Sisters Oregon Guide 2022-2023
Adventure! Your gateway to
Living Like a Local • Farm to Table Artist Spotlight • Music & Events Recreation • Lodging & More
67667 Hwy. 20, Bend OR 97703 • Information/Reservations: 541-516-3036 • 888-503-3588 bendsistersgardenrv@gmail.com • www.bendsistersgardenrv.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 5
Welcome
44
Parks
6
FAQs
47
Resorting to relaxation
7
Where to find what
48 Arts in Sisters
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8 So you want to live in Sisters?
50 Artist spotlight: Susie Zeitner
86 Sisters Folk Festival 89 Sisters Rodeo
10 Live like a local in Sisters
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Camp Sherman
Instagrammable sights
Throw some circles
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show
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54
90
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Fun things for kids to do!
56 Cast your line in wonderous waters
92
Sisters Rhythm & Brews
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Enhancing the visitor experience in Sisters
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Enjoy some crafty libations
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Hit the road!
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Don’t miss
27 From farm to table 30 Food carts in Sisters 32 Wilderness permit system 34
The mountains are calling
58 Climb on! 61
New Black Butte Ranch Lodge construction underway
63 Run our wild, beautiful rivers 64
Enjoy Sisters Country awe-inspiring dark skies
66 Take a ride on Sisters’ trails 69 Playing in the snow
80 A passion for road cycling 2022 events
94 Visit Bend & Redmond 98
Teacher instills love of place in students
102
Writing and risk-taking go hand in hand for Sisters author
106
The storyteller
110
Film captures the way of life of the buckaroo
114
A life of aviation adventure
120
Camping
70
Wildflowers
123
Sisters area map
73
Sisters is for the birds
124
Dining
39 Going to the dogs!
74
Hitting the links
126
Lodging
40 Sisters’ “hidden economy” has a big footprint
78 Running the backroads
36 Safety first on adventures
76 Horse country
43 Strong education, thriving youth
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442 E. Main Ave. Sisters, OR 97759
541.549.9941
Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius Graphic Design: Leith Easterling Jess Draper Advertising: Vicki Curlett Contributing Writers:
The Nugget
N E W S PA P E R Sisters, Oregon
Bill Bartlett Ceili Cornelius Charlie Kanzig Andrew Loscutoff Kit Tosello • Katy Yoder Contributing Photographers: Pete Alport Jerry Baldock Bill Bartlett Ceili Cornelius Jarod Gatley Cody Rheault Loma Smith
Large cover photo: Jarod Gatley Fly fishing: Bill Bartlett Ice cream: Loma Smith Dancing: Jerry Baldock Cyclists: Loma Smith ©2022 Sisters Oregon Guide. All rights reserved. The Nugget Newspaper, LLC sistersoregonguide.com nuggetnews.com
Reproduction in whole or in part (including advertising) without written permission is prohibited. Sisters Oregon Guide and The Nugget Newspaper, LLC assume no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements and all content within this publication. The Sisters Oregon Guide (The Nugget Newspaper, LLC) reserves the right to decline any advertising. All advertising which appears in the Sisters Oregon Guide is the property of the Sisters Oregon Guide and may not be used without explicit written permission.
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Don Bowler President & Broker 971-244-3012
Gary Yoder Managing Principal Broker 541-420-6708
Ross Kennedy Principal Broker 541-408-1343
Corrie Lake Principal Broker 541-521-2392
Tiffany Hubbard Broker 541-620-2072
— Serving Greater Central Oregon —
541-595-3838 Black Butte Ranch l 541-549-5555 Sisters | blackbutte.com
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Welcome Sisters Country is on the map.
You know that, because you found it. Maybe this is your first visit; maybe your family has been vacationing here for years; maybe you’re working on finding a way to live here.
You know that you’re experiencing an environment of unsurpassed natural beauty, with a welcoming and inclusive sense of community. You know about Sisters’ unique mom-and-pop shops and the arts and culture that give this place such vibrancy.
PHOTO COURTESY BLACK BUTTE RANCH
The past two years have seen an influx of folks who have discovered that they can live here and work there. All of that means change. Sisters is growing, which adds to its vibrancy and economic vitality —but also poses challenges in retaining the character that visitors, part-timers and residents all love. Heightened use has led to a permitting system in some of Sisters Country’s most beloved wilderness areas. New schools need to be built, and housing comes at a premium.
The City of Sisters is responding to the challenges of growth by developing a new Destination Management model of managing impacts of growth both in tourism and new residents impacts so that being a destination for thousands remains a win-win for everyone (see related story, page 16). Change is nothing new in Sisters. Over many decades, Sisters has seen its share of ups and downs — reinventing itself from a timber and ranching town, to a tourist town, to a “Zoomtown.” We’ve seen fire and flood, and come back stronger from every setback. We’ve created world-class cultural, sporting, and arts events that have put a small town on the map, and created innovative programs that make our schools a magnet to parents and kids from everywhere.
No matter what changes and challenges come, the Three Sisters loom eternal on our horizon, reminding us each day to take a moment, to pause and take a deep breath, appreciate the grandeur and the beauty — and remember that life is good. — Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief, The Nugget Newspaper WWW.SISTERSOREGONGUIDE.COM
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THE MOU
South Sister Elevation: 10,358 ft.
Middle Sister Elevation: 10,047 ft.
Photograph taken from Broken Top (not pictured) Elevation: 9,175 ft.
FAQs
What is the population of Sisters? 3,286 inside city limits; 10,000± in the school district. What are the Three Sisters Mountains called? Informally — Faith, Hope & Charity. What’s the elevation in town? 3,200 ft.
Schools: Sisters School District: elementary, middle and high school. Total enrollment: 1,115. How much do homes cost? Median home price was $699,500 in the fourth quarter of 2021 — and it’s climbing rapidly. What’s the climate like? Sisters is considered High Desert. Hottest month is July (avg. temp. 78.8/49.6); coldest month is December (40.8/20.1).
Driest month is July; wettest month is January. Average annual precipitation is 11.4 inches. Average snowfall is 32 inches.
Who are some of Sisters’ largest employers? Black Butte Ranch, 375 (peak season); Sisters School District, 161; Laird Superfood, 142; Sisters Coffee Co., 80; Energyneering Solutions, Inc., 61; Ray's Food Place, 61. Does Sisters have a cannabis dispensary? No. Sisters voters voted overwhelmingly in a referendum against having a cannabis dispensary in town, leaving that market to Bend and Redmond. Does Sisters have an airport? Yes, Sisters Eagle Airport is located less than a mile from
downtown Sisters on Camp Polk Road. 3,550 ft. of expanded and improved runway; airplane tie-downs; fuel available on-site. Year-round access. Redmond Municipal Airport — Roberts Field The wider world is just a plane ride away out of Redmond Municipal Airport-Roberts Field. Located just 20 miles down Highway 126, east of Sisters, seven airlines offer direct flights to Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Burbank, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, RenoTahoe and Las Vegas. From these hubs, you can get anywhere. Currently 28 daily flights regularly operate in and out of Redmond Municipal Airport. Visit www.flyrdm.com.
(Sources: Oregon Climate Service/Oregon Economic & Community Development; Central Oregon Assoc. of Realtors & Economic Development for Central Oregon)
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UNTAINS North Sister Elevation: 10,085 ft.
Mt. Washington Elevation: 7,794 ft.
Three Fingered Jack Elevation: 7,841 ft.
Mt. Jefferson Elevation: 10,497 ft.
Black Butte Elevation: 6,436 ft.
BANKS: First Interstate Bank 272 E. Main Ave. 541-549-2061. ATM.
GROCERIES: Ray’s Food Place 635 N. Arrowleaf Trail 541-549-2222
Mid Oregon Credit Union 650 N. Arrowleaf Trail 541-382-1795. ATM.
