Water, Water, Everywhere....and Beer

It's close to impossible to find a couple where all four of you get along amazingly well - and not just the girls getting along, and the guys getting along, but where you get along with the other person's spouse, and they get along with yours. 

That's why we know that we're lucky, because Bernice and Josh (you met them in our Tokyo posts here, here, and here) are that couple for us. They are our favorite travel buddies, hiking buddies, and just-sit-around buddies. We know their personality quirks and food preferences, how late they'll want to sleep in and what they'll want to see. They adore our fur babies and we have the same vices. Planning for their visit was less about "what should we do?" and more about "how much can we cram in?"

They arrived late night on a Wednesday, and we picked them up and headed right out to Deschutes Brewery. Mike and I hadn't been there yet (shameful, I know!), despite living here for a year. So it was cool to discover that the breweries here have some pretty good food!

Josh and Bernice. We were there til closing - a good start!

They brought us an awesome housewarming gift, too...A few years ago, I had asked Josh if it was possible to recreate this chandelier I loved from this designer, which was an insane amount of money (especially for our humble abode). Well, he was able to weld something very similar, and schlepped it up to Bend in his luggage. So we now have light in our dining area!

Please excuse the crappy pic and unfinished trim on our sliding glass doors!

The next morning, we hit the trails. We started off local, on the Deschutes River Trail and got in a few good miles.

Josh slipped and fell...just kidding!

The next day, we took a lap around Todd Lake, usually one of our favorite spots. Right now, however, it's still got snow and the normally gorgeous wildflower field was super muddy and swampy. We all got serious wet sock, except Josh, who was only one who wore proper footwear. After the wet field, we had to tramp through knee deep snow on the shady side of the lake, so as you can imagine, our wet feet were frozen solid by the time we got back to the car. 

Bernice and I searching for the driest route through the field.

So for the next hike, we decided to do something with a clear cut trail. We took them to Sahalie Falls, one of our favorite spots. It's easy to get to, just off Route 126, and clearly marked with signs. 

This time, we hiked further down, rather than just hanging around by the waterfall. The trail was beautiful! You feel so far away from civilization.

Bernice and Josh on the trail!

A shot of the McKenzie River from the middle of a bridge.

The trail leads you past Koosah Falls, which I think is even more impressive than Sahalie Falls. It's not one raging fall like Sahalie, but more intricate. While Bernice and I were taking pictures, Josh disappeared down the ravine. 

Koosah Falls

We all scuttled down after him, grabbing tree branches and crab-walking the steep hillside.

The view from the bottom was stunning. Super misty and ethereal, and on a sunny day, I'm sure there's rainbows. The moss covered rocks and vegetation make it feel so lush! You could even see the spring, where the water comes up from the underground aquifers. The water here is so crisp and clear, it's turquoise in places.

to the left of the waterfall is the tiny spring, pouring from the lava rock.

On the walk back, we got viewpoints we missed on the way there, which were well worth a photo op.

The best part about Oregon is that you're never more than an hour away from a good beer and a good meal. After gorgeous scenery like that, all we had to do was drive about 30 minutes back to Sisters, Oregon, where we stopped in at the Three Creeks Brewery and had ourselves a snack!

a root beer float the size of Josh's head.

Bernice tasting all the brews on tap that day. The chocolate porter was my favorite!

It was a short but packed visit, and we miss them already. But we'll be keeping busy this summer, exploring more and more of the area...our new goal is to complete every hike in this new book we bought. It might take us a couple years, so wish us luck!

Local Living

We've settled into a little bit of a routine finally, and that involves daily operations at SubieTech HQ, and spending time in town and at home. 

We discovered Humm, a local kombucha brewery. Have you ever tried kombucha? I was skeptical, but Humm has a kombucha tasting room, so I got to try it, risk free. Humm combines organic fruit juices and a little CO2 into their kombucha to reduce the alcohol level and tone down the vinegary taste. It's tangy and sort of effervescent. I just love it and I'm on my second growler refill. 

My newly purchased mini-growler and "Hawaii 5-0" flavored kombucha.

