Bend,OR or Bust

"In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of mountains; it will be exhausted above the hills and all nations will stream to it." Isaiah 2:2

Rumors of Bend have made it to my ears over the years. I have heard of its trails, resorts, and its ambience. I have always kept it on my list of places to go, much like a list of good books to read or sports to try. Having almost gone last year, it seemed that 2020 might be the year…and we recently made the journey. 

We arrived on a beautiful winter day in February. First stop: Smith Rock State Park. This rock climber’s paradise was awesome. Having watched the movie Free Solo I can now see how this sport really grabs people’s adrenaline, attention, and lifestyle. This is the kind of rock that can easily be viewed as a true climber’s destination. 

Not into scaling walls like Spiderman? There is plenty of hiking. We went up a great trail called Misery Ridge Loop. You can stop at the top rock, First Kiss, while on Misery Ridge. Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think? (Thank you, Alanis for that wording.) I think I’ll pause on that tangent. J

One of the best things about Bend is Mt. Bachelor ski resort. It is wonderfully well groomed and smooth where it should be…but plenty of more challenging terrain is available as well. It is, of course, famous for being able to ski around the entire mountain – 360 degrees. Although the weather did not cooperate as fully as would have been preferred (that can happen at any resort, after all) and the Summit chair was not open, my family had a blast. It was easy to get a lot of runs in and the views are amazing. The particular day that my family went it, was a chilly 19 degrees. It was a day of fast skiing with great groomers, no lines, and tired legs at the end of the day. 

The town of Bend was a fun place to grab a bite to eat or coffee. At 3,600 feet, it is fun to shop and take it all in, with a few shopping areas to choose from. Bend was having their annual “Winter Fest” the weekend that we visited. It was a bit chilly for us to go to an outdoor festival but locals and visitors alike didn’t seem to think much about it. 

All in all, I like Bend; I bet you would, too. I anticipate coming again soon. It would be fun to make a summer visit – it’s as famous for the Deschutes River, hiking, and mountain biking, and more. The rumors are no longer spinning in my head about the high desert of Oregon. This is an outdoorsman’s destination with biking, hiking, climbing, skiing, and rafting and more. What a great place! 

Let's Stay Home

Shopping in Bend, Oregon last February, I bought a little, painted, white, wood block in a shape of a house. It said, “Let’s stay home.” I put it up on a shelf next to the other “Let’s stay home” white, painted, wooden block that I bought at Target two months earlier in December. The thought of staying home was the fantasy I was dreaming of in my pedal-to-the-metal lifestyle. A dream it was…but it became reality. Just a month after returning home from Bend my “Let’s stay home” signs were moved to the window above the sink. This was really happening. It was showtime as “staying home” became a reality.

 

Living into it: 

 

Wearing sweats, the car parked in the driveway day after day, Zoom as the new normal, watching the media with Covid counts and warnings, balancing kids’ school schedules/work to manage, Amazon, no haircuts/color, Church moving to the web right out of our living room, simple and predictable days, homemade macchiatos, relationships renewed, faith deepening, Disney +, cooking with my new air fryer, playdates and activities paused, a new dog, at-home school prep, and worldview renewed. “Let’s stay home.” 

 

There are things in this fantasy that are less than ideal. My son wasn’t able to graduate like he would have in years past. Relationships are missed. We have now been introduced to boredom, predictability, narrowly focused choices, and for some - it seems endless. We really want our kids to be at school with their special friends and awesome teachers. Living one-day-at-a-time is taking on a lifestyle of its own in this “let’s stay home” world. Looking around I can see variations of what was. Many of us aren’t as stable as we once were. When we look out and see the death toll of the pandemic and sense the suffering of those who have lost so much, we see our need to grieve, process, and help others in a new way. We have been outraged at racism and have stood strong with Amaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others in their tragic deaths; we have examined our hearts and beliefs and called out to society to do so as well. We got disrupted. Or did we?

 

The family spreading out from corner to corner of our home has often felt like the culmination of my “let’s stay home” fantasy. My home has been bustling with activity like never before and it has taken on new looks and ideas. It is the center of my universe. I love extra time for domestic life and walking the dog. Never has observing nature been so fascinating and newsworthy. Exercising has become the perfect break (that it should have been before as well) and not driving so much has been refreshing. Like an eager-to-grow shoot in the Spring, I have been invigorated by quality time lingering at the dinner table, local adventures, and fixing up the yard. 

 

I was so drawn to the prophetic thought of being home in December and February, I had to buy two wooden blocks. How odd is that!?! Yet, time and again I have looked at those signs as inspirations for manifesting a robust hope in these unique times. They are times which certainly haven’t been all rosy, but we “Spring shoots” have blossomed none-the-less. I trust that you have had similar mementos of hope and purpose as you pause to “stay home,” be safe, and make the most of it all.