The 178-mile drive to the Bend/Sunriver area in Oregon was easy, and, having anticipated delays that didn't materialize, we got an early start and reached the Thousand Trails Preserve in Sunriver just before noon. It's a lovely park and we lucked into a terrific site.
Friday night we met Carol and Terry Thomas at their home in Sunriver. The Thomases are long-time friends of ours, dating back to my college days at UCLA. They are even fond of reminding me that I was an usher in their wedding 50 years ago. They retired from a long career in Hong Kong a few years ago, and their beautiful home is filled with Chinese artifacts.
We then went to a nice dinner with them at the South Bend Bistro in Sunriver. It's a popular place with the locals, and the Thomases knew most of the diners.
Saturday night we went with the Thomases to an Oktoberfest party at a local park in Sunriver. Great beer and brats, and a number of fattening desserts.
We rejoined the Thomases for lunch Sunday at Café Sintra in Sunriver.
Monday started with a haircut, followed by a trip to Wal-Mart. Monday night was the season opener for Two And A Half Men, introducing the new character to take the place of Charlie Sheen. I’ve never liked Ashton Kutcher, but must admit that the show worked.
Tuesday we hit the Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway, heading for Mt. Bachelor and a number of lakes. We had lunch at the lodge at the surprising Elk Lake. Just beautiful, with a number of sailboats at the marina.
Wednesday was a day of relaxation for me, while Becky’s big event was getting her hair done, followed by a stop at Costco.
Thursday, we had lunch at McMenamins Old St. Francis School Pub and Brewery in Bend with Craig Apregan, an old friend from Becky’s days with the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce. Craig retired to Sisters, near Bend, five years ago.
The restaurant is part of an interesting complex using the buildings that comprised a Catholic school that moved to a new location in 2000. After lunch we toured Bend, a formerly small town along the Deschutes River with a number of nicely maintained/restored historic areas.
Thursday night we had a delicious dinner with the Thomases at Ariana, a very nice Italian restaurant in Bend that had been recommended by Sandy Mico. (She is now two for two in restaurant recommendations.)
Friday night we again joined the Thomases for dinner, this time at Marcello‘s in Sunriver (next door to the Café Sintra). I had Linguini alla Putanesca with a small side dish of Penne Arrabiatta, a favorite of mine.
Saturday, morning, I actually washed our truck for the first time in years. It had gathered quite a bit of grime, and we are nowhere near a carwash, so I volunteered to get wet.
Later, we headed to Sisters to visit Craig Apregan and meet his wife, Pattie, and children, Cameron and Casey, for the first time. (The kids are teenagers, so it’s obvious that we haven’t seen a lot of Craig lately---until Thursday, of course). The Apregans have a 161-acre ranch (called the Black Diamond Ranch) in Sisters, on which the crown jewel is their beautiful 9,000 square-foot home, built to look like a mountain lodge. We had dinner with them at the house.
We deliberately went to Sisters early to see a bit of the city before going to the Apregans‘ home. We last visited Sisters 13 years ago. Like Bend, it has grown exponentially in those 13 years. The highlight was stumbling into the annual Fresh Hops Festival, where we sampled beer from six local breweries, and listened to live music. It was quite fun.
Early Sunday, we visited the High Desert Museum between Sunriver and Bend. Wow! What a fabulous museum.
Sunday night, we again had dinner with the Thomases, this time at their home, with two of their neighbors (Mo and Sidney). It was a lot of fun. Carol made a Mexican casserole that was delicious, followed by apple pie---probably my favorite dessert. That ended our frolicking in the Bend/Sunriver area, since we are scheduled to leave for the Crater Lake area on Monday.
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