Sunriver

At the end of July, Tom's law school friends organized a post-pandemic reunion trip in Sunriver. Central Oregon's resort community is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year; many residents of the wetter side of the Cascades have vacation homes in Sunriver. Located southwest of Bend near the base of the Cascade Range, Sunriver is bordered on the west by more than 5 miles of Deschutes River and on the north by the Deschutes National Forest. The unique forest environment of ponderosa and lodgepole pine sits on the edge of the high desert to the east.

7/28/21-8/1/21

Wednesday

Tom, Alina and I left Portland after work on Wednesday. We drove 3.5 hours via Mt. Hood before reaching our rental cabin in Sunriver. Our group of 11 kicked off the trip with a family dinner at home.

Thursday

The following morning, Tom, Alina, Eric and I hiked to Paulina Peak. The short but steep out-and-back trek is located in the Newbury National Volcanic Monument of the Deschutes National Forest (35 minutes away). Paulina Peak is the high point on the Newberry Caldera rim, the crater being the remains of one of the most massive shield volcanoes in North America. Originally, the mountain topped out over 10,000'. The City of Bend is situated on Newberry's 1,200 square-mile lava field.

The hike begins on the shores of Paulina Lake (or a mile closer at the Paulina Peak Trailhead) and rises through conifer forest to the summit at 7,984'. On a clear day (outside of the summer haze), the extensive views take in the Cascade Range from Mt. Adams in Washington to Mt. Shasta in California, as well as all the way southeast in Oregon to Steens Mountain. It felt good to be hiking at elevation again! Next time I visit the monument, I would spend time at the lake and its natural hot spring pools.

7/29/21 - 4 mi, 1300' gain - 1.25 hours 

Back in Sunriver, we spent the remainder of the day lounging around the house, playing games, pouring drinks, and watching the Olympics. Around dinnertime, we walked 2 miles to The Village at Sunriver. With such a large group, we were unable to find a table at the busy restaurants, so we picked up groceries at the market and grilled out. Sunriver Brewing Company looked like a cool spot.

Friday
We spent Friday morning in downtown Bend. That afternoon, John and I set out on bike, exploring Sunriver's 34 miles of paved pathways. Using the cruiser bikes at the cabin, we pedaled to Benham Falls and Lava Lands. This fantastic trail network is full of friendly people both on foot and bike, as well as many deer.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, I embarked on a solo adventure. Just 25 minutes away, Mt. Bachelor is home to one of the best ski resorts in Oregon. During the summer, it's open to mountain bikers and hikers.

I began the trek from the Little Pine lift in West Village. The first 2 miles are pleasant engouh, gradually inclining through forest with occasional views onto what would be ski runs. However, the final 1.5 miles is a steep grind through rocky terrain. This section of the trail is marked with white arrows that are painted on various rocks. The large summit area (9,065') has a few cauldrons and no distinct peak. The weather was oddly overcast and humid, but the 360-degree views were still dominated by Three Sisters and Broken Top. Not very crowded for a weekend.

7/31/21 - 7.5 mi, 2600' gain - 3.25 hours

Back at the car, I took my paddle board to nearby Sparks Lake--a large, shallow, trout lake that is the first of the high lakes from the Cascade Lakes Highway west of Bend. 370 acres of lake wetland are surrounded by another 360 acres of meadow, marsh or stream wetlands. The views of South Sister, Broken Top and Mt. Bachelor are spectacular.

Sunday

We took our time Sunday morning to pack up and say goodbye. Tom and I drove home via Highways 20 and 22 in order to assess the fire damage of last year's wildfires. It might have been nice to make a stop or two along the way, but we headed home to get ready for the week ahead. So long, central Oregon.