My Volkswalk Blog: June 29, 2014 - Bend Walk to Town (YRE-0774)

It was a beautiful day for a walk! The sky was so blue and the sunshine was glorious.

From the Bend Athletic Club we walked to a beautiful nature trail along the Deschutes River. The vegetation was so different from what we have seen in other parts of Oregon. We are now in the high desert and there are ponderosa pines, loblolly pines, and junipers. There is chapparal and a lot of berries and wildflowers. The rocks look volcanic, and, in fact, you can see Mt. Bachelor, an extinct (?) volcano, from many points on the walk.

Along the Deschutes

Mt. Bachelor

Eventually we reached a park and the rough trail became a paved trail. We walked past a fenced (!) off-leash dog park. I noticed that almost everyone here observes the leash laws and dog owners are very courteous when you pass them on the trails. Almost all of them reel in their dogs when you pass them.

We passed a pedestrian bridge leading to the Old Mill shopping area. As we passed the Les Schwab amphitheater, one of the free Sunday afternoon concerts was taking place. In addition to the Sunday concert, there were lots of other activities taking place. There were walkers, joggers, and bicyclists. There were families riding in 4-person and 6-person bicycle carts. There were people on rafts and stand-up paddle-boards in the river. We also saw a few kayakers and a few fishermen. And in the Old Mill area, people were shopping and sitting at outdoor tables eating, drinking and enjoying the sun.

Pedestrian bridge leading to the Old Mill District

After passing through another park, we arrived in the older part of town and the outskirts of downtown. The old Deschutes County Library is one of several buildings here on the National Register of Historic Places.

There is a lot of public art in Bend: in the parks, along the trails, and at the many traffic circles. here are a few that I liked:

Along the River Trail

Kayak art

Downtown: "Salmon Dance"

The downtown area is packed with restaurants and interesting shops. Today it was also packed with people, food booths, and music, as the Bite of Bend festival is happening this weekend. Bend is known for its local craft beers, and some of these were represented at the Bite of Bend.

We walked back to the Athletic Club on the other side of the river, passing through the Old Mill District and more parks. Everything was beautifully landscaped. Sensitive natural areas were protected and marked by signs.