Even before we set foot in Bend, OR, we had a feeling we’d take to the town right away. We were right.
When we got to our hotel—The Old St. Francis School—on Saturday afternoon, the guy who checked us in gave us a map of the city and highlighted a few good walks and hikes in the area. He also explained the Bend Ale Trail: Visit all seven of the participating breweries in Bend and get them to stamp your map. Once you have all seven stamps, you take the map to the Visit Bend Welcome Center and get a free commemorative Silipint. We didn’t have the slightest idea what a Silipint was, but no matter. We had been given a mission, and we weren’t going back to Portland until we had completed it.
Our first stop was Deschutes Brewery, just a few blocks from our hotel in downtown Bend. We ordered a hefty amount of pub food and a few pints (well, Lindsey, Eddy, and Darrell got pints. Beth got sparkling water. She drank a lot of sparkling water on this trip…).
We were a little tempted to nap afterward, but instead we decided to walk it off. We leashed up the dogs and headed over to a cool little path along the Deschutes River—cool houses, cute ducks, and a bunch of teenagers taking photos before prom. After the walk, we were just refreshed enough to hit Bend Brewing Company for another stamp. Two down, five to go!
We kicked off Sunday morning at Lone Pine Roasters, a cool little coffee shop with fantastic coffee and—added bonus—pastries from The Sparrow Bakery (we had hoped to go to the bakery at some point during the weekend, but it’s only open from Tuesday to Saturday afternoon).
Cute, right? If we lived in Bend, Lone Pine would without question be our regular coffee shop.
Afterward, we drove up to the top of Pilot Butte to get a bird’s-eye view of Bend (our plan had been to hike up, but the snow—yes, snow—made us think twice).
Bend from above.
The skies cleared and the snow disappeared, so we decided to try another hike—this time at Shelvin Park. This place is Oregon at its best—towering pines, a little creek, and hiking trails galore.
Eddy, Lindsey, and Millie on a trail in Shelvin Park.
Itching for more stamps—and a little lunch—we hit up Cascade Lakes Brewing Company and 10 Barrel Brewing Co.
10 Barrel Brewing Co. turned out to be one of our favorites—partly for the indie feel, partly for the cool outdoor fire pit, and partly for the fried pickles. Yum.
We needed to head back on Monday, but not before getting our last stamps. To our surprise, the tasting room at Boneyard Beer was open when we showed up just after 10 a.m. Such a cool place! Just a small tasting room with a few stools and, out front, a food cart serving Hawaiian food like Kalua pork sandwiches. It was a little early for beer, so we earned our stamps by buying a growler to take home with us. We killed some time (read: spent some money) at the Old Mill District before heading to Silver Moon Brewing for our final stamp.
Mission accomplished! On our way out of town, we stopped to pick up our Silipints. So what are they? Pint glasses made of silicone. We’re guessing they’re worth about $1.50 each, but to us, they’re worth a whole lot more. After all, without the promise of Silipints dangling in front of us throughout our time in Bend, we wouldn’t have explored half the places we visited.
On our way back to Portland, we stopped for lunch at Three Creeks Brewing, in Sisters, OR, about 25 miles northwest of Bend.
Like the rest of Sisters, Three Creeks has a decidedly western feel to it, from the log-cabin exterior to the country music on the radio.
From there, it was back home to Portland. We were sorry to leave Bend, but now that we know the town—and its beer—we have a feeling we’ll be back very soon!
Goodbye, Bend!
