Blog entries posted in Off Piste

Hard Fall: Playing it safe doesn't always pay off

Bob Woodward — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:39:29 +0100

Twice in the past three years, I’ve opted to walk around a dangerous looking section of mountain bike trail only to end up in the ER. Call it clumsiness, call it good intentions gone awry, call it bad luck- it happened.

Three summers ago riding the river trail with local Julien Havac, we came to a tricky rock strewn section. I said: “just to be safe, let’s walk it.”

Two steps onto the rocks and I slipped and fell hard. I got up looked around and that’s when I noticed blood spuRead More...

Pioneer To Davis: One more link in Vince Genna's dream trail

Bob Woodward — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:52:15 +0100

During his long tenure as head of the Bend Metro Parks and Recreation District, it was said of the late Vince Genna that he, “never met a ballfield he didn’t like.” But Genna was more than just a ball sports guy as he held a long term vision for a walking/biking trail that would go along the Deschutes River from south of Bend through town and then north to Tumalo.

In dedicating the part of the original River Trail section that starts at the end of the First Street in 1989, Genna spokeRead More...

Herman and Hal: Two legends pass on

Bob Woodward — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:52:28 +0100

In the past two weeks, two legends in their respective fields (photography and track and field) passed away without much notice unless you happen to read the major metro newspapers online.

For those who take or admire photos of musicians at work, Herman Leonard’s images are the cornerstone of popular music photography. His dramatic backlit black-and-white images of America’s great jazz musicians are truly iconic (www.hermanleonard.com).

Leonard was a minimalist working with twRead More...

Eats: paradise is nothing without fancy restaurants

Bob Woodward — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:23:31 +0100

It was a mixed group, a few longtime Bend residents and some more recent arrivals. As the conversation turned to the pluses and minuses of living in our fair city, the longtime residents seemed a bit jaded in their outlook; the newer residents were more of the Bend as paradise-on-earth mindset.

Pressed as to what was my favorite era during my time living here, I said: “I enjoyed Bend most mid-way between when I first arrived in 1978 and the beginning of the gold rush, boom times.”

I Read More...

High Country: big views, granite rock and starry nights

Bob Woodward — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:58:44 +0100

Take Yosemite National Park around Tuolumne Meadows and environs, combine it with the best of the mountains of southern Colorado and you have Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains. Yosemite for the granite rock and southern Colorado for the high alpine valleys cut by meandering crystal clear streams.

Far from being undiscovered, the Wallowa Mountains, as a group of us found out when we got to the trailhead at the end of the road up the east fork of the Lostine RiRead More...

Lunker Quest: Gorgeous waters yield few fish

Bob Woodward — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:45:01 +0100

In his self-published book The Meanderings of A Fisherman, the late financier Dean Witter mused how one very popular Oregon stream looked like a flyfisher's paradise when, in fact, it was quite the opposite.

Now I know the “looks good but isn’t” Witter spoke of, as this past Sunday’s flyfishing expedition turned out to be one of beautiful but unproductive waters.

The waters in question were the south fork of the McKenzie River and the north fork of the middle fork of the WillaRead More...

McKenzie: A good ride spoiled?

Bob Woodward — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:09:25 +0100

Back when mountain bikes came without suspension, an annual fall group ride down the McKenzie River Trail was a big deal for the three dozen or so fat tire riders who lived in Central Oregon. The trail was one of the few long ones open to riding. It was firm, fast and with leaves starting to turn red and gold, riding alongside the crystal clear waters of the river was a magical experience.

Then mountain biking became popular and riding the McKenzie River Trail became commonplace. SoonRead More...

Fast Company: going for the checkered flag on the Parkway

Bob Woodward — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:27:28 +0100

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. It’s race day and time for couch potatoes to sit back, relax and watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on television. But, what if you’re into speed but want to be more active than sedentary? Might I suggest taking a drive on the Parkway? Afterall, the Parkway is the closest thing to an unofficial raceway that we have in town.

While the real NASCAR drivers were turning laps at the Pocono Speedway in Pennsylvania, local Benites, tourons (aka tourists) and pseuRead More...

Big Buzz: Attack of the killer Culicidae

Bob Woodward — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:20:23 +0100

This is a retraction of a former blog entry that noted that Bend was pretty much bug-free in summer.

That’s because if you haven’t been living exclusively indoors with the air conditioning on full blast, you’ve probably noticed that there are suddenly swarms of female mosquitoes (Culicidae) out there eager to get into your skin. Swarms that, in some places like along the River Trail, up on Storm King and in Shevlin Park can be downright nerve wracking.

“Make sure you’ve got aRead More...

Monster Chops: Kate Davis plays bass

Bob Woodward — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:33:32 +0100

In too many music genres, the standup bass is basically a time keeping, “thump-thump” instrument. In the hands of truly great jazz bassists like the late Ray Brown, Leroy Vinegar, Ron Carter or Charley Hayden (as well as talented locals like Michael Scott and John Allen), it is an instrument of great range, depth and feeling.

