The High Desert – Bend, Oregon

May 3

We all had a slow easy morning and then off we headed to the High Desert Museum, also in Bend, Oregon.

The High Desert Museum integrates wildlife, history and art into one amazing location to promote an understanding of the natural and cultural heritage of North America’s high desert country.  The museum has more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and sits on 135 acres of outdoor forest and exhibits. The many historical exhibits span the history of the region – covered wagons, homesteaders, gold rush, fur trappers, mining, and a significant part of the museum is dedicated to Native American culture and history. 

What is a “high desert” ? Most of us easterners think of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest as a rainy place, but, in fact, Bend has an average annual rainfall of only 12 – 15 inches. Most of Central Oregon is actually considered “high desert” named for its high elevation, sitting at 4,000 feet above sea level and higher. 

There were so many exhibits, all of them thoughtful and well-executed. The following are just a few of the photographs.

Outside the museum were paths that wound through the majestic Ponderosa Pines, standing so straight and so tall, they were just amazing to see.

Next on the day’s agenda was….. wait for it……. another Bend brewery! Brewery #3 – Crux Fermentation Project. Wednesdays are pretty quiet so we had the place to ourselves and sat outside to absorb the panoramic views.

I know everyone is waiting to see if there is any ice cream on our western adventure. Of course there is! Well, it wasn’t ice cream, this time it was gelato. We stopped at Bonta right in Bend, of course. Jeff and Juli Labhart returned from a year-long trip around the world and began making handcrafted artisanal gelato using the best ingredients from the Oregon countryside.

A day filled with nature, history, beer and ice cream. What more could you ask for?