Another Oregon State Park
We love the little town of Sisters and the bakery is pretty darn good too. When you pull into the Old West town of Sisters, you feel like you’re making a getaway. This friendly little outpost in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains draws visitors for its profound natural beauty. It was a good stop while we waited to start hosting at Tumalo State Park.
Sisters was named for the trio of towering peaks to its west and is an artsy community with 1880s facades and small-town ambience.
Tumalo State Park
After receiving four emails requesting hosts for the month of May and no plans on the books, we gave them a call and thought a month as relief hosts might be ok. Little did we know that they expected an awful lot of their hosts. No wonder they had to make so many requests for a last minute cancellation. Fortunately, we know how to set boundaries and handled it just fine. When the evening ranger texted us to check in with some campers, we texted back that it was 9:30pm and we were off duty. He would have to deal with it.
We got a kick out of the mom merganser and her 12 chicks on our morning walks. They would bolt around as if they had double expressos with sugar.
Fortunately, we didn't see any of these but plenty of other wild life.
The Deschutes River Trail runs to Bend and makes a nice shady morning walk.
We would watch this mom owl with her two kids and eventually they left the nest.
Camp Sherman
We had plenty of time for get aways and headed to Camp Sherman. Located just 31 miles northwest of Bend, this "city" sits on the headwaters of the Metolius River with views of 10,497-foot Mt. Jefferson.
Tumalo Falls
The 97 foot waterfall is a short walk from the parking area, but the road was closed two miles from the falls. But the grade was a pleasant walk along Tumalo Creek
The hosting may have been a bit demanding, but what great opportunities for exploring. Looks like your bike ride would end at the summit, but a brew pub is a good alternative. The waterfalls are well worth the hike.
ReplyDeleteWe did find lots to do after a few naps.
DeleteVery interesting about your hosting experience. Good thing it was only a month. But the area looks very nice and the waterfall is beautiful
ReplyDeleteWe actually enjoyed the area but were glad it was only a month.
DeleteBack in 2015, we spent about a week in the area staying at the Bend/Sisters Garden RV Park and we loved the town and the area. I doubt we will get back out that far west, but I would go to Sisters again if we do. We took that same shot of the water from the bridge - https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/2015/09/2015-western-trip-day-50-camp-sherman.html. Thanks for showing us more of the area as we missed the state park and the falls.
ReplyDeleteI can see why we have the same photo. It was such a pretty blue.
DeleteSounds like you made the best of a challenging hosting experience. Good for you for setting boundaries. We love Sisters and have been there a couple of times for a week during the Sisters Folk Festival in September. It's one of our favorite music festivals! That little place you found in Tumalo looks like a place we would enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThe food trucks had some interesting food. We had the pizza with balsamic honey which was pretty good.
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