Oliver Lemon’s 160 S. Fir St. 541-549-0711
US Bank 123 W. Hood Ave. 541-549-2141. ATM.
Sisters Meat & Smokehouse 110 S. Spruce St. 541-232-1009
Washington Federal Bank 610 N. Arrowleaf Trail 541-549-8110. ATM.
LAUNDRY: Sisters Lock ’n’ Load 247 N. Fir St. 541-549-6165
Wells Fargo ATM 665 N. Arrowleaf Trail CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 291 E. Main Ave. 541-549-0251 SISTERS CITY HALL: 520 E. Cascade Ave. 541-549-6022 EMERGENCY/POLICE: Black Butte Ranch Police 1368 Bishops Cap 541-595-2191 Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Sisters Station 703 N. Larch St. 541-549-2302 Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD 301 S. Elm St. 541-549-0771
POST OFFICE: 694 N. Larch St. 541-549-0412 PUBLIC RESTROOMS: Barclay Park Ash St. between Cascade & Hood Avenues Cliff Clemens Park N. Larch St. at E. Black Butte Ave. Creekside Park Hwy. 20 & Jefferson Ave. Fir Street Park Corner of Fir St. & Main Ave.
LIBRARY: Corner of Cedar St. & Main Ave. 541-312-1070 MEDICAL: High Lakes Health Care 354 W. Adams Ave. 541-549-9609 St. Charles Medical Center 630 N. Arrowleaf Trail 541-549-1318 Summit Health Care 231 E. Cascade Ave. 541-706-5440 Your Care - Urgent Care 3818 SW 21st Place, Ste. 100, Redmond, Oregon 541-548-2899 NEWSPAPER: The Nugget Newspaper 442 E. Main Ave. 541-549-9941
CODY RHEAULT
WHERE TO FIND WHAT
Forest Service Kiosk At the junction of Hwys. 20 & 242 at the west end of town Village Green Park Fir St. & Washington Ave. SISTERS RANGER STATION: Hwy. 20 & Pine St. 541-549-7700 PET/VETERINARY/BOARDING: Black Butte Veterinary Clinic 703 N. Larch St. 541-549-1837 Broken Top Veterinary Clinic 67293 Hwy. 20 541-389-0391 Sisters Veterinary Clinic 371 E. Cascade Ave. 541-549-6961 Central Bark 367 W. Sisters Park Dr. 541-549-2275
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SO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN SISTERS?
Your family has been visiting Sisters for years, and with each visit the longing grows stronger. You wonder if you can manage to live here. More and more people are finding a way to make their dream of living in Sisters a reality. In some ways, it’s become easier than ever. Many people have discovered that technology really does allow them to choose where they can live and work. But there are challenges. Like other desirable communities across the United States, Sisters has seen a sharp rise in prices and a sharp decline in the inventory of homes available for purchase. This has created an intense seller’s market — which local analysts expect to persist for a while, despite mortgage rate increases.
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“We just live in a great area, and people want to come here and enjoy the Central Oregon lifestyle,” said Cat Zwicker of Central Oregon Association of Realtors (COAR). One of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is that people are much more invested in and intentional about creating the home they truly want. People from big cities are looking for the sense of community that is always on display in Sisters. And far more people and businesses have discovered that employees can work effectively from anywhere they have a good internet connection. Most of the interest in Central Oregon is still coming from the Willamette Valley. Intense interest in communities like Sisters has driven prices up
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and inventory down across the West, and Sisters is conforming to that trend. Median home prices climbed 32 percent quarterto-quarter to end Q4 of 2021 at $699,500. And a market that consistently has had 60 to 100 homes on the market now consistently has fewer than 20 available — sometimes much fewer. Rentals are scarce and expensive. The competitive market has given rise to some assumptions and myths. “The biggest myth is that housing has become unattainable,” Zwicker said. “I don’t think that’s true.” Realtors and lenders continue to work with all kinds of folks to make buying a house in Sisters a dream that can come true. The competitive market in Sisters is expected to continue, but Zwicker sees local growth in a positive light. “Sisters has experienced thoughtful growth through the years,” she said. PHOTOS BY LOMA SMITH
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LIVE LIKE A LOCAL IN SISTERS Sisters Oregon Guide asked folks who live and work here to describe an ideal Sisters day. Kit Tosello, writer “The best kind of day in Sisters? Wondering and wandering. “Here, where skies are extravagant, never the same twice, it’s a shame to miss a minute of it. Perfect days begin even before the mountains begin their glowing. I’ll cradle my matcha and watch the light tiptoe home from wherever it’s been off to. Ribbons of coral appear. A family of mule deer drop by. Birds materialize. Red-cheeked northern flickers, wearing their speckled mink coats, are a favorite. Once I watched a frostcovered buck wake up among the frigid bunchgrass. Exhaling a cloud of vapor, he arose, slow and stiff and unhurried. Finally he ambled away, fur glistening like diamonds. Like royalty. This is a wonder. “I love to wander with hubby or a friend, filling my lungs with pine-scented air. We might grab a chai and head for the Metolius River, or ride e-bikes around town. But nothing beats a day dedicated to exploring high
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meadows or low, rocky canyons. Of course, the skies just keep on doing their fancy thing around the clock. So the perfect ending to any day is eyes heavenward, in wonder at the unfathomable show of stars.”
survived overnight and is still spinning, and for that matter, so are we; a good start. What follows next is varied; a quiet cup, greeting your mate, getting the kids out the door for school, being 10 minutes late for the meeting, looking at emails, etc.
Lane Jacobson, owner of Paulina Springs Books
“But the one thing that binds us is our shared experience of living in one of the most beautiful parts of our Oregon. Those three gracious, ancient ladies and their collective family anchor us to the natural beauty that we sometimes take for granted.
Lane Jacobson has his perfect day lined out in detail: Start with breakfast at Angeline’s Bakery & Café, then head up to Suttle Lake for a swim and a walk around the lake. An “afternoon pick-up” at Sisters Coffee Co. is followed by a walk on the Peterson Ridge Trail, then dinner at The Open Door. He’ll close his evening with a live music show at The Belfry. “Which is a pretty good day,” he says. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Jack McGowan, community volunteer “For most of us, a day usually starts in the morning with our daily rituals. Waking up and seeing that the world has
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“So, a perfect day? How about each day that we see those mountains, walk Sisters’ streets, greet each other with a nod or smile, offer help when needed and not take each other for granted, and the gifts that we collectively have.”
Katy Yoder, freelance writer,
vividly describes a perfect day in Sisters: “It’s late spring. Tendrils of snow remain in the peaks of the Cascade Range. I stop in at Bedouin to buy another puzzle and maybe try on a new summer top. Then I head across Hood Avenue to Raven Makes Gallery to see what they’ve brought in from their latest buying trip in the Southwest. The Stand on Adams Avenue is selling fresh produce, so I head across Cascade to fill
a grocery bag with spinach, kale, and lion’s mane mushrooms from a local grower. Before heading home, I pick up a few of Angeline’s Bakery vegan cookies. My final stop is always at the everfriendly Fika on Barclay Drive for an oat milk, iced cardamom latte. Our little town never disappoints!” “A long trail run with my dogs; then it would involve some Ian Reid, swimming in a Sisters lake or river.” District (In winter, it Ranger would be “a big powder day at Hoodoo.”) Ian would follow the adventures of the day with live music at a venue in Sisters, enjoying local craft beer with friends. “It would end with the evening, sleeping under the stars and listening to the coyotes.”
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Escape to the Metolius River... Cozy, immaculate cottages nestled under the pines on the banks of the Metolius River.
