Return to Oregon: A Visual Diary

My week in Bend and Suttle Lake, in pictures

What a week!! I just got home last night from a whirlwind trip to Central Oregon, and I’m honestly too tired to write a real essay about the experience. So today you all get to see some pictures from my travels!!

I spent a few days in Bend and then headed up to Suttle Lake Lodge outside of Sisters for a business retreat. The last time I was in Oregon was in 2018 when I took a cross-country train trip to Portland, and I’ve been eager to go back ever since. Signing up for the retreat gave me an excuse to plan a longer trip and really soak in the Central Oregon vibes this time of year.

I love visiting new spots when it isn’t the height of tourist season, because it gives me a chance to see a place’s true colors. To be fair, there were a lot of skiiers at the aiport who were on their way to Mt. Bachelor and I did meet some fellow travelers at the hotel and the restaurants I visited in Bend, but the city was in no way bustling like it would be in the summertime.

Plus, they got their biggest snow storm all season while I was there. Good thing I know how to deal with the snow because the weather didn’t stop me from seeing what I wanted to see!

On the first day, I wandered around downtown while it snowed and found the Greetings From Bend mural. Honestly, I wanted to find it again and take a better picture, but I didn’t even know what street it was on so I never made it back.

I stayed at this awesome hotel, McMenamins Old St. Francis School, which used to be a Catholic schoolhouse. The rooms and the hallways were dimly lit and wood-paneled with quirky art pieces, which was the perfect cozy vibe (I slept REALLY well while I was there). Plus the hotel is right downtown, so it was easy to walk around to all the shops and restaurants I wanted to see.

I had sushi for dinner that night and then woke up at 5:30am Pacific Time the next day because my body was still on Central Time. Since this was a business trip, I needed to find some breakfast and a place to plop down for a while and get some client work done. I went to Looney Bean, which is this super cute coffee shop near the river with a quiet back room that’s perfect for working.

After a few hours, I needed a change of scenery so I decided to check out the local libray, which was right down the street from the hotel.

The upstairs had some nice solo desks for working and the wifi was fast, so I stayed there for a while until I got bored of staring at my computer screen and needed to take a lunch break. So I walked about 15 minutes to a food truck lot. I’d heard that food trucks are a big thing in Bend, so I put it on my list to check one out.

The food truck lot was literally called The Lot. I got some tacos and peach kombucha and sat inside a shelter with picnic tables. The benches were heated so it was extra warm in there — and since it was still snowing outside, it was nice to have a spot that was nice and toasty.

After lunch I trekked back to downtown to check out some shops. The roads were slippery so I had to tread with caution. They don’t salt the roads in Bend because it’s pretty bad for the soil and water (take notes, Wisconsin), but they do use crushed up volcanic rock to create traction when people are walking and driving.

That night I checked out a Thai restaurant called Wild Rose and had their green curry, which was amazing. My Lyft driver actually recommended it to me because he said that dish is his wife’s favorite. I am now recommending it to you, too: if you’re ever in Bend, go to Wild Rose and try their green curry. Trust me!!

After a solid night sleep at McMenamin’s, I ventured out to a new coffee shop in the morning called Lone Pine. It was … okay! Not quite the vibe I was looking for, but they had tasty Belgian waffles. I started feeling really anxious when I was there, so I decided to put my laptop away and go for a walk. I accidentally found the Deschutes River Trail, which was magical with all the snow and tall trees that line the riverbank.

After lugging around my 10-pound backpack along the trail for 45 minutes, I was exhausted and headed back to the hotel. I took a huge nap and then listened to Ryan’s radio show (YAY for internet radio) while working on some client stuff. Then I had dinner at McMenamins pub, which was pretty tasty, and visited the soaking pool in the hotel, which thankfully wasn’t too crowded. (I went the night before but didn’t say too long because there were way too many people).

A friendly drunk guy offered to take my picture by the fountain in the pool:

The next morning was my last in Bend, because I was about to head up to Suttle Lake Lodge for the retreat!! I stopped at The Lemon Tree downtown to try their shakshuka, which was really good but made me feel a bit homesick because I often make shakshuka at home as our Friday night dinner.

After going back to the airport to wait for a shuttle to the lodge, I met a few other people who were coming on the retreat! I’d met them online before, so I was kind of surreal to see them in person.

The lodge was gorgeous and Suttle Lake was a total winter wonderland.

I went for a walk around the lake with a few other new friends before coming back to officially kick off the retreat. There’s a lot I want to talk about regarding this leg of the trip, but I think I will save those musings for later.

Here’s where I slept for the three nights during the retreat:

Besides business planning and coaching, we did some cool outdoor excursions like snowshoeing and a hot sauna/cold plunge session. Here’s me at Ray Benson Sno-Park before putting on my snowshoes. There was at least 9 feet of snow on the ground that day!!!

And finally, here’s the view of Suttle Lake from the lodge. I felt so spoiled being able to take in these sights every day I was there. Sadly there were too many clouds to see Mt. Washington, but I loved admiring the tall pine trees and the palpable winter silence that is so rare and special.

The retreat was such a fulfilling, refreshing experience — I met so many writers, freelancers, and creative entrepreneuers that are doing incredible things in their corners of the world. And I have to give a shoutout to my biz coach Jenni Gritters, who led this retreat and is a master at creating welcoming spaces where people can truly be themselves.

I have a LOT more to say about this trip, but I still need to unpack (spiritually and literally). For now I’m feeling proud of myself that I actually planned and went through with it, since I had a lot of hesitations around solo travel. I used to go everywhere alone, but that’s changed since I graduated college, lived through a pandemic, and met Ryan. But it feels like I’m now entering a new chapter — one where I’m a little bolder and open to new experiences.