Growlers are these glass jugs that you can get filled almost anywhere with craft beers, ciders, and kombucha! Everyone in town has one (or several). 

Mike and I have gone to 3 concerts already at the Les Schwab Amphitheater, and since it's general admission, you can get as close as you want, which is pretty awesome.

Hi, Dave!

The amphitheater is awesome and the grass is cushy and comfy. But next summer, Mike and I are going to make like the locals, float the river, and listen for free! 

The river crowd during the Jack Johnson concert.

We got to cuddle baby bunnies - the lady we buy hay from breeds bunnies. For meat. Eek. But she gives them a good life and lots of love, and even hand picks clover grasses for them to eat. I don't know how she kills and skins them after playing with them. 

A 3 week old meat bunny.

On one of our evening walks, we discovered this local "Little Free Library." It was really well made and I am totally into it. It's up on the top of a pretty big hill, so it's good exercise getting there to drop my books off!

And we've found tons of time to do things like make treats for the bunny, and snuggle with the kitties.

Prepping papaya, bananas, pineapple and mango for the dehydrator.

Prepped heirloom carrots!

This is what the carrots looked like after dehydrating. SJP loves them!

It feels good to spend some down time. As much as we love being outside and exploring, it's so nice to cuddle with our furry children and start to get into a routine. It's now been 6 months since we left Los Angeles and we are finally starting to feel like this is now our hometown.

Mike napping with Grindle.

It's the constant change and opposites - spending time outside, spending time inside, traveling, staying in Bend, camping without conveniences and then enjoying a few luxuries - that makes us appreciate everything we have in our life. We're constantly grateful for what we have. If we ever feel like we're getting stuck in a rut, we up and change our environment.

That being said, since we've been staying home these last couple weeks...it'll be time to travel again soon!

Oregon Life

Mike and I finally had a nice long stretch of time here in Bend (2 weeks and counting!). As much as we love to travel and adventure, we also love hanging out at home, and exploring our new little town. One sure way to do this is to have out-of-town guests - then you get to play tourist in your own town, which is really fun. In fact, in Los Angeles, that was the only time I ever went to go see the Hollywood sign.

Here in Bend, the main attraction is the scenery. Mike's parents came to visit for a weekend, and we finally made it up to Bend's version of the Hollywood sign - Pilot Butte. That's pronounced with a long "U" sound, in case you were wondering.

Sunset view from Pilot Butte. We live down there in those twinkling lights!

The view from the top is spectacular. You can see almost all of Bend in one shot, with the mountain range in the background. Since there's been so many wildfires lately, the sky is super dusty and you get some nice reds and pinks in the sunset.

We also took them to the Saturday farmer's market, which was very fun and great for gifts. I even crossed one person's Christmas present off my list!

One of Bend's more popular veggie farms, which also does a CSA.

Mike with the gorgeous flowers Michelle bought for us!

Spending time in town has really paid off. We found the best donut store, the best taco truck, and the best Mexican restaurant (we have been missing Mexican food something CRAZY!).

Street tacos and tortas just like we're used to. Just hope they're open in the winter!

This Mexican joint uses local pasture raised beef, and makes their own horchata. Love it!

The local favorite - blueberry fritters. These are DELICIOUS.

Have you ever had a fritter? They're basically chopped up little chunks of donut dough, mixed with whatever flavor (in this case, local blueberry preserves), made into patties, and fried. I don't even really like donuts, but these are SO GOOD! Made fresh every morning, and they sell out by 10am. 

Other fun local things we've noticed:

You are allowed to park any which way on the street you want.

No one in Bend locks their bike. Even the expensive, mountain bike ones.

Everyone has a "Bend Love," Oregon heart, or "Be Nice, You're In Oregon" sticker on their car.
And a roof rack, usually with bikes or kayaks strapped to it.

A deer on the street where the new SubieTech HQ is located! Lots of deer, everywhere.

We're still suffering a little bit of culture shock - I mean, a tamale plate is $9.00 (WTF), and we really must buy an umbrella one of these days - but we're adjusting, and enjoying the change in scenery. We're in for the long haul. This is as good a time as any to announce that we've officially opened up SubieTech Headquarters in Bend, Oregon! Wish us luck!