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Instagrammable
Sights
METOLIUS RIVER
COLE RANCH
Formerly known as Patterson Ranch, located just west of downtown Sisters along Highway 242, this is one of the most photographed properties in the Pacific Northwest. It is a popular viewpoint spot to park and take some pictures of the perfectly framed Three Sisters and Broken Top mountains.
DEE WRIGHT OBSERVATORY
The river cuts through Camp Sherman and has several trails you can hike, camp, and explore all right next to the flowing river. “Translated from the Sahaptin language, the river is named ‘white fish’ in reference to a light-colored Chinook salmon which historically thrived in the river’s cold and stable waters,” according to the Deschutes River Land Trust. The river offers amazing photo opportunities with the clear blue water and colors that pop in the fall.
The Dee Wright Observatory located just over the McKenzie Pass from Sisters offers 360° mountain views from atop the viewpoint. The viewpoint is set at the top of an expansive lava field spanning from the eruption of the Cascade Mountains. The lava field expands for 65 miles. The location is a great way to see a different view of the Cascades and snap pictures from inside the observatory, your best place for sunset photos.
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SISTERS VIEWPOINT
About six miles east of Sisters on Highway 20, you can pull off the road at a viewpoint that offers iconic vistas of the Three Sisters. This is a spot that turns up in the photos of international travelers — and there may be no better spot to catch a magnificent sunset. PHOTOS BY JAROD GATLEY
CREATE A HOME OASIS!
WHYCHUS CREEK OVERLOOK
Whychus Creek Overlook: A recently built short loop trail, the overlook gives you 360° mountain views while looking down over the Whychus Creek as it meanders its way through the Three Sisters Wilderness from the mountains into the town of Sisters. PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS
Hot Tubs & Swim Spas Traditional Saunas Pellet Grills Fire Pits Patio Furniture Coming Soon
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WHYCHUS CREEK TRAIL
The Whychus Creek hiking trail: You can make your hike as long or as short as you would like on this trail while still seeing the creek during the entire hike, so there’s no shortage of photo opportunities.
541-410-1023 | 413 W. Hood Ave., Sisters Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat by appointment
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G O FOR A HORSEBACK RIDE! om Hit the trail fr te ut Black B Stables.
G O FOR ICE CREAM!
Sample from ns multiple optio n ow nt w in do Sisters. LOMA SMITH
FROLIC IN THE FOUNTAINS...
JERRY BALDOCK
Street at Sisters Fir hot a on Park y! da er m m su
Fun thingss for kid! to do
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PET AN ALPACA!
COURTESY BLACK BUTTE RANCH
ountry Visit Alpaca C s- on hand Estates for a experience in tr y. beautiful coun
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ENHANCING THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE IN SISTERS
LOMA SMITH
— BY JIM CORNELIUS AND SUE STAFFORD —
If you’re reading this, you are likely one of the thousands of people who have chosen to visit Sisters — maybe for a weekend, maybe for an extended vacation. Perhaps Sisters has been a family vacation destination for decades. Maybe you have a second home here. And there’s a pretty good chance that you’re trying to figure out how you might make Sisters your home. Sisters is the kind of place that people love and value, and choose to invest in — whether they’re a local or a visitor. The City of Sisters has recognized this, and is moving toward a new, holistic approach to tourism, considering the benefits for visitors balanced with the quality of life for residents. The City Council
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and City staff are investigating a fairly recent development in the tourism industry known as Destination Management. One unavoidable aspect of being in a place that so many people love to visit, is that all of those people impact the environment, traffic, and everybody’s quality of life. That’s why the Forest Service recently instituted a permit system to manage the heavy traffic in Sisters Country’s most beloved backcountry destinations. City Manager Cory Misely notes that Sisters has a lot of repeat visitors who value the natural beauty and the pace of life in the area. “If you want that to be here 10, 20, 30 years from now, we
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have to think long-term,” he said. “We have to act now and think long-term.” Destination Management seeks to manage impacts so that being a destination for thousands remains a win-win for everyone. After all, it is the natural beauty and small-town charm of Sisters that makes folks want to come here, to visit, to vacation, to live. Destination Management involves coordinating tourist activities across multiple agencies, businesses, and organizations to manage visitor impacts on the area while improving livability for the local residents. Continued on page 18
The City of Sisters is committed to welcoming everyone who loves this special place Together we can maintain the qualities that make it special by focusing on... • Protecting Natural Resources • Environmental Sustainability • Quality of Life
PHOTO BY LOMA SMITH
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Continued from page 16
Municipalities have one main tool in their kit for managing tourism: transient lodging tax (TLT) funds. These funds are often used simply for marketing a community, to attract more tourists. Destination Management provides for more creative uses of such funds, to enhance visitor experiences and provide amenities that benefit tourists and also enhance the overall livability and enjoyability of the community. A Destination Management Organization (DMO) can place emphasis on sustaining natural resources while attracting yearround visitors who share Sisters’ social and environmental values. At this point in time, the Sisters City Council and City staff are looking for opportunities for workforce development, protecting natural resources, being environmentally sensitive, and assuring the quality of life that attracts people to Sisters. The visitor economy is tied to pretty much everything that
happens in Sisters, and the residents, as well as the visitors, can benefit from facility improvements, coordinated programming, and stewardship of our surroundings. Marketing can attract visitors who want to give back to the place they visit (see sidebar), which builds a relationship and investment in their destination. With Destination Management, the goal isn’t more visitors, but visitors who care about and are committed to Sisters, making them more likely to make return
visits and stay longer. The City of Sisters is investigating existing DMO models regarding their nonprofit status, funding mechanisms and amounts, board composition, job descriptions, and how DMOs are held accountable to the public and City. Eventually, an independent DMO will be established that will manage tourism. It’s all part of Sisters’ commitment to welcome everyone who loves this special place.
WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY YOU VISIT Consider a “volunteer vacation.” Organizations from Sisters Habitat for Humanity to the events like Sisters Rodeo, the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, Sisters Folk Festival, and more thrive on volunteer contributions. Volunteering is a great way to have a deeper experience in a community, and it’s a great way
to enjoy one of our events. Many visitors to Sisters come here for the outdoor experience. Sisters Trails Alliance does yeoman’s work in creating and maintaining trails that are used by locals and visitors alike. Consider volunteering for a work party as part of your visit: www.sisterstrails.org/volunteer.
BILL BARTLETT
A weekend of intensive trail work was completed by volunteers from the Sisters Trails Alliance and Oregon Timber Trail Association.
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Your visit to Sisters is connected to the place we call home Residents and visitors benefit from... • Stewardship of Surroundings • Coordinated Programming • Facility Improvements
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ENJOY SOME CRAFTY LIBATIONS From wine to distilled spirits to craft beer, Sisters is at the forefront of an industry that has put the Pacific Northwest on the international map. Sisters’ own Three Creeks Brewing Co. is a perennial award winner with its FivePine Chocolate Porter. The porter took the 2021 Can Can Awards Gold Medal, after taking Grand Champion honors in the 2020 U.S. Beer Tasting Championship and silver in the Brown Porter Category in the 2020 Great American Beer Festival. The brewery took gold in the Great American that year for their Conelick’r Fresh Hop IPA. The FivePine Chocolate Porter features pounds per barrel of the
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finest Belgian chocolate, creating a roasty pint with underlying chocolate sweetness. Founder Wade Underwood attributes the brewery’s success to consistency of quality, which is not so easy to achieve, barrel after barrel, pint after pint. It’s down to the creativity and dedication of the brewery staff.
magic.” Three Creeks Brewing Co. brew pub is also a winner — awarded seventh place in the USA Today 10 Best Brewpubs 2021 rankings; the only Oregon brew pub to make the top 10.
“My guys are great recipe makers,” he said. “The brewers like to play. They just want to keep creating.”
Sisters’ newest brew pub is Funky Fauna Artisan Ales, which describes itself as “a hyper-small brewery ... focused on producing terroir driven beers through the use of local, sustainable and terroir driven ingredients.”
