Bend, OR to Diamond Lake, OR
The ride to Bend was a scenic three and a half hour cruise. We made our way across the volcano studded Cascades with carefree ease. The transition from a wet climate to a dry one was abrupt, and when the sun came out so did Merlin!
We were delighted to book a three day stay at the McMenamins Old St. Francis School in downtown Bend. The 1936 schoolhouse has been transformed into simply the best hotel I have ever stayed in. Imaginative artwork and design come together with robust local history to make each room and hallway a unique experience. Guests are encouraged to wander slowly to discover secret hallways, secret rooms and a secret bar!
In addition to a pub, brewery, heated soaking pool, and bonfire friendly courtyard, The Old St. Francis School also features a movie theater with table/bar service. We watched ‘The Last Jedhi’ for $3 a ticket.
McMenamins owns about a dozen hotels in Washington/Oregon and each one is unique and no doubt magical.
Merlin was really excited about how pro park the people of Bend are. Merl’s favorite spot was Riverbend Dog Park. The Deschutes River passes next to the park providing water access and a pretty backdrop.
Just downstream of Riverbend is the town’s whitewater park. A section of the Deschutes was engineered to create a rapid course and surf wave. We probably drove past the main wave a dozen times and there was always someone surfing it.
Twenty-two miles to the west, and a mile higher in elevation, sits Mt. Bachelor. You can ski all 360 degrees of this stratovolcano, making Bachelor the second largest single mountain ski resort in the US. Overall the mountain was pretty flat, but it was our first time skiing together since Revelstoke, and we had fun just being back out there.
There are a ton of great breweries in Bend. Our favorite was the unassuming Boneyard Brewery. Open till 6pm each day, they sell only their beer to go in growler and 32oz can format. This was definitely the best beer of the trip and the packaging was rad.
While planning the next leg of our trip we realized Crater Lake National Park was only 100 miles to the south. My whole life I’ve heard Crater Lake was one of the most beautiful sights in the country, and since we were headed in that direction anyway, we had to try and see it.
Like most national parks that get a lot of snow, Crater Lake is hard to access in the winter. We found out our best bet was to stay at nearby Diamond Lake and attempt to snowmobile the 23 miles to the crater rim. As we checked in to the near century old lodge, snow and fog rolled in and covered the lake.
A red head named Ariel got us set with the best sleds we’ve rented all trip. Unfortunately due to the deteriorating visibility, he also strongly advised us not to attempt the trail to Crater Lake. Realizing even if we made it to the rim we wouldn’t be able to see down into the lake, we took his advice and selected an easier set of trails.
We had a blast flying around the lake and Mt. Bailey trail system. Getting a lay of the land on sled we realized just how remote this area is. Other than the facilities at Crater Lake and the gas, food and lodging at Diamond Lake, there is really nothing for 40 miles in each direction.
Just as we were about to turn around and zip back home, I spotted a small plateau with a promising view. Attempting to get on top of it I lost control of the sled and it banked hard left. I bailed off and the sled continued forward another 15 feet before collapsing into a tree well. I was fine but the sled’s entire rear end was sticking up into the air.
After a half hour of max effort we were able to get the snowmobile more or less level, but any attempts to throttle out just dug it back down deeper. It was approaching 4pm and we were still 20 miles from Ariel’s shop. We had no choice but double up on Liz’s sled and head back to get some expert help.
Ariel was happy to have the extra work finding and digging out the sled. I was thrilled he’d only charge us $50 to do it.
