I hate to encourage MORE tourists to Bend, but...

...The New York Times has put Bend, Oregon in their list of 52 Places to Go in 2015, so my posting here can't make it much worse.
30th on the list, just behind Papua New Guinea and before Rabat, Morocco.

"New trails and ales..." the NYT says. Yep, that's Bend.



In between camping trips, maybe I should advertise my camper as a B&B:
"Rustic 'real' Bend accommodations, like an olde west Conestoga, nestled among whispering Ponderosa pines and raspy Western junipers.."

Better tip back another Black Butte Porter er ye become yet another "raspy Western juniper" yourself or your Enterprise-ing further east competition reaches Terminal Gravity.

The C of C probably likes the new status, but camping and fishing probably will be more crowded this year.

We need a rim shot emoticon, methinks.

Paul

Help, save us!

Who remembers the graffiti on the old RR bridge over 97 and the south of town?

I drank beer and cheered on my friends whom applied said graffiti. I also gathered cattle where homes now sit and ate at the original Bond Street watering hole, Arvards Tavern which is also a distant memory.

I've lived in Bend for over 36 years -- my entire adult life, so I've seen most of its modern evolution (tripling or quadrupling of population, etc.)
Beside the population growth, those PITA tourists have become Bend's biggest industry, source of income, so they're definitely a "necessary evil", for most people, anyway.
My job in Bend was not dependent on Bend's economy -- or Oregon's economy, for that matter, so whether or not Bend thrived didn't affect my financial well-being.
But tourists have always meant that Bend has had more than it's share of good restaurants, so I guess they can stay.

Speaking of old Bond Street watering holes, the D&D is still there and in business....

Mark BC, thanks for posting that article. It really Sparked my interest in a lot of places. So much of that I can see with my camper.

I will tell all my friends to go to Bend