That sense of adventure is what created the exceptional porter, which wins awards year after year.
“Terrior driven” refers to the elements of a local soil and climate that go into the personality of a libation.
Underwood attributes it to “a little bit of science; a little bit of
Wine is also well represented in Sisters Country, with The
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Faith Hope & Charity Vineyard
Open Door offering a convivial spot for a glass, along with lunch or dinner. And Sisters Country boasts its own vineyard. Located on 312 acres in the rural lands northeast of Sisters, Faith Hope & Charity Vineyard offers wine tasting and live music. The estate vineyard currently has 15 acres of French-American, hybrid, cold-hardy varietals. The
vineyard features estate-grown whites: La Crosse, La Crescent, and Frontenac Gris, and reds: Marechal Foch, and Leon Millot. These varietals are garnering well-deserved attention throughout the United States. For distilled spirits, Cascade Street Distillery has built a stellar reputation for its 5x distilled potato vodka.
Many of Sisters’ eateries feature exceptional selections of beers, wines and spirits to make a stay in Sisters convivial. The food cart hot spots at Eurosports and The Barn also feature a lively and interesting selection of libations, and be sure to hit the night spots at Hardtails Bar & Grill, Sisters Saloon, or The Gallery Restaurant.
OPEN DAILY
12 TO 5 P.M.
AWARD-WINNING WINES | LIVE MUSIC | SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS
WWW.FAITHHOPEANDCHARITYEVENTS.COM
70450 NW LOWER VALLEY DR. | TERREBONNE, OR | 541-526-5075 www.facebook.com/Faithhopeandcharityvineyards | fhcvineyards WWW.SISTERSOREGONGUIDE.COM
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HIT THE ROAD!
Lake Billy Chinook
Oh, the things you can do from base camp in Sisters! By Bill Bartlett Here are two favorite outings: The first is to Cove Palisades State Park, the centerpiece of which is Lake Billy Chinook. Here, the Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius rivers converge in a deep, sheer-walled gorge of volcanic basalt forming Lake Billy Chinook. The park’s name comes from a geologic formation that shapes the 800- to 900-foot-deep lake. What started as a mere 8-acre parcel in 1946 has expanded to a 4,400-acre park that presently features several day-use areas and campgrounds for exploring some of the wonders of Oregon’s volcanic canyons and grassland plateaus. The main attractions are boating and paddling in the
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Crooked and Deschutes river canyons, and the wide Lake Billy Chinook, where they converge. The park provides boat launches on both rivers, and kayak launches, picnic and swimming areas, and fishing piers at three day-use areas.
ago, The Cove was named by the original homesteader. The word “palisades” refers to the tall column-like formations in the basalt rimrocks. Lake Billy Chinook is actually a man-made reservoir behind Round Butte Dam.
The park’s marina includes a cafe, store, and fish-cleaning station, as well as kayak and boat rentals. To get a panoramic view of the spectacular lake and river canyons, the six-mile (out and back) Tam-a-Láu Trail climbs to the top of a grassy plateau dotted with wild juniper and volcanic boulders. From the rims of both river canyons, there are views of several unique geologic formations, as well as chances to see some of the many resident eagles.
Ancient area inhabitants carved mysterious symbols into a massive boulder called the Crooked River Petroglyph. It lies near the group camp, below a formation called Ship Rock. The lake is home to kokanee salmon, small and large mouth bass, and a number of trout species, especially bull trout.
Formed 10-12 million years
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There are three ways to get there from easy, all-paved highways and byways, to bumpy jeep roads. All take about an hour. Coupes and sedans should stick to the asphalt route. We
of Highway 242 (McKenzie Highway). Make the only turn and drive nine miles to the trailhead for the splendid 1.6-mile loop trail.
like to do it using a bit of both, making it a big loop that takes in agriculture, wineries and grazing alpacas and longhorn cattle. Using your map app, select the NF-63/NF-6380/SW Squaw Creek Road option going; when returning to Sisters, open your map and head toward Terrebonne and take the Lower Bridge and McKenzie Canyon Road routing. State Park Passes are required, or you can get day-use passes from easily found kiosks. We also love to make a day outing to the waterfalls trail. Head west on Highway 20. At the junction with 126 (National Scenic Byway), follow it and the well-marked signs to the pristine McKenzie River’s Sahalie Falls with its spacious parking lot. Sahalie Falls is a mass of foaming white water plunging 100 feet over a natural lava dam. This famous falls can be spotted in the Disney film “Homeward Bound.” The Sahalie Falls viewing platform is less then 100 feet from
the parking lot and is wheelchair accessible. An easy and wildly scenic 2.6-mile roundtrip trail brings you downriver to Koosah Falls, a 70-foot drop into a deep pool. These falls mark the terminus of two thick flows of basaltic andesite lava that dammed Clear Lake and moved into the McKenzie River 3,000 years ago.
Continue the loop by driving on Highway 242 all the way back to Sisters, with a stop at Dee Wright Observatory settled atop vast, black lava flows. At 5,187 feet, this mountain observatory offers panoramic views of the Mount Washington and Three Sisters Wilderness areas. At the observatory, you will find interpretive panels with accounts of early travelers and area geology. Inside the observatory, strategically placed windows frame the surrounding mountain peaks. On a clear day, you may even see Mt. Hood, located 78 miles to the north.
Sahalie, meaning “heaven,” and Koosah, “sky,” are Chinook jargon words, part of a rudimentary trade language that allowed people to exchange news and goods in the area. The Kalapuya, Molalla, Sahaptain and Chinook peoples traveled and traded here, perhaps on their way to obtain obsidian in the high Cascades or to gather huckleberries. Both sites feature parking, interpretive panels that tell the story of area geology, restrooms and observation points. Sisters Oregon Guide loves looping – trails or routes. For the next stop, Proxy Falls, continue down Highway 126 to the junction
PETE ALPORT
Koosah Falls
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Proxy Falls is a cascade-andplunge waterfall from a collection of springs that plunges into a gaping canyon near McKenzie Pass. The waterfall sports an impressive main drop of 226 feet, which makes it one of the highest plunge waterfalls in Oregon.
Dee Wright Observatory
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Don’t miss
Tamolitch Blue Pool
Whychus Creek Overlook
Sisters’ must-see location offers spectacular views of the Whychus Creek watershed and the Cascade Range. The overlook and its short loop trail are barrier-free and handicap-accessible, and there are restrooms at the trailhead. Head south on Three Creek Lake Road (Elm Street in town) for a little over five miles. The turnout is near the summit of Peterson Ridge, on the righthand (west) side of the road, just a short distance beyond the five-mile marker.
Crystal Crane Hot Springs
Three hours to the east of Sisters, a half hour past Burns, and right off Highway 20 lies Crystal Crane Hot Springs. This casual resort, perfect for a long day trip or an overnight RV camping excursion or cabin stay, offers an opportunity to relax and let the cares of the world slide away with a soak in an expansive mineral spring with glorious Oregon desert views. The drive itself is a great way to connect with the wide open spaces. www.cranehotsprings.com.
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About an hour’s drive west along the McKenzie River lies the magnificent Tamolitch Blue Pool, also known as the Blue Pool. The pool is accessible by an approximately four-mile, out-and-back hike. On a hot summer day, you may be tempted to take a dip in the pool — but think twice; it’s glacier-cold. Take Highway 126 west just over 40 miles to Trail Bridge Reservoir. Turn right on FS Road 730 (at the sign to Trail Bridge Reservoir). Cross the river and turn right on FS Road 2672-655, then travel a half mile to parking.
