Bend, Oregon

Spent a weekend in Bend, Oregon! About a 3 hour drive from Portland, Bend is a small city on the Deschutes River. There is so much to do there and it's best known for great nature, craft beers, and great coffee. There's also a nostalgic feel in this city, the last Blockbuster on the planet is in this city! Keep reading to check out my weekend!

I stayed at the Wall Street Suites located in downtown Bend. It's a cute luxury motel that is also dog friendly! Each suite comes with a full size kitchen, a king size bed, a bathroom with a skylight shower, it even comes with essentials for your dog too! Including a leash free dog park in the back of the motel. I happened to visit Bend when it started snowing, it was the first snow of the season! The property was so magical in the snow, it was so nice and cozy, I never wanted to leave!

Spent the weekend drinking wine and cooking a gourmet meal in the suite, playing in the snow, chillin by the motel fireplace, went to the last Blockbuster, and checked out Smith Rock State Park!

The last Blockbuster on the planet is located here, in downtown Bend. Random, I know. Once you walk in, it's like your stepping back in time, nothing has been changed. It's so nostalgic! There's a lot souvenirs to buy like shirts, sweaters, sweatpants, cups, candy, shot glasses, movies in blueray, dvd and VHS, and movie posters!

After Blockbuster, I headed to Mt. Bachelor to just play in the snow. My dog Rufus had a blast playing in it. It was so pretty to be there around sunset, the sun was shining through the trees! We were going to head to Sparks Lake but the weather just wasn't permitting.

Smith Rock State Park is 40 minutes away from Bend and it's on the way back to Portland. It is located in the High Desert of Oregon, the park covers over 650 acres and hovers at 3000 feet in elevation. It's a huge rock formation formed of compressed volcanic ash formed 30 million years ago. There's a ton to do there like hiking, rock climbing, trail running, biking, slack lining, and horseback riding.

I've been to Bend a bunch of times before and it seems like every time I go I do more and more new things! It's such a fun town and there is so much to do. If you are every exploring Oregon, Bend is one of the best cities to visit!

<3,

Laura C.