Our never ending food journey in Central Oregon has brought us to a little food truck in one of Bend's newest food truck lots - Crosscut Warming Hut No. 5. This charming location is modeled after the warming huts in the Deschutes National Forest that many locals and tourists alike snow shoe, ski, snow mobile, and maybe even dog sled to during the winter months. We felt the atmosphere was warm and inviting and we cannot wait to sit inside by the large fireplace when COVID allows again. However, despite not being able to use the indoor space, they had many tables set up outside with appropriate distancing, various warming options, and three food trucks. On this food adventure, we tried Abe Capanna's Detroit Pan Pizza + Italian and they did not disappoint us.

With a variety of pizza opti...

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What's in the January 2021 Newsletter?

• Bend Real Estate Trends - 2020 Trends and 2021 Predictions

• Winter Hike to Chush Falls

• Why Not Wait Until Spring to Make a Move?

• A Bite...A Drink...And a Wonderful Fire

2020 Had Unexpected Results for Bend Real Estate Sales

Who would have thought when 2020 began that we would be hit with a world wide pandemic, recession, work from home orders, and a Bend real estate market that was unprecedented in its volume of sales, increase in home prices and lack of inventory.

When 2020 is compared with 2019, the following reflects the sales of Bend Oregon single family homes on less than an acre:

• Average home price up 15% to $611,764*
• Median home price up 11.6% to $502,000
• New listings down 3% to 2623
• Number of homes for sale down 32% to 552
• Pending sales up 21.2% to 2838
• Sold homes up 10.9% to 2596
• Median days on market down 52.2% to 11
• Months of supply down 35.7% to 2.7 
• Average price per square foot up 10.2% to $291
• Median price per square foot up 10.3% to $268
• Average percentage of list price received up 1% to 99.9%

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Our first hike of 2021 was at the Whychus Canyon Preserve, a place we had never been before.  Located at the end of Goodrich Road off Cloverdale Road outside of Sisters, the preserve provides for 3 different hikes of varying difficulty and view. We took the Long Canyon Route which follows the canyon rim before dropping 300 feet in elevation into the canyon and follows the creek for 2.3 miles before climbing back to the rim. The walk on the rim travels through meadows and has a  North Sister view overlook before heading back to the trailhead. All in all, the loop is roughly 5 miles and depending on the time of year, can offer wildflowers and mountain views. The other hikes in the Whychus Canyon Preserve include the Mid Canyon Route, shorter with only 3 miles, and the Wagon Road and Meadow Loop (2.5 miles).  The Wagon Road follows a portion of the historic Santiam Wagon Road and includes interpretive signs which discuss the Santiam toll road which was the way early settlers in Oregon traveled back and forth from the Willamette Valley to Central Oregon in the 1860s. 

If you plan on hiking in the Whychus Canyon Preserve, come early as there is limited parking; off road parking is not permitted and dogs must be kept on leash.

With snow falling in the Cascades, it is becoming harder to find places to take a long hike in Central Oregon without snow shoes or cross country skies. Last Saturday we decided to re-hike the 1.4 mile, 500 foot elevation gain Bessie Butte trail located off China Hat and then take the Swamp Wells Trail through the Deschutes National Forest to Kelsey Butte, located roughly 5 miles south of Bessie Butte. The trail, lightly covered with snow, was easy to follow and our research on the hike showed it to be one for mountain bikers as well as hikers.  The Swamp Wells Trail, if followed its entire length, eventually will end at Newberry Crater after 20 plus miles with a lot of elevation gain in that final push.  During our hike through the woods we saw only one other person, a woman with her dog, but did follow one set of mountain bike tracks for much of the way.

If you enjoy walking in the forest, this is a great place to go. It wasn't until we were half way up Kelsey Butte that we came out of the trees and could view the forest we had walked through along with views of all the buttes around us plus vistas of the Cascades. It was a cloudy day, but I am sure on a clear day there would be views all the way to Mt. Hood. After walking around the base of Kelsey Butte, we returned to our car left at the Bessie Butte Trailhead. All in all, with the quick up and back on Bessie Butte, we estimated our hike was between 11 and 12 miles. Although not having the "wow" views we love so much when we hike in the mountains, this walk through the Deschutes National Forest was very fulfilling and gave us some great exercise after our Christmas meal. And for those who enjoy solitude, you can't beat the lack of crowds.