Head of the Metolius
It’s hard to believe that the mighty Metolius River starts from tiny springs in the shadow of Black Butte. Over the next five miles, more springs and tributary creeks build the river into a rushing torrent. The head of the Metolius is very easy to get to. Just drive 10 miles west of Sisters to the entrance to Camp Sherman and follow the signs along FS Road 14. Park and walk about 300 yards down a paved path to an overlook that treats you to a calendar shot of the headwaters and Mt. Jefferson.
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Farm Store & Restaurant
We are a full-diet farm on 80 acres with certified organic vegetables, herbs, flour and whole grains. We offer pasture-raised, non-GMO, chemical-free beef, pork and eggs. Our kitchen hosts farm-to-table brunches, dinners and private events. Reservations available through our events calendar at rainshadoworganics.com/calendar.
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FROM FARM TO TABLE
Access to locally grown food has become a major part of life in Sisters Country, which is home to extraordinary farms and innovative programs. One of those is Seed to Table. Sisters Country is becoming a hub for locally grown produce and meats, part of a movement toward a more mindful, lowerimpact form of agriculture that is good for producers and consumers alike — and good for the land. Sisters is home to a nonprofit dedicated to quality food, food access, and human-scale production. Seed to Table (S2T) believes access to fresh food shouldn’t be a luxury but a right. To achieve that end, S2T’s staff and board are striving to fill the gap in fresh food availability by increasing
on-farm cultivation and distribution programming. By ramping up efforts, S2T will be able to further support long-standing community organizations, including area food banks, schools, the Family Access Network, Deschutes Public LibraryBiblioteca en Camino program, and more for years to come. The Seed to Table Farm is in the midst of major expansion. Through doubling the size of the farm plot, adding new greenhouses, and beginning to utilize mechanical cultivation techniques, the S2T team is projecting that in three years the
farm’s annual output will reach nearly 100,000 pounds of fresh veggies. Sisters is home to a thriving Farmers Market each Sunday afternoon, from June through the first Sunday in October, where locally grown and produced goods can be found in a convivial atmosphere. Sisters Farmers Market is gearing up for an even more robust summer season this year, with a new manager taking the reins. Seed to Table hired Continued on page 28
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Continued from page 27
Michelle Jiunta, who brings an extensive background running Central Oregon farmers markets. Seed to Table Executive Director Audrey Tehan, the staff, and board are excited to have Jiunta join the team. “Over the past 10 years, she has shown immense dedication to small farmers, artisans, and local food producers as she grew and managed the Redmond Farmers Market,” Tehan. “Her strong desire to build community through collaboration and partnerships will expand on the great work done by past market manager Caroline Hager, and those who came before us.” The mission of the Sisters Farmers Market is to support a healthier community through partnerships, educational programming, and essential infrastructure for organic farmers, artisans, and local food producers. Sisters Farmers Market has
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been able to fulfill its mission in large part due to support from fiscal sponsor Seed to Table, as well as increased support from local vendors and attendees. Sisters Farmers Market will run every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 5 to October 2, at Fir Street Park on the corner of Main Avenue and Fir Street in Sisters. For more information visit www. sistersfarmersmarket.com. Mahonia Gardens offers fresh produce and eggs through its farm stand, which they restock with their goods daily. Check out the real food at The Stand at 254 W. Adams Ave. Their farm is right in the city limits of Sisters, and the farm stand intends to provide great ingredients for your culinary adventures. They also carry other locally raised products. Rainshadow Organics, a fulldiet farm in Central Oregon, has made a niche for itself through the commercial kitchen located
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on its farm. All are invited to share a meal on the covered porch or in the garden, to share in this culinary experience showcasing local, nutrient-dense, intentional cuisine. For information visit www. rainshadoworganics.com.
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Food Carts in Sisters
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the outdoor patio with 14 new state-of-the-art propane fire tables, each seating four persons, bringing to 100 the number of those who can be seated. Food trucks and beer are married at the hip. The Barn has 12 taps and a full liquor license. At Eurosports, if you add up the tap and packaged beer options – nonalcoholic, gluten free — and include Kombucha and wine, there are close to 100 beverage options. Each specialize in artisan craft brews, predominantly from the Pacific Northwest. Food with benefits. The two food truck courts are venues for local bands and other events and are meccas for cyclists and hikers slaking their thirst and taste buds. Both food courts welcome wellbehaved canines. Check social media for menus and scheduled events. Hours and days vary.
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The Barn, open With the since November, completion of is anchored by The Barn in Boone Dog Sisters at Pizza (wood the corner fired pizza) of N. Fir – yes, the and E. Main, wood-fired oven there are is right there. now seven By Bill Bartlett Pop’s Southern distinctive, yearBBQ tempts diners round choices for with a range of grilled and food truck cuisine that smoked offerings. Chulita’s, rivals Portland, Eugene and Bend. serves authentic Mexican cuisine All boast locally sourced farm-toand Wrap Star boasts global table ingredients. All are owned fusion. and operated by young entreThe common themes running preneurs intent on making their through all of Sisters’ food trucks mark on the growing popularity of are freshness, and for the most mobile kitchens. part, organic. All vendors cook At Eurosports, a bicycle and to order – good food fast is an ski shop located at S. Fir and E. oxymoron in Sisters, where the Hood, you will find outdoor seatfood truck scene is influenced by ing in their popular food cart garPortland. den to enjoy fresh Nashville-style The Barn provides indoor fried chicken from Wonderland seating on two levels for 50, and Chicken Co.; fish tacos, the sigoutside they can comfortably seat nature dish of Coco Loco; and, 75. the latest addtion, Sisters Thai, Europsorts recently revamped whose name is self-explanatory.
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CODY RHEAULT
WILDERNESS PERMIT SYSTEM As thousands more people come to Sisters Country each year looking for untrammeled wilderness experiences, the Forest Service has developed a permit system for some local trails. Reservations for the permits are available at www.Recreation. gov. Enter Central Cascades Wilderness. The limited-entry permit system for day and overnight use applies at 19 of the 79 trailheads across the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, and Three Sisters Wilderness areas from the Friday before Memorial Day through the last Friday in September. Permits are available on a rolling seven-day basis. For those folks who want to be spontaneous, there will be permits (on an ongoing basis), according to Forest Service Spokesperson Jean Nelson-Dean.
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All campfires are banned above 5,700 feet in Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, and Three Sisters Wildernesses, as well as in some lower areas. The permit system went into effect last year, after being delayed due to COVID-19. The pandemic actually significantly accelerated the trend that caused the Forest Service to inaugurate the program in the first place: more and more people hitting trails in the Cascades. Certain trails have seen 15-20 percent increases in use each year, and the impacts, from simple wear and tear to garbage and waste left behind, have begun to materially affect the health of the forest and the quality of the wilderness experience. Nelson-Dean said that the Tam McArthur Rim Trail has seen a 300 percent increase in use over
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the past five years, with 20,000 trekking into the Three Sisters Wilderness from that trailhead annually. “Tam McArthur had been a sleeper sort of trail that actually didn’t get a whole lot of use,” Nelson-Dean said. “Then it just went off the charts.” She noted that there are 35 trailheads that lead into the Three Sisters Wilderness. Five of those trails took 55 percent of the use. “Part of the permit plan is to spread use across space and time,” she said. She said that users are encouraged to “maybe choose a different trail than the most popular trailheads.” Reservations can also be made by calling 1-877-444-6777. Permits will be at Deschutes and Willamette National Forest offices when they are open.
