The Middle of Oregon

This is a love letter to Oregon- my first solo-traveled road trip out west. This was an extension of my trip to the Cascades and Olympic in Washington state as my husband had a work trip in Napa 3 days after my Washington trip was ending. So I decided to take on Oregon in between. 

I have been to Portland and Eugene before for track meets, but I never truly grasped the beauty and diversity of this state quite like I did this summer. I wasn’t sure whether I should take the coast of Oregon or Central Oregon down through California, but once I started to learn more about Bend, there was no turning back. 

I started my trek from Seattle down to Bend, but stopped in Hood River for the night to break up the drive. It was such a cute little town, and driving along the Columbia Gorge on the way there was so gorgeous. I definitely want to go back to the Portland area some day and spend some more time at the Gorge. Right before I got to Hood River, I stopped at Multnomah Falls. It was a picture-perfect waterfall and had a bridge crossing the middle of it. You can actually see it from the highway, but I pulled over and walked up to it. They have a little cafe right at the base too. 

When I finished my drive and landed in Hood River for the night I stopped at the riverfront park to watch the windsurfers. This small town is known as the windsurfing capital of the world, and it is quite incredible to see how many people come out to windsurf on the Gorge and to simply watch. It is such a unique sport that this community is truly centered around. I stayed at the Best Western Inn Plus and had dinner at their popular riverfront restaurant. 

I got up super early and started my drive to Bend, and the drive had an absolutely spectacular view of Mt. Hood for a good portion of the drive. I was almost to my first stop when I crossed a bridge and saw a bungee-jumping set-up on the other side. I pulled over, turned around, and drove to the park where I could walk to see the bungee jumpers. I have never bungee-jumped before and honestly never thought I would, but I told myself  if there was a pretty view then I would do it. I ran into a guy right before I got to the set-up who had all the gear on and I asked if he jumped. He actually worked there and proceeded to tell me his incredible life story of his old career where he ended up dying and being revived and how doing this now is his way of giving back to help people live life to the fullest. So obviously I couldn’t say no now… I was jumping whether I liked it or not! I ended up jumping twice and it was a breath-taking (literally) experience. This was just the beginning of an incredible time in Bend. 

After I took my leap and hopped back on the road, I soon arrived at Smith Rock State Park. Side-note: the drive about an hour outside of here was full of beautiful desert ranches, farms, and rural areas that I was not at all expecting to be part of Oregon. There is a ‘cowgirl-feel’ that I was not anticipating to find in the middle of this state. Back to Smith Rock State Park- this place was unbelievable. The rock formations that painted a canvas leading down to the river in the valley felt too pretty to be true. There was a desert-vibe to this park, but the fresh river running through it gave it a life that was so attractive. I hiked down to the river to dip my feet in and ended up meeting two families who were locals to the area. They gave me some recommendations for the remainder of my road trip. 

One of my favorite things to do on trips is leave some flexibility for adding in experiences. I love to talk to locals and ask what the true treasures of their slice of the world is, and that is honestly how I find most of the hidden gems that aren’t blasted all over the internet. In my opinion, it is the best way to experience traveling to places that you know next to nothing about. Let the experts guide you, you may even meet some dang cool people along the way.

I kept my drive going after Smith Rock, stopping at a few local yard sales to find a true Oregon treasure. And I found myself an adorable pair of leather cowgirl boots for $15.00! Big win in my books! Once I got into Bend, I spent some time walking around the Old Mill District and grabbing lunch at Greg’s grill on the Deschutes where I watched people float and paddle down the river. The amount of people enjoying the outdoors in Bend is so inspiring. From river sports to roller blading, there isn’t a whole lot that people aren’t experiencing in Bend. I spent the rest of the afternoon at McKay Park and watched the river surfers on the water. 

I was so excited for my evening because I ended up booking a night at the Sunriver Resort which is just south of Bend. I got a DEAL on this and I didn’t even realize I was booking at the perfect time. They drop their rates right after Labor Day and I was there the day after. This resort, and even the super small town, was a wide-open wild Oasis. There was a small, SMALL town right outside the resort that had a big general store and a few restaurants. I ended up just staying at the resort all night because it was so pretty with so much to do. They have a golf course, walking trails, a big pool and hot tub area, fire pits, and two restaurants on-site with the perfect view for sunset. I took a walk on the golf course and hung out at the hot tub fire pits before grabbing a quick sunset dinner. The next morning I woke up, walked to see some of the horses on-site, and headed to the town of Sunriver for breakfast at Cafe Sintra, which is THE place to be for breakfast. They had amazing food and a cozy, light-wooded ambiance. 

I hit the road and headed to my main event for the day, the Terwilliger Hot Springs. But first, I ended up driving through Sisters, Oregon, which was just the most precious little town I ever saw. They had a wild-western downtown strip with so many local stores and artistry. I stopped at a garden in the middle of downtown that was so vibrant and full of life, I just couldn’t help myself. I would love to go back and visit this cute little western-vibe town some day. 

Back to the hot springs, I was SO excited for this stop. I stopped at a few general stores on the way through the back-country roads of Oregon. I always find that you meet the best people, hear the best stories, and find the best treasures in places like this. The small towns where you wonder how people even make ends meet are where the most life-filled people live. The pictures of the hot springs that I found prior looked absolutely gorgeous- so natural, lush, and relaxing. And I will say- they lived up to that hype. What I wasn’t expecting were all of the older males who took clothing-optional very seriously. No judgment- but it was not the most comfortable thing to walk into as a solo-traveling girl. If it weren’t for some other friendly people I met on the trail in, I wouldn’t have stayed long, but thankfully I got to enjoy it a bit. 

The hot springs wrapped up my Oregon trip as I headed 8 ½ hours southeast to Tahoe for my final leg of my solo adventure, which I will share about in another post. That stop was a bit out of the way, but everyone that I met on my journey in Oregon recommended that if I could, I should make time for a stop there, so I did!

Solo-traveling was liberating and relaxing, but I also love sharing experiences with other people so much that I don’t know if I would do it again by choice. There is also some truth in that traveling as a mid-20’s girl by yourself is not the safest, and I am the first to admit that. Nonetheless, Central Oregon stole a piece of my heart- and that is perfectly fine with me because I will be back to see it again.