And, We're Back in Bend.

This week we were gung ho on getting out there and exploring. Summer will be over before we know it!

Bend has hundreds of parks, and we keep discovering new ones within walking distance of our house. Like most of the parks, it was along the Deschutes River; this one was appropriately, but not creatively, named the First Street Rapids Park.

We are going to have to learn to whitewater kayak one of these days!

The trail was along steep cliffs, which combined with the river, are super dramatic and striking. You can see a little bit of it in the below picture. We also made a new friend! I turned around and this orange tabby was following us down the trail. He walked right up to us and let me carry him around, purring. But he had a collar and didn't look malnourished, so we figured he had a home nearby, and sadly said goodbye to him on the trail.

Mike and our new friend, Baron.

One of the things we are trying to learn is foraging (it will be a useful skill both for camping and the zombie apocalypse). This trail had what I think are red gooseberries! I didn't try one right then, since I wasn't able to confirm it. I did try one of the berries on this bush by our house, though, because I was pretty sure they were huckleberries. I'm not dead, so I think I got it right. 

Maybe I'll go back and try one...

Mike has been foraging for mushrooms, and part of identifying them is taking spore prints. They look super cool when they come out and I'm wondering if we can do some sort of art piece with spore prints...

We also got a chance to try out Sparrow Bakery, which is known for their ocean rolls. 

pic from sparrowbakery.net

It's basically a cinnamon roll, but with cardamom instead. It wasn't up to the hype, but their patio was beautiful, and we enjoyed a cup of coffee outside. The bakery and surrounding brick buildings are an old foundry and blacksmith's shop from the early 1900s, and they have a lot of charm and character. The foundry is now an art workhouse, where various artists have their studios and also showcase their works.

Sparrow Bakery (left), part of the patio, and the old foundry (right).

I loved this very clear and straightforward sign in their mint garden!

Later, we made it to one of Bend's infamous happy hours. This town is a drinker's heaven with almost 20 craft breweries, and several wineries and bars, and every single one, plus a lot of the restaurants, do a daily happy hour. You can have a full meal and drinks, for two people, for about $20.00. It's pretty awesome. 

The Blacksmith - super nice restaurant, super cheap happy hour!

Amazingly delicious Strawberries and Cream with vodka and fresh Oregon berries!

One thing we miss SO much about Los Angeles is the Hollywood Farmer's Market. It was our church, and we went every Sunday for years. Here in Bend, they only have a market until September, due to the fact that no one wants to stand outside and sell you produce in the snow. This seasonal one is on Wednesdays and the whole town turns out for it. It's a pretty nice market, and Mike and I were super happy to find it.

Major points for a beautiful display AND being organic.

One thing Oregon does well - berries!

We tried almost every jam at this stand - they were SO good.

Over the almost 8 years of our relationship, Mike has gone with me to lots of concerts, but I've never been to one that he's picked, until now. We hit up Steely Dan at the Les Schwab Amphitheater, which I have to say has the nicest grass I've ever seen, and the view's not too shabby, either. It's right on the river, and clever non-paying types can cruise the water on paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, or floaties, and listen for free. They also had tons of gourmet food, including a coffee cart, a terracotta wood fired pizza oven, and a milkshake stand.

Les Schwab Amphitheater, with plenty of room to lounge.

See the people in the shallow part of the river, near the trees?

The next day was July 4th. Last year, we took the metro to Exposition Park in downtown LA, and saw the fireworks show from a roped off parking lot. This year, we discovered what small towns do for July 4th. Bend had gunny sack races, watermelon eating contests, a pet parade that was insanely crowded and popular, and a concert and fireworks show. All for free! We peeked at the pet parade, but decided to grill burgers at home and then see the fireworks show. We went to a nearby park, opened up the back of the Forester and watched from the comfort of our car, with blankets. It turned out to be a perfect night.

the best fireworks pic my phone was able to get!

We hope everyone enjoyed their long holiday weekend! Going forward, we have tons of stuff planned and we will be posting more often. Please feel free to follow us (link on the right) if you'd like to get updates!