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CODY RHEAULT
THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING Sharri Bertagna is the owner of Hike-N-Peaks outdoor gear. She has LOTS of favorites, but settled on Canyon Creek Meadow. “When you get up to Three Fingered Jack, there’s mountain goats up there a lot of the time,” she said. “In spring, there’s lots of beautiful wildflowers.” The full hike is a 7.4-mile loop trail of moderate difficulty. From Sisters, drive northwest on Highway 20 about 12 miles, then turn right on Forest Road 12, marked “Mount Jefferson Wilderness Trailheads.” Travel north about four miles, then turn left of Forest Road 1230. Follow 1230 for about 1.5 miles then turn left on Forest Road 1234 (Jack Lake Road —very rough washboard). Follow six miles to the parking area at Jack Lake. Central Cascades Wilderness Permit is required. When Jarod Gatley, director of
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Bend Adventure Sports, says the strenuous climb up South Sister is his favorite hike, he really means it: He’s done it 20 times. “It’s not technically demanding,” he says. “You can walk up the mountain with just your two feet and a day pack,” says Gatley. It’s an 11-mile out-and-back — and it’s a demanding climb, with almost 5,000 feet of elevation gain in 5.5 miles. Plan a long day, bring plenty of food and water, and dress for changeable weather. The rewards of the arduous hike are great, with diverse views that seem to change with the season as snow melts away from neighboring peaks. “It seems that every time I do it, there’s something new to see,” Gatley says. To get there, take Highway 20 east to Bend. From Bend, travel 28.7 miles west on Cascade Lakes Hwy to the Devils Lake/ South Sister Trailhead. Central
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Cascades Wilderness Permit is required. Tam McArthur Rim is a local favorite, and it’s at the top of the list for freelance photographer Cody Rheault. “It was one of the first hikes my dad and I did when we moved here in 2004,” he said. The 5.3 miler (with options to extend) is a great hike for a photographer. Best time to do this hike is from August to first snowfall. “It’s not that far from town, and it gives some of the best views in Central Oregon,” Rheault says. To get there simply take Elm Street (Road 16) south out of town for 16 miles — it’ll take you right to the trailhead. Central Cascades Wilderness Permit is required. Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid knows the Sisters backcountry intimately — and he always returns to the iconic Sisters hike:
the climb up Black Butte. “It’s quick, it’s easy (to access); great exercise; great views — it’s right there,” Reid says. The hike is just shy of four miles up and down. Most consider it a moderately challenging climb. Take Highway 20 west to Forest Road 11 (Indian Ford Road). Turn right and go to Road 1110 (signed) to trailhead. The road can be a bit of a washboard. Kate Kittell, events manager for Sisters Folk Festival, especially loves the moderately challenging Alder Springs hike. “It has an out-the-gate creek crossing that is always spicy in the springtime and awesome in the summer to cool off,” she says. River sandals or shoes and trekking poles for balance are recommended for the crossing. Take Highway 126 east from Sisters six miles to Holmes Road; left about seven miles; left again onto Road 6360 just over three miles to a right onto Road 6370; a sign points the way to Alder Springs, to the trailhead. High-clearance vehicle only. For Central Cascades Wilderness Permit information visit www.recreation.gov/permits/4675311.
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TOP 5 SISTERS HIKES
West on Highway 20 to Forest Road 11 (Green Ridge Road). Turn right and pass Indian Ford Campground. Turn left at graveled Road 1110 and follow it to the trailhead. Strenuous two-mile climb yields 360° views.
Black Butte Lookout
1
Tam McArthur Rim
2
Metolius River
3
Whychus Creek
4
Black Crater
5
This hike is so popular that it requires a wilderness permit. From the trailhead near Three Creek Lake, the trail leads up toward the foot of Broken Top, yielding spectacular mountain views. It's a roundtrip 5.3mile strenuous hike. Take Highway 20 west to the Camp Sherman turnoff. Follow FS Road 14 to a fork in the road and bear right. Continue on approximately 7.5 miles and turn left at the Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery signs and cross the bridge to the fish hatchery parking area. Take Elm Street south out of Sisters 4.2 miles. There’s a turnout on the west (right) side of the road. Park and walk past the green gate down to the trail and start hiking upstream. Out-and-back hike can vary distance to suit. Easy-moderate. Drive 11.5 miles west from Sisters, past Windy Point, on Highway 242 (McKenzie Highway). Trailhead with parking is on south (left) side of highway. This is a strenuous 7.5mile round trip climb to summit and return.
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SAFETY FIRST ON ADVENTURES From Santiam Pass east into ranch country, from the mountains out to Wilt Road in the north, the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District stretches a net of protection over Sisters Country. Local residents and visitors alike can enjoy Sisters’ way of life knowing that they are covered by a highly trained professional staff of firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs). The District is staffed by 18 career personnel, along with some 40 volunteers who serve in varying capacities, from firefighter/EMT to Fire Corps support and community education. The main fire station at 301 S. Elm St. is staffed with paramedics 24/7. The District responded to 1,222 emergency incidents in 2021, which marked an 8 percent increase over the previous year; 79 percent of responses were
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for medical emergencies. That’s typical for the District, and its paramedics have saved many a life in Sisters Country. The District also provides structure protection when Sisters Country is threatened by wildfire — which has happened all too often in recent years. Keeping visitors safe is a top priority for Sisters Fire District. If you get hurt skiing at Hoodoo, Sisters Fire will respond. They station an ambulance at major Sisters events, where crowds gather and things happen. Black Butte Ranch has its own highly capable fire department, and the Cloverdale Fire District keeps folks covered east of town. All the local districts back each other up in emergencies. In addition, there are two air ambulance services available in Sisters Country. Fire Chief Roger Johnson advises Sisters Country visitors to
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be prepared for the conditions of the place they’re coming to enjoy. Be aware of winter conditions — especially winter driving conditions — and make sure both you and your vehicle are prepared. Be aware of the threat of wildfire. “It’s good to understand your surroundings,” he said. “Know how to get out. Have an alternate evacuation route.” He also urges visitors to be aware of local burning regulations and campfire restrictions in the forest. Chief Johnson also strongly encourages travelers to access local emergency information. “Registering for local notifications and alerts is important,” he said. It’s easy to do through the statewide alert system accessed at https://oralert.gov/. You can access alerts for any county.
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GOING TO THE
Dogs!
Every adventure in Sisters Country is enhanced by the companionship of a dog. Whether you’re out on the trail or out on the water, or just hanging out in town, Sisters is a dog-friendly environment. The vast majority of the Deschutes National Forest accomodates off-leash opportunities for dogs. Over 95 percent of the Deschutes National Forest trails are open to dogs off-leash in the summer and there are 1,200 miles of summer trails on the forest. However, some trails do require dogs to be on-leash because of the intense recreational use these trails receive, and the potential for conflicts with other users. Make sure your dog is under control so they don’t mix it up with other dogs or other users on the trails. All campgrounds and day-use areas require dogs to be on-leash during the summer unless they are exiting or entering the water. Dogs need to be on-leash on trails in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area from July 15 to September 15. Make sure you bring plenty of water and a doggie bowl on your hikes. PLEASE clean up after your dog on the trail — and pack bags of waste out with you, rather than leaving little bundles along the path. There are no poop fairies to clean up baggies in Sisters Country. The volcanic rock of Sisters Country can be hard on a dog’s feet during summer hikes, and when there’s an icy crust on the snow, the winter trails can bloody paws, too. Consider outfitting your furry friend with booties for your outdoor adventures.
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SISTERS’ “HIDDEN” ECONOMY HAS A BIG FOOTPRINT
But for many years, a “hidden” economy has been perking away, just off the beaten path in Sisters’ light industrial parks on the north end of town. And in the past couple of years, Sisters’ cadre of “makers” has expanded its footprint and made an impression in the traded sector well beyond this small town. A pair of prestige instrument makers have made their home here in a town where music is part of the magic. Tom Nechville is renowned among instrument makers for his innovative banjo design, creating a line of banjos that are aesthetically pleasing, play well, and — most of all — sound wonderful. While his main factory remains in Minnesota, he has located Banjos West at 411 E. Main Avenue in Sisters. They plan a lot of activity around bluegrass jams at their retail shop. “This new phase of my life is more oriented around the handson dealing with the people of the community,’” Nechville said. Visit www.nechville.com for more information.
