Oregon

Dillon Falls Oregon Kayaking Adventure

Today we are  kayaking with our friends Dave, Jen and their cool dog Mocha from Enterprise, Oregon. One of our favorite kayak floats is a scenic and relaxing stretch of the Deschutes River just below Dillon Falls.  With 78 degree weather , a swift cold current and wildlife abundant you could not ask for a more perfect kayaking day.

Mocha
Dave and Jen

Directions:

From Bend, OR: Travel 7.9 miles west on Cascade Lakes Highway (46), then 2.6 miles south on Forest Road 41. At this junction there are signs to direct you to Dillon Falls and to a decent boat ramp. Day use pass is required.

Dave, Jen and Mocha
Just Beautiful
Nu Canoe adventures

We splashed our kayaks into the cold water and headed upriver towards Dillon Falls. The current was strong and we had to work at rowing hard and staying in unison, but as we approached the falls maybe a mere 1 mile paddle it was worth it.  The Roar of Dillon Falls one of the mightiest Falls along the Deschutes River can be heard well before one sees it. Strange on this perfect fall day we were the only paddlers on this stretch of the Deschutes River.

A very popular area for Anglers, just ask Dave, he has caught many German Browns in this stretch of the water. Believe me he knows where the fish are hiding, with catch and release his style, he stays true to the environment.

Dave
Can you see the fish
Riding the rapids
Beautiful
Dillon Falls
Watching an Eagle

A LITTLE HISTORY:

The Falls named for Leander Dillon, who came with his family from Chico California in 1885 established a Homestead along the river, where he raised stock. Dylan later lost his  land when his claim was denied. He moved to Prineville in 1890.

Cheers Until Our Next Adventure From Just Around The Bend

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Join us as we explore Whidbey Island in Washington State and stay at our first Harvest Host Destination – stay tuned♥♥♥

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UNION CREEK CAMPGROUND, OR

We love this campground, with this being our third return visit. Beautiful, Quiet and well maintained, with the most helpful camp  hosts we have yet encountered. The camp hosts deliver ice and even fishing worms to your camp site on golf carts. Ha, too funny, but we loved it. Our favorite site is # B17, a large very private site overlooking Phillips Lake.

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This year we were very fortunate to be able to meet our good friends Dave and Jen from Enterprise, Oregon. We kayaked, BBQed and drank a lot of homemade Kombucha together and just caught up on our lives and what adventure and great fun awaits us. Planning on making this an annual camping experience with our great friends, oh and Mocha!

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Facilities

The parking spurs are paved and gravel and large enough for any size RV. Several sites offer full hookups,and some others offer water and electric.

Units are equipped with picnic tables and grills. Drinking water and very clean restrooms with yes flush toilets are available. Some of the facilities are handicap-accessible. Upon leaving is a very modern and free dump station, very important.

This camp is part of the Union Creek Recreation Area, which includes a picnic and day-use area. Union Creek Campground is set on three loops with separate walk-in tent camping, and it has four group sites that can accommodate from 60-100 people.

Natural Features:

Phillips Reservoir is a popular destination within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest because it offers scenic views of the surrounding Elkhorn Mountains. The shoreline is forested with a mix of Ponderosa pine and various firs interspersed with small grasslands.

Visitors enjoy several varieties of colorful wildflowers in the spring.

Recreation:

The campground is near a boat launch and a small, rocky swim beach. Activities include swimming, fishing, boating and water skiing.

Anglers can fish for bass, trout and perch. There’s an access point for the Phillips Lake Shoreline Trail, a 6.5-mile scenic trail for hiking and mountain biking.

Nearby Attractions:

The historic gold mining town of Sumpter is about 10 miles away. Visitors can explore the Sumpter Dredge State Heritage Park, browse the holiday weekend flea markets or take a ride on a historic steam locomotive.

Overview

The Union Creek Campground is one of the largest Forest Service campgrounds in eastern Oregon. It’s nestled on the northern shore of Phillips Reservoir amid mature Ponderosa pine, with a few sites offering views of the lake.

