Okay, that’s a little bit of a cheat. Bend and Sisters, Oregon are only about 20 miles apart. But I flew in to Redmond Field Airport today to begin my motorcycle tour around eastern Oregon. Rather than riding off into the distance, I stayed around Bend for the day.
Bend, Oregon was incorporated in 1905, and spent most of the 20th century as a logging town. Something happened in the 1990s. Logging died out, and Bend was discovered by a whole new group of people. Blessed with a mild climate and easy proximity to great skiing, fishing, camping, hiking and rock climbing, Bend became a magnet for a dual-pronged influx of young outdoorsy folk, along with refugees from the California real estate market.
The mix worked, and a very cool small city with a population of about 80,000 that supports a symphony orchestra, several theater companies, along with tons of outdoors outfitters, mountain bike rental stands, musical instrument stores and drive-through espresso shacks. Perched on the edge of the Cascade Mountain range, Bend is a beautiful city with a lovely soul.
And what would a beautiful city be without a great Harley-Davidson dealership? I took a shuttle from the airport directly to Cascade Harley-Davidson to pick up my ride – a 2010 Ultra Classic Electra Glide. Good thing, too — because it was raining in Bend, and the Ultra Classic has great weather protection, and I had an appointment at the Breedlove Guitar Factory.
Larry Breedlove and Steve Henderson, two guitar makers who worked in the Taylor Guitars shop in California, founded Breedlove in 1990. With a little boost from Robert Taylor, Breedlove set up shop in Oregon to build their innovative acoustic guitars. Today, Breedlove builds its entry-level guitars in Korea, and its high-end guitars in a new Bend factory. Under the leadership of principle owner Peter Newport, the company is dedicated to responsible use of natural resources, and to the community in which it works. I joined a tour of the factory, where I learned about the different species of tone wood that the company uses, many of which are harvested in Oregon not far from the factory itself. I watched as skilled luthiers (guitar builders) installed binding, sprayed polyurethane coatings on guitar bodies, and inspected and set up instruments. The whole operation is thoroughly modern, yet human in scale, and the resulting instruments are truly works of art. Functional works of art, which I discovered when I got to play a few examples in the very relaxed confines of the Breedlove lobby/employee break room/performance space.
Tours of the Breedlove Guitar Factory are free, and are given on most weekdays at 1:00 pm. Call ahead (877-800-4848) to make a reservation, and to make sure that the factory isn’t too busy making guitars that day to accommodate visitors.
After the Breedlove tour, I hopped on the bike and headed north, out of Bend and toward Sisters, where I will spend the night at the Best Western Ponderosa Inn. Nestled in the pines, the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge has one of the best features I’ve ever encountered in any hotel anywhere — a herd of llamas! An incredibly friendly group of llamas live in a very generous habitat adjacent to the hotel. I can see them from the balcony of my second-floor room. Guests are welcome to feed the llamas bowls full of llama pellets, which I of course did. The llamas are friendly and expressive, especially when you approach their enclosure with food. I love llamas!
A writer friend of mine lives in Bend, and he drove up to meet me for dinner at Jen’s Garden in Sisters, walking distance from the Best Western. The French-inspired cuisine was amazing, as was the setting. Jen’s Garden is in an intimate cottage, with tables arranged in the small parlor and living room. I had Fresh Trout and Lemon-Caper Couscous Salad with Carrot Cream as a first course, and Fresh Alaska Halibut with Mixed Warm Spring Vegetables and a Peppery Watercress Sauce for my main course, followed by a Lemon Stilton Cheesecake Tart with Berry Coulis for dessert. The bar for meals has been set very high, very early on this trip.
Now it’s time for bed. My room is gorgeous, with a tasteful western theme, a working fireplace and twig-style furniture. I could invite the llamas in to frolic in the enormous slate-tiled shower, but they seem happy out in their yard.
After a long day of travel, a short day of riding and a wealth of experiences, I’m looking forward to a nice stretch to John Day tomorrow. I hope the weather holds, because I’m eager to see Oregon in the sunshine.