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Tom Nechville and Linda Leavitt fill Sisters with music out in front of Banjos West, Nechville’s new music establishment. Nestled right in town, next to The Belfry, which is a regionally well-known music venue, is the shop of Preston Thompson Guitars. The late Preston Thompson founded the company in Sisters in 2013, returning to a lifelong passion for recreating the legendary sound of “golden age” (1929-1939) Martin guitars. The company is thriving, despite the tragic passing of its founder in 2019.
came the order for his next guitar. He ended up doing a meet-up at the shop in Sisters before his show in Bend at the Volcanic Pub Theater in August of 2017. Since then, Preston Thompson Guitars has collaborated with Billy Strings to create a limited-edition Brazilian Dreadnought signature model guitar. The Billy Strings Signature Model limited edition of 33 guitars sold out in 2020.
Preston Thompson instruments are in the hands of top-tier musicians, including the renowned acoustic music prodigy Billy Strings.
The company plans to remain small while making big sounds in the music world. The goal is to have the capacity of producing 200 custom guitars in a year, for the most discerning of players.
Many years ago, Billy Strings was in Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, where he found a Thompson guitar. Shortly after
Sisters Coffee Co.’s lodge-style coffeehouse on Hood Avenue
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For more information, visit www.pktguitars.com.
JERRY BALDOCK
Most visitors to Sisters enjoy walking Cascade, Hood, and Main Avenues, exploring shops and galleries and sampling the offerings of restaurants, delis, and food carts. They might be forgiven for thinking that Sisters’ economy is that of your typical tourist town.
is a destination stop for visitors to Sisters — but the magic happens where the beans are roasted. Sisters Coffee Co. is currently building a new 11,000-squarefoot roasting facility on Lot No. 3 at Sun Ranch Business Park. “We’ve grown enough to where we need to expand our roasting capacity,” said CEO Justin Durham. Expanded significantly — as in quadrupled. “We’ll be in the millions of pounds,” Durham said. “It’s hard to say exactly.” That need for capacity is driven by thriving coffeehouses here, in the Pearl District in Portland, and in the Old Mill District in Bend — and a significant wholesale business. And it all grew from a tiny coffee bar founded by Winfield and Joy Durham on Hood Avenue.
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The roaster that will handle those millions of pounds — a 45-kilo Probat G45 — is coming from Germany. “It’s our dream roaster,” Durham said. “Can’t wait to get it here. They’re like the Mercedes-Benz of roasters.” Many of Sisters’ fine homes feature the countertops crafted by Solid Rock Granite in their Sisters Industrial Park shop. Since 2006, Mike and Carol Ezell, and a small crew of expert fabricators and installers, have been adding beauty and value to the most-used rooms in the house — the kitchen and bathroom — with custom slab stone countertops. They also do fireplaces and barbecue surrounds. All of the fabrication takes place in their state-ofthe-art shop in Sisters. Momentum Promo screen printers, embroidery specialists, laser engravers, and branded merchandise experts, moved this year from a 2,000-square-foot space into a newly built 4,000-square-foot building in Sisters Industrial Park built by Jeff Wester, founder of the adjacent Ponderosa Forge and Iron Works. The new space allows Momentum to be more efficient and productive in creating brand and logo apparel and accessories for clients across Central Oregon. Development of “craft” industries that fit the culture of Sisters has been a vision and mission for the Sisters community for many years. For information, visit www.edcoinfo.com/.
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STRONG EDUCATION, THRIVING YOUTH Ask people what attracts them to Sisters as a place to live, and you’ll get three consistent answers — our natural beauty, a smalltown atmosphere, and the quality of the schools.
those fundamentals in ways that help students really connect to their learning experiences. Sisters schools are also renowned for highly successful athletic programs, from football to soccer and volleyball to track, baseball and lacrosse.
From a strong emphasis on the fundamentals in elementary school to innovative programs in high school, children in Sisters receive an education that prepares them to go out into the world and succeed. Sisters High School has one of the very few flight sciences programs in the nation, preparing youth for careers in the field of aviation. The Seed to Table education program features a state-of-theart greenhouse that serves the schools as a “living laboratory” for its sustainable agriculture program. The Trout Creek Conservation Area adjacent to the high school provides an outdoor living laboratory for science classes (see related story, page 27).
The IEE (Interdisciplinary Environmental Expeditions) program turns the Sisters backcountry into a classroom, where students both learn and teach about their local geography, geology, and weather, team building, and leadership. The program brings together science, language arts, and physical education in a unique offering that is often a life-shaping experience for students.
The Sisters Folk Festival’s Americana Project educational outreach program partners with the schools to provide unprecedented immersion in the arts, from performance and songwriting to guitar-building.
While there is a strong emphasis on fundamentals of math and reading at the early levels, students also get to participate in a fully integrated arts program and other activities and electives that incorporate
The community is highly supportive. The Sisters community is investing $33 million for the construction of a new Sisters Elementary School, which will be located near the current middle school and high school. The nonprofit Sisters Graduate Resource Organization (GRO) has organized dozens of scholarships in the community in their mission to provide scholarship support to every deserving graduating senior. Another key component of Sisters’ education landscape is Sisters Park & Recreation District. SPRD offers a wide range of programming for youth and adults alike — from sports camps to hiking programs, music classes and more. For more information on Sisters schools, visit www.sisters. k12.or.us. For information on the program offerings of SPRD, visit www.sistersrecreation.com.
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JERRY BALDOCK
PARKS
JERRY BALDOCK
Barclay Park
Cliff Clemens Park
Located on Cascade Avenue (Highway 20) in the center of downtown Sisters. Includes a public restroom.
On the north side of Sisters, approximately three blocks from downtown on Larch Street. Motorhomes may park in this area during the daytime only. Large grassy area and play equipment. Creekside Park, Village Green Park and Cliff Clemens Park are available for events for a fee. Electricity is available. Includes a public restroom. Call 541-549-6022 for additional information.
Bike & Skate Skaters and cyclists have their own skate park and their own bike park thanks to volunteer efforts by local youth and adult mentors. Bike 242 offers jumps and skill features. Located next to the Sisters Park & Recreation District Coffield Center, at the west end of the Sisters High School parking lot. Head west from downtown Sisters on Hwy. 242 (McKenzie Hwy).
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Creekside Campground The Creekside Campground is a municipal park with 60 sites (of
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which 23 are full hook-up sites) and a large grass area. The park is situated along Whychus Creek and within walking distance of downtown. The park is open April to November and is closed for the winter months. Includes a public restroom. Call 541-3235218 for reservations and more information.
Creekside Park Creekside Park is located adjacent to Whychus Creek across the covered foot bridge from the Creekside Campground. The grassy park has tables and small barbecues for daytime use. Starting in 2021, there are no events here.
Fir Street Park Sisters’ downtown park is centrally located at the corner of Fir Street and Main Avenue. This “pocket park” features a splash play area for kids, lined with boulders, a performance stage with timber-frame pavilion and seating area, a picnic facility, restrooms, bike corrals, benches, a fire pit with seating, a drinking fountain and on-site parking. Many features were created by local artists. The park hosts Sisters Farmers Market on Sundays and outdoor concerts sponsored by Sisters Folk Festival.
Hyzer Pines The Hyzer Pines 18-hole disc golf course is located near the Sisters Park & Recreation District Coffield Center on McKinney Butte Road.
Pottery
City Hall
Locust St.
310 N. Cedar Visit our web site at CanyonCreekPotteryLLC.com
Main Ave.
Library
541-390-2449
Larch St.