Activities and Amenities

Within Facility
  • Accessible Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Flush Toilets
  • Accessible Swimming
  • Beach Access
  • Birding
  • Boat Ramp
  • Boat Trailer Parking
  • Boating
  • Canoeing
  • Concessions
  • Drinking Water
  • Dump Station
  • Firewood
  • Fish Cleaning Stations
  • Fishing
  • Flush Toilets
  • General Store
  • Grills
  • Group Camping
  • Hiking
  • Host
  • Lake Access
  • Mountain Biking
  • Paved Parking Spurs
  • Paved Roads
  • Picnic Area
  • Restaurant
  • Security Lights
  • Self Pay Station
  • Swimming
  • Getting There:
GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude):
44.69694, -118.01861
44°41’49″N, 118°1’7″WFrom Baker City, Oregon, travel south on Highway 7 for about 18 miles. The campground and day-use entrance is signed on the left side of the road. Follow the signs in the Union Creek Recreation Area down to the various campground loops and areas.

Contact Information:

Recreation.gov for reservations

Phone Number: 1-877-444-6777

Getting Ready To paddle
Paddle Boarding
Our Camp at North Twin Lake

Cheers from Just Around The Bend♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
PLEASE JOIN US ON OUR NEXT ADVENTURE AT CLIFFSIDE RV PARK WHIDBEY ISLAND

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Palate A Coffee Bar-Bend Oregon

Upon  entering Palate you just feel at home, with help full friendly baristas and a warm fire glowing in the fireplace. Not to mention their amazing coffee in which they use Stumptown Roasted Beans. Ok I am a coffee snob, along with most of our family and to us it really makes a difference. They also have on hand almond, coconut, soy and hemp milks, also important for people with dietary concerns. So put this all together and you have the most delicious and satisfying cup of coffee, made personally for you.

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643 NW Colorado Ave
just south of downtown in Bend, Oregon

BEHIND THE BREW
Jason and  Jodi Groteboer of Palate

The comfortable feeling you get as you enter is from the renovating the owners did to this unique 100-year-old building, using pallet boards on the walls and tables, a play on words presented itself. The  coffee bar, Palate, opened in March of 2013.

The most popular drinks Palate serves are americanos and macchiatos, a shot of espresso with a little foamy milk added. Other items offered include teas and “foamy lattes” — Jodi’s term for large cappuccinos — plus a variety of coffee and espresso drinks, local kombucha, beer, baked goods and a daily soup.

“We know coffee,” Jodi Groteboer said. “We try to just focus on that.”

So if you are visiting Bend, Oregon, or lucky enough to live in this paradise like we do, it’s a must stop and well worth your time. As Jeff and I travel the country, we certainly love to find gems like Palate.

Until our next adventure FROM JUST AROUND THE BEND

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SAGE

Bringing you your daily dose of travel and adventure and sometimes some good stuff to eat!!!

Next week back to healthy eating featuring Che Guevara RV Style

Broccoli Quiche Casserole

It seems like Christmas time brings out all of the family tradition recipes.  I cannot tell you how many times my children have either asked for the recipe or requested it to be made at our family dinners. So here is another great family recipe from my home to yours.

PREPARE BROCCOLI

3       Cups broccoli florets (blanched)  Make sure after your broccoli is cooled you remove all          moisture. Place in a 9 X 12 casserole dish.

Large mixing bowl add in order:

4      eggs beaten for 1 minute

Then add:

1      Can cream of mushroom soup

3/4   Cup vegenaise  (or best foods  mayo)

2      Tablespoon finely diced onion

1       Cup sliced mushrooms

1/2   Cup grated sharp cheddar cheese  (divided)  1/4 Cup for egg mixture and 1/4 Cup to top            quiche

When all mixed together pour over broccoli, making sure all of the broccoli gets covered.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Checking that the middle have gotten fully cooked. We live at 3800 feet elevation so it takes a little longer.

I decided today to bake the quiche mixture in  my cupcake pan, they were cooked in 30 minutes exactly, with a little extra mixture left over. Hence the little red casserole dish. So either way 9 x 12 casserole dish or these little quiche cups it all turned out fabulous.

NOTE: It’s endless what ingredients you can add to this recipe, from asparagus, bacon, prosciutto, spinach, kale and many  different kinds of cheeses. When I make this for Jeff and I, I get very creative, but for the kids I tend to keep it very simple.

