Delicious food & beer brewed on location. I definately recommmend! If Chris is there, tell him Nate sent you. You won't get anything extra, but it's nice. :)

In November of 1990, Newberry National Volcanic Monument was created within the boundaries of Deschutes National Forest. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, this monument provides a unique opportunity to view the Lava Lands of central Oregon. Newberry National Volcanic National Monument includes 50,000+ acres of lakes, lava flows, and spectacular geologic features in central Oregon. The highest point within the Monument is the summit Paulina Peak (7,985 ft.), showcasing views of the Oregon Cascades and across the High Desert. The summit area of Newberry Volcano holds two sparkling alpine lakes full of trout and salmon. It is hard to fathom as you drive through the summit area that you are within a 17 square mile caldera at the summit of a 500 square mile volcano, a volcano that remains very active to this day. Newberry is both seismically and geothermally active. Geologists believe the caldera sits over a shallow magma body only 2 to 5 kilometers deep. Visitors see numerous cinder cones (over 400 throughout the area), miles of basalt flows, as well as rhyolite flows of obsidian.

Deschutes Brewery, located in Central Oregon along the banks of the wild and scenic Deschutes River, has brewed handcrafted traditional ales since 1988. Starting out as a small brewpub in the heart of downtown Bend, Deschutes’ first beers were Black Butte Porter, Bachelor Bitter and Cascade Golden Ale. In 1993, Deschutes moved into its current brewing facility and has continued expanding and improving the facilities. With a 50-barrel traditional gravity brew house and a new one-of-a-kind 131-barrel Huppmann brew system from Germany, Deschutes now creates and experiments with specialty batches of limited beers while brewing large quantities of everyone’s favorites like Mirror Pond Pale Ale. The Deschutes Brewery & Public House continues brewing unique beers at our original location while serving the finest Northwest pub cuisine. So when you find yourself in Bend, come on in and have a pint of Bachelor Bitter, the locals’ favorite, or any of our other original ales brewed on-site. Deschutes Brewery’s distinct ales; Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Obsidian Stout, Inversion IPA, Bachelor ESB, Cascade Ale, Buzzsaw Brown (winter), Cinder Cone Red (spring), Twilight Ale (summer), Jubelale (fall) and other seasonal beers are available at pubs and markets in a neighborhood near you. Hope this helps. Cheers, Jason

Drake Park is located in Downtown Bend, Oregon and is really the center of everything that happens in the city. I always make my way down there whenever possible and it seems as though there's an event going on every single week (this weekend is the Annual Brew Fest). The Deschutes River runs through the Park and come sunset there just is no other place to be. I've snapped so many pics down there and somehow each ones seems to turn out to be even more magical. You'll find everyone lounging around, playing with their dogs, playing music, riding bikes, or rafting down the River itself. This may be Bend's most popular outdoor public gathering place, so it receives more human use than any other city park. With majestic ponderosa pine and deciduous hardwoods throughout, it fronts the Deschutes River at Mirror Pond and is adjacent to downtown shops. Scheduled summer events are many and diverse, so weekdays and early morning are usually best for finding "wild" wildlife. Hope this helps. Cheers, Jason

McMenamins Old St. Francis School is a really cool place in downtown Bend as its Bar, Restaurant & Hotel. Of all the places I've been around our great country this maybe one of the more unique stops and I've since returned a few times. The menu is solid as you'll find all of the typical staples, including an incredible Dungeon Burger, but to me actual property and beer selections make this such an awesome little place to visit. I recommend the Hammerhead & Ruby as far as their microbrews go, but they also offer some of the other more popular domenstic beers. Again, its selection isn't going to be blow you, but I can guarentee you that you probably haven't visited any other place like this. "The Old St. Francis School, conveniently located in the center of downtown Bend, has undergone a transformation from 1936 Catholic schoolhouse to lively destination hotel complete with classrooms-turned-lodging rooms, a pub, brewery and bakery, a movie theater, private meeting and event space and a truly fantastic Turkish-style soaking pool that beckons day travelers, shoppers, hikers, skiers and snowboarders alike." Hope this helps. Cheers, Jason

