Bend, OR
Dad and I cross back into Oregon, admiring the snowy peaks of the Cascade Range before reaching Bend. We stop for lunch at the historic McMenamins Old St. Francis School. Then we get a view of the town from the Pilot Butte overlook and stop by Bend’s own Deschutes Brewery for a tour.
The next day began with 250 miles of driving. Dad and I headed down to and along the Columbia River Gorge, which reflected the colors of russets and cinnamon in the warming sun.
At Biggs Junction — where we had turned north four days earlier to begin our loop of eastern Washington — we now turned south into Oregon, climbing up to the semi-arid plains of sparsely populated Sherman County. We were treated to distant views of the still-snowy southern Cascade volcanoes: Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Washington.
Lunch in Bend
Bend is central Oregon’s largest city, with a population around 100,000. It sits in the shadows of Ponderosa pine forests and on the edge of a high-desert landscape populated with junipers and sagebrush. This variety of terrain -- along with the Deschutes River that flows through the center of town -- make it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.We had planned to stop for lunch before reaching Bend, but we had made good time on the drive. We arrived right around noon and stopped at McMenamins Pub at Old St. Francis School. The building is located in a former Catholic schoolhouse built in 1936 that was transformed into a hotel (with classrooms becoming guest rooms) in 2004. The grounds also include the pub, a movie theater, and event spaces.
At lunch, I once again succumbed to the meaty, messy charms of a Reuben sandwich -- this time "The Grand Reuben" with ale-braised corned beef, Swiss cheese, Grand Lodge kümmel kraut, and Mystic 18 sauce on grilled marbled rye. I mean, c'mon.
Pilot Butte
To get our bearings in Bend, we traveled up to the top of Pilot Butte, a 500-foot cinder cone butte from an extinct volcano in the middle of the city. Bend is one of six cities in the United States with a volcano within its boundaries. The road up swirls around the lava dome before ending at a plateau with views of Bend and the mountain range beyond. A marker there points toward the highlights, especially Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood.Deschutes Brewery
We had booked an afternoon tour at Deschutes Brewery, originally established as a brewpub in Bend in 1988. it has grown into an operation that sells 225,000 barrels of beer each year across 32 states. Our tour took place in the brewery's second location in Bend, with a tasting room and larger brewing facilities.
We got a good overview of the beer-making process, from milling and mashing to fermentation and filtering, to the final product getting bottled, capped, and boxed.
See more sights from Bend — Deschutes River surfing and the High Desert Museum — in Bend to Eugene.