, some several times a day and I think I would do the same if I lived nearby. It’s only about a mile to the top and on a clear day, which it was, there are incredible views out over town to the surrounding mountains and craters. I really enjoyed the walk and the views. You can drive to the top in the summer, but I’m glad the road was closed so that there were no cars choking the area at the top. After returning to my van, I drove out into Deschutes National Forest west of town to visit Tumalo Falls. Just shy of a hundred feet tall, Tumalo Falls is really pretty and it was really nice to see. I had some lunch and then went back to Bend and spent about an hour strolling along the Deschutes River and through the Old Mill District where the sawmills that put Bend on the map once stood. Today it’s an upscale neighborhood with cute condos and plenty of shops and restaurants. In the evening, I stopped into the old St. Francis School, one of the McMenamin brothers’ properties which has been converted from central Oregon’s first Catholic school into a hotel, bar, restaurant, theatre and events space. It was Pub History night and I was there to listen to historian William Willingham talk about the history of gold mining in Oregon which was really interesting. Afterwards I went and had a cocktail with my friend, Lisa, and we chatted late into the night which was also really enjoyable.
It’s another sunny and beautiful day here in Bend. I’ve been trying to run some errands and make some plans so that I can get out of here tomorrow and continue west into the mountains. I hope to go out and see some more waterfalls tomorrow and a few little towns on my way through the mountains to Roseburg. From there I’ll be following the route of I-5 north through the Willamette Valley and stopping in to see the state capitol, the university, and some great little towns and historic sites along the way. I’m really looking forward to it and I hope you’ll check back in with me next week to see what I get into. Have a great week out there and enjoy the spring weather while it lasts. Thank you, as always, for reading.
-Mike
