Bend still? Ahh yes, we are still in Bend. . .

 City of  Bend from atop Pilot Butte

     Well today (Wednesday, September 1st) marks 18 days that we have been in Bend, Oregon.  Our coach still sits here at the Beaver Motor Coach Service Center, in Bend.  We are (have been) waiting for parts to arrive so that the tech’s can finish up with the forward driver’s side slide.  The good news is that the parts (well, a couple of them anyhow) are on their way, and the rest should be here by the end of this week (maybe???), or the beginning of next week, is the last word that I got today.  We have been basically in a “holding pattern”, if you will.  We like Bend, and it is not really a bad place to be, all things considered, but after a couple of weeks, we have just about seen (and eat) at all the places and ‘spots’ in the Central Oregon area, so we will be ready to move on when this is finished up.
     The weather, well that is another story, as we have had very nice weather, up until last Friday, when the temps dropped and over the past weekend we had lows in the morning at 33F, and highs in the day of 52F; cloudy off and on (and mostly on); and a cold stiff wind blowing that made it all that much worst.  Monday we awoke to very cool temps and heavy overcast, followed by heavy rain (and snow in the higher elevations.  Of course, that is a misnomer in itself since Bend sits at an elevation of 3,600 ft. (locally Central Oregon is described as “the high desert”), and the snow was down to about 4,000 ft.).  There was about 3” of that ‘white-stuff’ in Sisters (20 miles northwest of Bend, at 4,150 ft. elevation).  It feels more like winter to us ‘fair-weather-birds’.  But yesterday was a definite improvement, and today is down-right nice, with a high temp of 78F and party cloudy skies.  We are supposed to have fairly nice weather for the next week or so.
     We have met some very nice people here at the Beaver Motor Coach Service Center, from all over the U.S.  They are real busy here, that is for sure. 
     Now, we just wait for the arrival of our parts, and then the pau-hana (finish work) word on our coach.  And hopefully that will be sooner than later.

       Downtown Bend, Oregon


 

     Mill District in Bend





“Bend-cycles” (rentals @ Old Mill)



 
Marilyn at the Pine Tavern on the Deschutes River

Pine Tavern in downtown Bend

  
  Marilyn prepares a delicious roast-beef dinner

    

Jim “taste-test” one of the                    Marilyn at Deschutes Brewery

Deschutes Brewery beers                      downtown Bend