August 28 2024
Holding Onto Summer in Central Oregon
Jennifer Hobson-Hinsley
If you’re a parent of school aged children in the Bend La-Pine School District, you are among the lucky ones in the nation who have the post-Labor Day school start. These are the golden final days of summer, where fall light is starting to filter through the ponderosas and the creeks and rivers are running low and clear. I don’t know–maybe it’s more of a frantic rush to put ALL OF THE EXTRACURRICULARS into your calendar and pick up supplies and get those little ones back into a routine, maybe it’s a little of both, but this year–with the cooler temperatures and a couple of nice, steady rains–we are feeling so good about fall here in Central Oregon (aka: no smoke!).
In the final moments of summer, right before we get into the wilderness of each and every moment accounted for by school routines, piano, flag football, and soccer–and before you know it, the holidays–I am thinking of all the simple ways we can enjoy the area as a family during the busiest time of year. I wanted to share them with you here:
+Shevlin Park walk: sometimes we forget how close and easy this creekside walk is, and just how beautiful. On a fall day, the Larch trees will turn a spectacular golden color, and we are always surprised by the deciduous nature of these piney trees.
+Todd Lake Loop: this 1.7 mile loop around the mirror-like Todd Lake is so quiet in the fall, and it's the closest lake to Bend on the Cascade Lakes Highway. In just 25 or so minutes from Bend’s west side, we can do a short, flat walk with a view of Broken Top and the lake in the golden fall light. We also love doing Christmas photos here!
+Smith Rock Ranch Pumpkin Patch: this patch in Terrebonne has tons of activities like a corn maize, pumpkin cannon (probably my boys’ favorite), and a petting zoo and pony rides for the little ones, not to mention one of the best views of Smith Rock in the area.
+On the way home, stop at Redmond’s Blacksmith Public House for dinner with the family. The little circle of turf surrounded by food trucks, the great bar and interior space and the large parking make this a huge hit with our family. Cute downtown Redmond and its shops are nearby. Our kids play endlessly on the turf–and I think I just ate the best pizza in Oregon at Homeslice the other night.
+Oregon Badlands Trail System: if the temperatures drop but the sun is still shining, we find ourselves like lizards, sunning our bodies out in the deserts of the Badlands trails east of Bend. The ancient junipers and wild gnarled landscape here can be a nice change of pace and sometimes 10 or more degrees warmer.
+Hope Springs Dairy: a Bend couple and their large family runs this super cute farm east of town where they offer tours–you can milk their goats and feed their baby animals, including the incredibly sweet goats who will nibble on literally anything they can get their little goat mouths on, like your shoelaces. Our kids loved this place. They end the tour with a cup of cold raw milk and a warm, homemade cookie.
+One last fishing outing at Devil’s Lake: shhh! Don’t tell anyone but this 23 acre turquoise gem where everyone loves to paddleboard is stocked with massive rainbow trout. Watching them come up to your board and take a lure (or fly) is pretty fun, especially with kids. We had two kids and dog on a board this summer when we caught a 20 inch ‘bow and I’m here to tell you–it was chaotic. And awesome.
Living here is great, and as you can see, pretty focused on the outdoors. Some are counting the days until the snow flies and we are swishing down the slopes of Mt. Bachelor. I, on the other hand, could live with an endless summer!