For those who have been to the Deschutes Brewery in Portland this is basically a smaller version of the exact same layout. The Bar area is very small and there aren't nearly as many tables so be prepared to either wait for something to open up or enjoy a frosty beverage while you stand. The service here is great as I've been a few times and each crew is fantastic. The Beer is awesome with their traditional brews as well as a seasonal (Twilight at the moment) and 2 solid English style Cask ales. The menu is above average as far as bar food goes, but don't expect a bunch of fancy meals. My favorite is the Elk Burger and its hard not to get it everytime I'm there. It's located downtown and its minutes from everything else in Bend. Hope this helps. Cheers, Jason PS...Did I mention the Beer is fantastic ;)

There are only a couple of Marriott properties here in Bend, Oregon, but this is the one with walking distance to downtown. This is one of the best Fairfield properties I've seen in all of my Marriott travels as it has most of the extras of nicer Marriott hotels. The Service is fantastic (ask for Cody) and its incredibly clean. Location is the big seller here as its minutes from downtown and even has a park across the street, Pioneer Park. I was able to work an ever better deal upon checking in as I'm not sure they receive a ton of traffic. Breakfast is a bit better than most of the Fairfield's continental offerings and the pool/hot tub are surprisingly sweet. The gym is average with only a few weights, but they do have a new treadmill & bike. With that said if you're here in the summer your butt should be outside enjoying my favorite city in the lower 48. Bend is a must see and if you need a place to crash this is your best bet with regards to value & location. Hope this helps. Cheers, Jason

I met friends the very first day I was there. I did not know anybody in town but found great people to hang out with right from the begining. Friendly staff, very clean hostel, comfy place that makes you feel at home. You get to meet other travelers that share the same interests. Meet people from all over the US and also form different countries. The hostel is located on Hawthorne Blvd which is very animated with lots of coffee shops (Chance of Rain is pretty cool), shops and bars. Also a few blocks down is Belmont Street which is a little bit more quiet. Still many coffee shops (check out Muddy Waters and its open Mic Thursdays) and bars. If you are visiting Portland and need a place to stay I highly recommend HI Hawthorne. Make sure you call ahead of time to make reservations as they get booked up easily.

It's been way too long since I made it to Oregon to go to the sand dunes. I used to live in Washington, so it used to be just a half a day drive down. I like Winchester better than Florence, but that could be because of my experience level. Florence has all these drop offs that show up in the middle of nowhere, and you don't see them until you are going off of them. But then again maybe you like that sort of thing, or maybe you like being amused by watching people like me who are not so prepared for those times. I however prefer the wide open hill climbs and wide open spaces to fly without worrying about what I could be falling off of at any moment. :) There are plenty of these places at Wincheseter. The camping's fun too.

My sister, Heather, her friend Barbara and I were traveling to Beverly Beach to go surfing on the coast of Oregon. We stopped in Otis to grab a bite to eat. There was a 5 minute wait in the middle of the day at this small, seemingly only existing restaurant in town. Next door you'll find an "antique" store full of old nic-nacs and objects that will take you back ten years...sometimes further if your memory stretches that far. If you're allergic to dogs, keep your eyes on the floor...there is a mangy, but adorable, little rat like dog that hangs out...lays out all day. Inside the restaurant there are only 10 tables at most and a small bar. The waitresses know most of the customers by name and act just as friendly to any new comers. If you eat like I do...SHARE, for the love of your comfort, SHARE! The portions are huge, the food is the consistent with comfort food around the world. Order the Pumpkin Spice Loaf of bread to go...it's amazing and makes for a great breakfast treat if you're camping nearby! Don't forget to sign the guest book, and be creative...you wouldn't want people to think you've gotten old and narrow!

Portland del 11 al 14 de juliol

Doncs portland m'ha agradat pero no l'he conegut gaire. El que es la part del centre de la ciutat, te diferents barris pero que es poden voltar be a peu. Tambe una ciutat amb molts de restaurants guais, bars, cerveseries i sobretot molta gent jove, vaja que no hi havia gent gran, en aquesta observacio vem coincidir mes d'un al hostel, o sigui que suposo que realment deu ser una mica aixi. Despres em van dir que per les afores era on hi havia els barris d'hispans i negres, que resulta que aqui estaven com una mica apartats, mmm vaja.

