July 2022
My initial road trip began in July with a short jaunt through Oregon. My favorite spot was Bend and my least favorite, the southern Oregon Coast which I ended up driving through in a day – stick to the coastal areas closer to Portland on that front, much nicer. I did not make it to Portland on this trip, having been there several times in the past. I understand Portland has changed substantially and unfortunately not for the better. Oregon is a mixture of natural beauty and dilapidated towns, right and left wing politics, wealth and poverty, and the very religious and the non-affiliated (ranked second in the nation for the highest percentage of “religiously unaffiliated”). Driving through you can experience it all.
For my ventures, I drove in from the south to Ashland, a charming small tourist town which is enjoyable to explore, before going to stay in Medford which I found worth a visit and threw in a side trip to Jacksonville. Next I drove east through the mountains to Crater Lake where I found lots of camping options along the way and access points to the Pacific Crest Trail. This was a stunning drive with very few cars. After Crater Lake, I drove north to Bend Oregon where I should have stayed longer but instead made the decision to go to the coast thinking I would find charming seaside towns but instead saw the more run down part of the state as I drove northwest through Corvallis to Newport and then south along the coast. Maybe were it not foggy, I would have enjoyed things a bit more but in the fog obscuring any views, what I saw were towns that made me understand why folks might want to explore drugs as an escape.
ASHLAND / MEDFORD / JACKSONVILLE
Ashland is very cute and there are nice hills to wander and restaurants situated along the creek. Then of course the Shakespeare plays and festival if that is your thing. After strolling through town I ended up staying in nearby Medford which was a bit less expensive and given I started looking for lodging late in the day, an easier option. I kind of liked Medford, with the lovely trees, wide streets, parks and charming homes. I feel like Medford is underrated. I also took a side trip to Jacksonville which is a cute small town outside Ashland with a small commercial retail street and worth a visit if you just want to unwind, enjoy a coffee or meal and not avoid the crowds. I was only here in the morning so went to GoodBean Coffee and enjoyed a solid drip coffee and a muffin though don’t remember what kind (it was good but not memorable).
I spent my first night at the Fairfield by Marriott in Medford which was brand new so still clean and well constructed and though not cheap, more affordable than many other places nearby. Because I arrived so late I went to one of the few open nearby places which was the chain Mod Pizza. I was presently surprised at the quality – or maybe I was just hungry. For my second night, I made my first foray into camping at Hyatt Lake Recreation which was uncrowded given the low water level of the lake. I proudly set up my tent and went inside – and then after an hour or so crawled back into my car as I saw a sign about coyote warnings and then the couple near me were building a pretty large fire and given the dry state of things I was concerned the forest would go up in flames and I wanted a quick escape.
CRATER LAKE
What is not to love, other than all the yellow jackets…so many! But my oh my is it pretty here. I decided against the bike around the crater ride I had planned as there a few too many cars for my comfort level so instead I took in multiple hikes. First along the Garfield Peak Trail to the top of a view worthy peak where I found both wildflowers and snow and then another route on the other side along the very crowded Cleetwood Cove Trail down to the lake. Before this I stopped at the lodge for a Starbucks coffee and found it was properly brewed so a nice surprise for a national park. I ended up buying my national park pass here since it was $35 to enter and I knew I would be seeing many more parks along the way, more than justifying the $85 annual park fee.
BEND
Although pricey, for a short visit, I loved Bend. Driving in it does not look like much but upon a more detailed exploration, found it had great riding, friendly people, amazing food and craft cocktails, and the coffee! At this time I still had my bicycle with me which I eventually let go of and shipped back to California from Utah to lighten my road. Bend has some really nice road cycling as well as kayaking and hiking.
For lodging, my first night was spent at Riverhouse on the Deschutes where I found a deal through hoteltonight.com. This site can be a good site to use when pulling into town with the downside that if you want to stay another night the full price may be a lot more. For the next two nights I moved to an Airbnb listed as “Private Apartment, right in town – Your Bend Escape” hosted by Mike and Darla which turned out to be quite nice and in a much better locale for cycling and exploring restaurants and breweries. For dining, I highly recommend Zydeco Kitchen which had really good food, amazing craft cocktails, and a nice outdoor dining space. For tasty Mexican and a fun atmosphere try out El Sancho Taco Shop, where you can sit at communal tables and meet your neighbors – well, other tourists. For a tasty post bike ride beer try the outdoor bar seating at 10 Barrel Brewing. The best coffee can be found at Backporch Coffee. I tried a number of coffee shops and this was by far my favorite – both locations.