Bend Premier Real Estate Blog

In all the years we have lived in Central Oregon, we have never hiked to Alder Springs. In fact, we didn't even know it existed until recently.  Flowing into lower Whychus Creek which starts at Broken Top and merges into the Deschutes River, Alder Springs is an oasis in the midst of the High Desert. 

There are two trail heads you can drive to in order to begin your hike to Alder Springs.  Both trail heads have sketchy 4 wheel drive dirt roads which is probably why few take these hikes. We took the least rough road located out of Sisters to our trail head which resulted in a longer 3.8 mile hike one direction bordering Whychus Creek much of the way.  We saw no one on this hike until we reached Alder Springs and at times the trail was hard to find. During the summer this hike would be very warm as there is little shade and we would recommend hikers bring a lot of water. But the hike along the canyon rim can be beautiful with views down to the creek and birds of prey circling in the sky.

Once we reached Alder Springs, we saw other hikers for the first time. They had come the shorter 1.5 miles from the other trail head and had hiked the additional 1.5 miles to an overlook of the junction of Whychus Creek and the Deschutes River. This second way to reach Alder Springs involves wading across Whychus Creek - which was knee high the end of May 2020.  After resting a bit, we returned to our car the way we had come and made it there 10 minutes before a violent thunderstorm hit. It was a great day.

On May 16, 2020 we returned to Newberry Crater to enjoy the newly reopened monument. We traveled as far around East Lake as we could, stopping at the boat ramp parking near the lodge as the road was blocked past that. We walked past the barrier through the empty East Lake campground until we came to the Cinder Hill trail head.  We have hiked this trail before several years ago and looked forward to doing it again.  However, roughly 1.5 miles into the hike, we encountered snow covering the trail and although we were able to continue at least 1/2 mile further, we reached a point where trail markings were no longer visible.  Rather than risk getting lost, we retreated and instead drove back to the Little Crater Hike - the cinder cone between Paulina and East Lake - that we had never hiked.

Although the hike was fairly short and easy, the views were wonderful. We saw the Big Obsidian Flow from a perspective we had never seen before, as well as vistas of Paulina Lake and interesting pumice formations. It was also great to see all the boaters on both lakes enjoying the fishing opportunities.  Although the lodges, camping and Visitor's Center were all closed, at least people can enjoy the views, the lakes and the hikes (snow permitting).

Overlook Mountain Has Panoramic Cascade Views

With views from Mount Adams in the north to Diamond Peak in the south, the stunning panorama of much of the Cascade mountain range is truly breathtaking from the top of Overlook Mt. 

On Saturday, May 9, 2020 we took the 7 mile loop from the parking lot off Canyon Creek Road and hiked up through old growth forest to the top of Overlook Mt, stopping along the way to check out the interesting ruins of the Mother Load Mine (cinnabar used to make mercury) before climbing the 1535 feet it takes to reach the summit. During the hike we had to cross snow fields regularly, getting both our feet and lower legs wet in the soft snow. But we saw some beautiful views of the Ochocos as we climbed and enjoyed seeing many early wildflowers with no one else around us on the trail.

At the summit, we enjoyed both the view and meeting several other hikers who had come up the short route which we took down. Prior to reaching our car, we took the side trip to tour the ghost village of Independent Mine, with its abandoned buildings slowly  falling apart.

It was a wonderful experience and very worth while for anyone who attempts the climb.

Bend Real Estate Sales Down in April

The first full month of the Covid-19 pandemic impacted Bend single family homes with sales significantly down over the same month in 2019. Some buyers lost jobs which in turn kept them from qualifying for their mortgage. In other cases, sellers took their homes off the market not feeling confident to sell during the stay at home orders. Other buyers delayed their trips to Bend and canceled appointments to view homes. While Bend home sales still are occurring, it is different than it was before Covid-19.

When April 2020 Bend single family home sales are compared with April 2019, the following differences can be noted:

• Homes available for sale down 16% from 971 to 811*
• New active listings during the month down 35% from 364 to 236
• Pending home sales down 41% from 296 to 172
• Homes closed down 6% from 2...

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Each week Bend Premier Real Estate is adopting a local restaurant and this week we are featuring Bend Burger Company just in time for May's Burger Month! We had the opportunity to try two of their fabulous burgers and sides for lunch yesterday and the quality did not disappoint! Bend Burger Company is not "fast food", but rather some of the tastiest and freshest burgers in Bend.

We ordered a Broken Top Hamburger which featured clue cheese and bacon with a side of sweet potato tater tots as well as a Deschutes River Hamburger which featured ham, pineapple, teriyaki sauce and a side of hand cut french fires. Both burgers were cooked for perfection and offered large portions that could easily be shared. 

Thank you Bend Burger Company for the delicious lunch and we look forward to our next visit!