Until the next recipe from    JUST AROUND THE BEND ♥

Wallowa Oregon Road Trip

ROAD TRIP FOR JUST AROUND THE BEND

We aren’t used to leaving home without ” Rufus” our home on wheels, but we have super good friends in Enterprise Oregon who invited us to visit for a long weekend. Took us about two minutes to think it over and next thing you know we are on a road headed to Enterprise, Oregon near the majestic  Wallowa’s. It took about 8 hours of driving to reach our destination, but well worth it, beautiful scenery, good roads and plenty of fueling stations along with lots of good coffee stops (super important).♥

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Wallowa Mountains

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Dave and Jen

Dave and Jen are great tour guides, taking us to some of the most beautiful country that remains to this day untouched by man. Below is a picture of a prairie that has never been plowed or planted by man and  where buffalo still roam freely.

Wild Buffalo

Next stop on our tour was the Ferguson Ridge Ski Area. Talk about take you back in time, this is how it should be. Small, quaint and well maintained. The people here all know each other and meeting at the ski lift is a family event. It even has a very interesting art piece as you enter the ski area. Open Saturday and Sundays, $20.00 for an adult and $10.00 for under 15 years of age. WOW what a deal.

Most of the people that live in this tight knitted countryside are cattle or hay farmers.On this day we ran into a woman herding cattle right down the middle of the roadway on a four wheeler and beside her in an infant seat was her baby.The cattle you see are very specially raised on all natural pasture, no antibiotics and Organic all of the way.  I was ready to move to Enterprise.

It was time for coffee, right!  And maybe a bite to eat.So off we headed to The Red Horse Coffee Traders, who roast their own beans in house and it is fabulous. Our friends highly suggested a Quinoa Bowl, whole size$ 12.00 and half $8.95. We opted for of course the whole bowl and split it, glad we did as it was enormous, but so, so good. Fresh organic ingredients with layers of flavors indescribably delish. If you are ever near Joseph, Oregon look them up you won’t be sorry.

Menu includes: Coffee, Breakfast, Lunch, Breads and Pastries-everything is made with fresh local organic ingredients and  made from scratch in house. Yum

Now that we are stuffed, we needed a walk and our tour guides had another brilliant idea, to walk The Nez Perce Trail. Talk about the most beautiful country, this scenic trail was a easy walk with views of the mountains and  takes you to the beginning of  Wallowa Lake, just spectacular. Good job tour guides. ♥

Beginning of The Trail
Jeff and Liz
Pond along The Trail
Beautiful
Wallowa River

How do you top all of this off, between the fun stores in Joseph and the amazing places to eat, besides the walking tours, it just doesn’t get better-RIGHT. Well there is always another stop that is one of the best restaurants we have ever eaten at. This will be our 4th time to eat here and reservations must be made, believe me make reservations weeks before you plan to visit.

Vali’s Alpine Restaurant, 59811 Wallowa Lake Hwy, Joseph, Oregon 97846. A wonderful family restaurant, featuring one entree a night including Hungarian classics like

 Chicken Paprikas and Kettle Goulash with Fry Bread (lángos).  You can still get Schnitzel on Sundays and hot fresh homemade doughnuts on the weekends!  Not to mention their amazing desserts all made in house, from scratch with fresh organic ingredients. Needless to say we had another  fabulous dinner and a truly special time with our best friends ever.

Sad to say we must return to Bend, with of course heavy hearts at saying until next time. Dave and Jen  have been so much fun and catching up on old times was healing for especially Jen and I. So goodbye my friends, until our next adventure.

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FROM JUST AROUND THE BEND (LIZ) ♥

Geocaching around Paulina Lake

Exciting Geocaching day, we decided to walk  the spectacular trail that surrounds Paulina lake. Now don’t get me wrong, we didn’t hike around the whole 8 1/2 miles, but we did cover some country. The caches that are placed around the lake are a great incentive to get a good walk in. For this particular September weekend the muggles were far and few so it made for a pleasant day of caching. We particularly enjoyed Sea flyers caches, very nicely placed and all in great condition with spectacular views of Paulina Lake. So if you are near Paulina Lake or  East Lake, get out and hit the trail and look for jetrite11 we are out there, Just Around The Bend.   ♥