Bend (weeks 1-2)

We arrived at about 5am our time, having landed in Portland and then driven 3 hours to Bend on Hwy 26, through the foothills of the Cascades and past Mt Bachelor, a 9000 ft peak. From sunny 60’s in Cape Charles, we plunged down to the low thirties as we drove, then back up to the high forties in Bend.

The restaurants are many and varied here. We've enjoyed great pizzas, Portuguese, Mexican and other foods. The homeless are not a great issue here, as they've addressed the problem with a variety of solutions and taken lessons from other places, such as Amsterdam.

I chanced on a Fjällräven store and found that they'll wax my pants and hem a longer pair for free! The top tailor in the company is at this store and he created the quick hemming procedure for these pants that have technical cuffs.

We've looked at a good many properties, some amazing, others not. We've also found an incredible builder, should we go full custom. In the end, any property will have access to the outdoor fun, and we'd have many very nice neighbors (We've met a few). Many are from California, escaping the ultra-high taxation. One guy, a restaurant co-owner from Mexico, said that after the Californians live here a few years and trade in their one-season clothing for four-season clothing they consider themselves Oregonians and start to resent further immigration from Cali, LOL. But then he also said others leave to go to Boise, ID which has lower taxes than Oregon.Läs mer