El que tambe semblava que es notava per aqui era una mena de tendencia a tot “lo natural” el menjar, tema reciclatje, compres... Doncs per aqui la veritat es que no, pero quan vaig estar pel sud de california, i per tot el sud de eeuu fins a washington, es cert que vaig veure persones molt grasses, alguns superobesos i alguns que se'ls hi havia fins i tot deformat una mica el cos, de veritat que hi ha gent que es algo serio. Per altra banda, segons on, veus aquesta altra mena de moviment aixi “tot natural i sense fum”, que no se, a mi no m'acava de fer del tot el pes. Ara vaig a fer una profecia, pero que t'hi va que d'aqui uns anys la gent grassa sera com els fumadors d'ara. (Bueno lo de fumar aqui tambe segons on una mica serio, per mi una mica massa, perque potser son fumadors pero no criminals, pero vaja) Doncs aixo, d'aqui uns anys, quan els atacs de cor, el sucre i el colesterol suposin un gasto economic pel govern tan gran com el cancer de pulmo (+altres interessos d'aquells ocults), faran una campanya per convertir a la gent grassa en “indesitjables” com els fumadors, tal i com han fet ara. La gent et mirara malament si et menges un donut o un dia et fas un frankfurt, fins i tot potser tambe ens faran menjar en taules separades dins els restaurants. Doncs aixo, que no se perque, pero mira, desconfio una mica d'aquesta cultura verda de tomaquets de l'hort anti-transgenica que es mou per aqui, i aixo que a mi els tomaquets de l'hort ja m'agraden, pero... no se.

Bueno eram a portland, doncs del que estaven molt orgullosos era de la llibreria powell que hi havia, una llibreria molt gran, amb tot tipus de llibres, nous i vells. De fet jo crec que tothom que ve a portland, per forca passa per la llibreria, s'ha de veure. L'altre cosa que hi havia aixi per visitar era el parc de washington, molt gran i enganxat alla mateix a la ciutat. Aixi mes a la vora de la ciutat i dins del parc hi havia el jardi de roses i el jardi japones.

Doncs aquesta era la meva ultima ciutat que tenia planificada dins de la meva ruta per usa, la idea era tornar a san francisco i despres decidir a veure que, de manera que aqui he tornat a passar forca temps mirant opcions. Doncs enmig de tot aixo hi va haver un canvi de plans d'aquells d'ultima hora i me'n vaig cap a vancouver, canada.

(de portland tampoc tinc fotos, em vaig tornar a despistar amb la camara)

The water of Multnomah Falls rushes just twenty minutes east of Troutdale. The Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area extends from the Sandy River, all the way to the Deschutes River, nearly 80 miles east. The gorge holds some of the region's most scenic vistas and leads to hundreds of wilderness areas and recreation destinations, such as Bonneville Dam and Cascade Locks. There are two ways to get to the falls: Interstate 84 east and the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway. The winding road of the scenic highway will deliver you to Multnomah Falls while simultaneously captivating you along the way with breathtaking views of the Columbia River Gorge. Be sure to stop at the Vista House at Crown Point, as well as the many other rest stops and view points. Multnomah Falls is the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the nation. The water of the Falls drops 620 feet from its origin on Larch Mountain. Unusually cold weather can freeze the plummeting water into a majestic icesicle.

Again, where we stayed eludes me. We woke up and drove to the airport and were on our way home! Oregon's  Pacific Northwest proved to be a beautiful place. I hope to one day drive the length of the 101 from Washington to Southern California, but until then I have that small piece.

McMinnville, would offer us a chance to stretch our legs again and grab a bite. Dave suggested I try a local brew (McKannally's?) and it proved to be my favorite of the trip. The rest of the evening would be just driving. We'd be getting back late, but it was worth it.

Just a note to make the map make sense! :)