Bend to Eugene
Dad and I spend the morning in Bend watching surfers practice their craft on the Deschutes River. As we head out of town, we stop first at the excellent High Desert Museum to learn about local history, culture, and wildlife before making our way across the Cascades to Eugene.
Surfing the Deschutes
I wanted to see more of Bend before we left town in the morning. I have lived in California all of my life and have made many visits to Oregon over the years, but I had never seen Bend. To help experience some of the outdoor flavor for which the town is famous, Dad and I stopped at Bend Whitewater Park.Opened in 2015 in the heart of the city, the park divides the flowing Deschutes into three separate waterways -- one for the migration of fish and two others with waves and rapids for kayaking, tube floating, paddleboarding, and surfing. We stopped to watch a group of surfers take turns to hone their skills -- much like kids in a skateboard park -- all while being 175 miles and a major mountain range away from any ocean.
High Desert Museum
Our key goal for the day was a visit to the High Desert Museum, just south of Bend. The museum focuses on the natural and cultural heritage of the region, from the indigenous people of the Northwest Plateau to local wildlife to modern art and cultural movements.
A handsome gray fox and curious little western burrowing owl posed nicely for me in their glass enclosures. I walked outside to see more wildlife along a trail that winds through the premesis. Unfortunately, the otters were not on display at the Otter Exhibit, and the Birds of Prey showcase remained shut down from the pandemic. Still, it was a fine day to be outside.
Back inside, the Spirit of the West Gallery depicted 100 years of history in the area, from Old West saloons and Chinese merchants to more modern, planet-friendly building experiments like Earthship and Biosphere 2.
The museum also showcased contemporary works from local artists, including “Lair,” a room surrounded by panels inspired by the high desert landscape, using imagery and colored light to explore environmental issues like the changing climate and threats of wildfire.
Across the Cascades
We continued south, getting another look at the Three Sisters and surrounding peaks.Next we turned west on Highway 58 into the mountains, heading toward Eugene. Before long, we came across the broad, intensely blue waters of Odell Lake, with Diamond Peak rising above it.
Much later, on the western side of the range, we passed a very long tendril of water called Lookout Point Lake. Eugene was nearly in sight.
Eugene, OR
Located at the southern end of the verdant Willamette Valley, Eugene, a.k.a., "The Emerald City," is Oregon's second-largest city. Named for Eugene Franklin Skinner, who led a group of 1,200 settlers into the area in 1846, Eugene today is a college town centered around the University of Oregon.We had hoped to see the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art but had decided to go a bit easy on the itinerary with four more days of baseball ahead of us. Instead, we enjoyed a late lunch alongside the Willamette River at McMennamins — our second lunch at one of their restaurants in two days — and called it an afternoon.