In the handsRead More...

Don't Bug Me: a visitor's view of Bend

Bob Woodward — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:06:53 +0100

Earlier this month, friends from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, who were married in Camp Sherman at the Deschutes Land Trust’s Metolius Preserve five years ago, came to visit. The husband writes a column for the North Star Journal, Rhinelander’s weekly newspaper. Here’s his view of a visit to our fair city.

“We spent a few days in Oregon last week, Bend to be specific. Bend, where boomtown has become bust, where the gold rush of real estate investment has ground to a halt as people learn thRead More...

Le Tour: going short and loving it

Bob Woodward — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:24:15 +0100

Every July since 2005, I’ve had the pleasure of riding with the kids, families and those who just want an easy ride at the annual Tour de Chutes. As a group we ride only seven miles and in that seven I’m reminded of what makes Bend still a great place to live.

It’s the people. People like the four and five year olds doing what must seem like a Read More...

Phil: a true legend turns 69

Bob Woodward — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:39:58 +0100

Quietly and without any fanfare or elbowing others for the spotlight, Phil Meglasson has done more over the past thirty years for local mountain biking than any single person. He’s been a subtle force whose work has benefited the lives of all mountain bike riders from beginners to seasoned pros.

He is the Phil of Phil’s Trailhead fame but trust me he was shy about accepting that honor. For Phil, working on his own away from the crowd is his way.

Summerfest: the sights and sounds of downtown

Bob Woodward — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:22:01 +0100

There are so many reasons to love Bend’s annual Summerfest. Remember Summerfest? It’s the fest that looks like all the other fests but has more “art” and less food.

Now that you’ve sorted out Summerfest from the other fests in your mind, the first reason to love this fest is that it’s Bend’s best people show. Summer arrives a few days before the festivities begin and people immediately go overboard on weird dress and acting out.

That makes the people watching terrific even ifRead More...

Freedom: wild riders, impatient driver

Bob Woodward — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:14:21 +0100

After a Fourth of July morning mountain bike ride a friend and I drove from the Skyliner’s trailhead to Bend Brewing for a beer. Beer imbibed, we got in the car and headed east on Oregon Street only to encounter a huge mob of bicyclists filling the entire width and length of Bond Street.

There was no way we were going to get through the intersection. Looking back we could see the cycling mob was also blocking off Wall Street.

So what do you do? Turn off the car’s engine, sit bRead More...

Fossilized: back for more bluegrass

Bob Woodward — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:40:08 +0100

What a difference a year makes. Last year temperatures hovered around 100 during the day and were in the 80s at night during the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival in Fossil.

This year, Friday was cold and cloudy with temps barely getting into the high 50s. That evening the mercury edged into the high 30s. How the musicians performed so ably in the windy temps during the evening part of the Friday night program, is to their everlasting credit.

As it has in the past, the WheelerRead More...

Farewell Funk: summer arrives to save sagging spirits

Bob Woodward — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 15:46:10 +0100

It happened without much fanfare. Early last week people were still grumbling about the extended winter/spring weather and then it changed for the better overnight. The change was like a giant weight had been lifted off Bend’s collective psyche. Summer had finally arrived.

Three small encounters during the week were clear indicators to me that the foul weather was indeed gone and with its disappearance people were feeling a whRead More...

Weltmeisterschaft: Watching too much "fussball" on television

Bob Woodward — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:20:56 +0100

The e-mail read: “please don’t schedule anything between 1 and 4 p.m. as I’ll be watching the World Cup.”

OK, so the guy who wrote the e-mail is German, married to an American and happy to be living here and even happier to root for the old home team.

Every four years the World Cup rivets a good part humanity for much of the summer. I recall when the tournament was greeted in the U.S. with a big yawn. Now it’s on ESPN, and ESPN-2 with reruns on all the other ESPN channels. TurRead More...

The Hag: Spending Sunday night with Merle

Bob Woodward — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:22:48 +0100

Too often, as they ease into their septuagenarian years, many a great musician falter. They simply skate by playing as few licks as possible and work hard trying to sing, and too often muffing, the lyrics.

Such is not the case with The Hag -- Merle Haggard -- who at 73 still delivers. And does it, as witness Sunday evening at the LesRead More...

Wet and Windy: wandering around in Astoria

Bob Woodward — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:16:04 +0100

There’s something about this town with its marine climate mélange of fog, mist, rain and wind that makes me feel good. It could be an inherited sense of belonging in foul weather delivered genetically by my Welsh and Scottish antecedents.

Whatever it is, I feel a sense of euphoria just mucking about the streets of a town rooted in a tradition of hard work and life in conditions most people would never take given the opportunity.

Yet Astoria residents forge ahead despite it allRead More...