Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Bend, Oregon at La Pine RV Park 11/03 - 11/10 2020 Travel Tour

                                                   From: casarollnotes.blogspot.com 
                                                                   Tim and Linda Bunyan

We have arrived in Bend, Oregon to visit our Mazatlan neighbors Mike and Judi Phillips.  We are settled into La Pine RV Park located about 20 miles south of Bend, Oregon.
Judi has reserved our welcome in Bend at the Old Mill District along the Deschutes at Greg's Grill Restaurant.  It is a sunny, cool day and delightful to sit outside.  The Mall is surrounded by walking trails, the Deschutes River, birds, geese, ducks, and patio art sculptures.  This is Bend, filled with nature, the charm of a small snow-ski town, and a modern, and ever-changing, upbeat atmosphere.
Art in the plaza; the high-end retail stores blend with the earthy environment.
Geese resting along trails and parking lots designed with green space to accommodate vehicles and foul.  
The Deschutes River flows along with the Old Mill District Riverside Shops.
  

We've jackets on but the sun is shining and provides warmth for patio lunch seating.

Judi and Mike drive us around town.   Adding to the charm of downtown, the quaint stores, cafes, and bookstores are renovated with outdoor, safe seating.
Outdoor dining tent structure is a sign of the times to accommodate safe social times of fine dining.

 
A short distance drive from downtown to Mike and Judi's House provides vistas keen to Bend.
Mount Bachelor in far back ground.
MIO is there.  He walks out from the side yard to greet us.  


Mike and Judi have comfort here 
and a backyard to enjoy in their 'corner of the world'!
MIO is very happy and has grounds to explore and neighbor cats that hang out with him in this garden yard.

There is a forward movement here in this growing population area.  The trees must come down to make way for an expansion to the Freeway!


Tim and I set off on a hike in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument at
 Lava River Cave

The Visitor Center is Covid-closed; however, we set out on the paved trail up the otherwise, thousands of years ago volcano!


The hike is paved going up the lava flow.

The lava field remains from thousands of years ago when the volcano erupted.
Astronauts came here to study.
Lave exploded out of the ground, igniting a peaceful forest and lighting up the sky in a natural fireworks display in the early stages, the eruption ejected gas-charged lava into the air.  These cinders cooled and fell to the earth, gradually piling up to form a cone known today as Lava Butte.  Once most of the gas was released, the eruption slowed and the fire fountain subsided.

Planning for a clean future, this is an electric vehicle charging station at the National Park 


We meet with Judi and Mike at a local pub!  When we departed, we found it had snowed while we sipped local microbrew!
We had errands prior to our departure from Bend.  Our last stop at Walmart on this Travel Tour 2020!


We work up to the wonder of snow!  It is so beautiful and snow lightly covers the ground of our RV Park at La Pine RV Park, Oregon.
Time to go.  California or Bust!
at 8:33 a.m. it is 67 degrees inside our RV; outside temp: 28 degrees!


We depart Bend having had a wonderful visit with our friends Mike and Judi (and Mio the cat).  Stop for fuel for the truck and coffee stop for fuel for us.


Next and final stop for Travel Tour 2020:  Redbluff at Sycamore Grove RV Park
in CA.