Bend Oregon Snow

I've lived in Bend, Oregon for a very long time now. I've been around long enough to see it get below zero many times. It always makes laugh too. People are always so shocked how cold it is. Which, it really isn't that cold... due to the sun we get with it.

The only time I consider our weather here in Central Oregon to be unbearable is when the wind is blowing with these cold temperatures. Then you are talking about the difference between maybe -8 degrees with no wind, and maybe -20 degrees. At least feels like that much of a gap.

The first Photograph in this post, was taken a few years ago. It is off of Highway 20, on the East side of Bend. The air was cold enough to freeze what little moisture resides in your nasal passage as you inhaled that night. You could feel a sharp, crisp, and almost refreshing tingle in your throat.

This next photo is from my mother's drive way. Also taken a few years ago, on the same night as the other. These are some Central Oregon Juniper Bushes, that lined her driveway at the time. These bushes probably stood about four feet tall, six in their longest areas. With this snow fall, they were weighed down to about two and half feet.

When it gets into the lower temps like this, the snow loses a lot of its moisture qualities. It becomes dry, and crumbly. If you look at the photograph closely, you can see sparkles. This is very common when the snow reaches this consistency. It almost seems unreal.

I love Bend for all the seasons. The winter especially. The "snowbirds" (people who like the cold and winter activities Central Oregon has to offer) are always fun to hang out with this time of year. Mt. Bachelor always draws world famous skiers and snowboarders to Bend. It also produces them... With epic Bachelor runs like Old Skyliner, Red Chair (also a Deschutes Brewery IPA), Outback Express, Downunder West, West Village Getback and dozens more!

Photo Hit List

I apologize about the lack of posting. I have some new spots to add to the Bend Oregon Photos hit list. I've made sort of a mental note, as I've been doing my daily travels throughout Bend this last week. Here they are, in no particular order:

• Photographs of the Old Mill District.
• Photographs of Hwy 97
• Photographs of the Bend Oktoberfest

These are a few I'd like to add to the site. I think with fall approaching, there will be some good shots of fall colors to come. Stay tuned Central Oregon (and beyond)!

Bend Oregon Photos - Mt. Washington Dr.

Bend Oregon Photos - Bend in September

Ah, September in Central Oregon... the air crispens to a nice cool temp, the tourists start to depart back to their homesteads and off of our local roadways, and the skater children go back to school... flat billed hats, long unruly hair, and all. Really, it's a nice time of year. Still sunny, but things start to slow a little. It's a pace I like.
The photograph above is taken from a spot off of Mt. Washington drive. There are some trails here and pretty neat views. The foot traffic is light, and I think it's one Bend Oregon's lesser known spots. This shot is of the trail.

In this picture (above), you can see Bend from a bird's eye view. Notice the Old Mill smokes stack, dwarfed, off in the distance? You can see more of the West side from this spot.

This photograph is from a few feet down the trail. It's still off to the same side as the last. From here you can spot Pilot Butte rising up from Bend's landscape.

More Photos:

These next two (below), were shots from the same spot I was at. I kind of liked the landscape and tried to capture some interesting shots from different angles. The first was of a large rock laying in the sage. The second, some yellow wildflowers (or weeds) in front of a large stone. The darkness of the stone worked well to accent the yellow on the buds of the plant.

Bend Oregon Photos - Lava Lands & South Bend

If you were to take a drive five to 10 minutes south of Bend Oregon you find the Central Oregon Lava lands. This is a great place to climb cinder buttes of old dried lava and explore caves! Yes.... lava caves. As you can see from the picture I posted to left, it is in the Deschutes National Forest. There you can also find a visitor's center and a lot of information about the area's history. A few miles North of the lava caves you can find the High Desert Museum, which is also a great source for information on Central Oregon's history and geology as well.

The other photograph is an image I took inside the Lava Lands, to left of the visitor's center. Highway 97 is the highway you use to access the Lava Lands and this sign shows visitors how to get back to the road. You can see there is access to the Deschutes River and Benham falls as well.