Village Green Park is located two blocks south of downtown between Elm & Fir streets. There is a covered gazebo, barbecue area, playground equipment, and restrooms.
Canyon Creek
Cedar St.
Village Green Park
Canyon Creek Pottery Adams Ave.
Cascade Ave.
Bend
SISTERS
GLORY DAZE Car Show
CREST THE CASCADES BJARNE HOLM COMMEMORATIVE RIDE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
10 a.m.-2 p.m. East Main Avenue Fun for the whole family! Register your car at: sistersrecreation.com
Saturday, June 18 • 7 AM - 1 PM — 541-549-2091 —
START & FINISH AT SPRD COFFIELD CENTER
More informa on and registra on at SistersRecrea on.com WWW.SISTERSOREGONGUIDE.COM
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RESORTING TO RELAXATION Across America, families cherish memories that were created right here in Sisters Country — memories of weddings, memories of golden summer days spent at Sisters’ resorts. Black Butte Ranch has been a beloved destination for families for half a century. Last year the Ranch celebrated its 50th anniversary. Black Butte Ranch opened in 1970 and was completed in 1987 with over 1,800 acres and 1,250 homesites. It’s a small city with its own fire and police department and is one of the top 20 employers in Deschutes County. With bike and walking paths, tennis courts, and worldrenowned golf courses, there’s plenty to do right on the Ranch — but it also makes a perfect headquarters for your adventures across Central Oregon.
FivePine
The Lodge Restaurant and Aspen Lounge (both are closed until 2023), Robert’s Pub and the Lakeside Bistro offer a range of dining options, and you can enjoy live music on the lawn near the bistro on Wednesday evenings in the summertime. Groceries can be found on the property at The General Store. The Spa at Black Butte Ranch is the perfect spot to unwind and indulge your body after a full day of play. The Suttle Lodge offers a retreat on the shores of Suttle Lake west of Sisters. The magnificent log lodge has 11 rooms, and there are cabins scattered across the 15-acre property ranging from the deluxe to the rustic. In the summer season, enjoy dining at The Boathouse after a hike on the lakeside trail, or a kayak on the waters of Suttle Lake. FivePine lies right in town,
within walking distance of Sisters’ activities. The resort, which features an array of lodge rooms and nicely appointed cabins, is designed to be a restorative and romantic getaway (popular with locals as well as visitors) with the personal touch of a bed and breakfast. The adjacent Shibui Spa, Sisters Athletic Club and Three Creeks Brewing Co. pub give FivePine all the amenities of a major resort with a comfortable and cozy scale. While it doesn’t have overnight accommodations, Aspen Lakes Golf Course just to the east of Sisters feels like a resort, with its highly regarded and scenic golf course and its magnificent lodgestyle restaurant in a beautiful High Desert setting. Sisters’ resorts serve up respite, restoration, romance — and lifelong memories.
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Sisters’ natural beauty stimulates creativity — how could you not be inspired by the majesty of the Three Sisters, the harmonies of the rushing waters of Whychus Creek, and the Metolius River? Yet, it’s more than that. Sisters has created a true community of artists – people who support and inspire each other to dig deeper, reach higher. Inspiration and aspiration combine to create a fertile environment for art and artists that is gaining international notice. On the fourth Friday of each month, art lovers enjoy a stroll among Sisters’ many galler-
ies. The art walk has been modified for COVID safety, but it’s still a great way to get out and experience the range of creativity to be found in this small town.
those galleries, where you will find extraordinary work in every medium imaginable, from sculpture to watercolors, pottery to jewelry, and on — as far as the creative mind can take you.
For the past several years, dedicated artists, gallery owners and arts patrons have been
Several local artists have created books, which can be found at Paulina Springs Books on Hood Avenue, and some artists host open studio tours when able during the summer.
Arts in Sisters
working to create an arts district on Hood Avenue, where many of Sisters’ galleries can be found. Any day is a good day to stroll
That’s just the tip of the paintbrush in Sisters Country. The Sisters Library also plays host to art with rotating exhibits. Many local restaurants and cafés also feature Sisters artists’ work. Each spring, Sisters Folk Festival celebrates the visual arts with My Own Two Hands, a fundraising art auction featuring the work of local artists, and a community celebration of the artistic spirit in all of us. The Sisters Folk Festival has provided grant funding and other support to develop an integrated arts program in all three Sisters schools, giving students the benefit of self-expression through art — and the creative, thinkoutside-the-box spirit that is so critical to thriving in any field of endeavor. That spirit is reflective of a town where art is so much more than “decoration,” it is sustenance for the mind, body and soul.
LOMA SMITH
Visit www.sistersartsassoc iation.org, www.sistersoregon guide.com or check The Nugget Newspaper for more information.
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Wherever you travel, wherever you roam, There’s just no place like coming
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— ARTISTRY IN GLASS —
kickstart in a direction I might otherwise not have taken.”
By Jim Cornelius In early 2022, students at Sisters Middle School created tiles out of colorful fused glass, which were glued to steel pillars and embedded around the entrance of the Sisters Art Works Building — the headquarters of Sisters Folk Festival (SFF). The beautiful, permanent outdoor art installation is a legacy project for one of Sisters’ leading artists — Susie Zeitner, proprietor of Z Glass Act. Zeitner, who served on the SFF board for years, delights in sharing the creativity that has motivated her since she was herself a young artist-in-the-making, growing up with parents who were naturally creative. “I think I got it through osmosis, in my home life,” she said of her creative impulse. “I think it’s a gift.” Working in glass is a second career for Zeitner. She worked for nearly three decades in the fashion industry as a graphic designer/ commercial photo director, but changes in the industry forced changes for her.
Zeitner had been working with glass for a few years as an artistic outlet — and now she turned to it as a profession. She developed an etched glass business, and was making a good living at it, when a new path opened up for her. During construction of her home outside of Sisters, she decided to make the light fixtures herself out of glass. It was a challenge, but Zeitner is a problemsolver, and she plunged into the project with gusto. She bought a kiln and became an artist in fused glass.
“I think I got it through osmosis, in my home life,” she said of her creative impulse. “I think it’s a gift.”
“In 2000, I was let go from my career in advertising,” she recalled. “That gave me a
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Glass has a certain magic to it that continually thrills Zeitner. “It’s all about timing and temperature,” she once told The Nugget Newspaper. “Glass is amazingly beautiful and tactile. It transmits
CODY RHEAULT
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Susie Zeitner light, evokes emotion and is so organic. Yes, it is fragile. It breaks. But you can melt it down again and create something new. The process of making those first functional yet decorative art glass fixtures taught me a lot, and quite by “accident,” those fixtures, and the attention they gathered, became the beginning of Z Glass Act. That was two decades ago. I couldn’t be more content, living here in Sisters with an incredible business that I love, one that started out as a hobby, surrounded by beauty and good friends.” The “accident” occurred when she went to a shop called Design Lighting in Bend to buy hardware for the project. Owner Brent Newman was intrigued with her work. He asked her to make a fixture for sale in the shop, and it sold immediately. That was the beginning of a commercial endeavor. “That was a pretty steady
supply of projects till about 2010,” Zeitner said. Since then she has done numerous installations in homes and businesses, including doing all of the light fixtures.
“I’ve always made my livelihood off of it, so I’m pretty motivated because it’s my job,” she said. Zeitner built a home and glass studio in Sisters Industrial Park in 2017, and continues to operate Z Glass Act from that location. She loves collaboration, both with
CODY RHEAULT
While she is a passionate creative, Zeitner emphasizes that she is a professional artist. She loves working with clients to realize their visions. And she never has a problem with motivation.
clients and with other artists. She teaches one-day workshops at Stitchin’ Post, and thrives on projects like the recent Sisters Art Works installation. She just loves “seeing creativity flow
through people.” “What motivates me is that energy,” she said. “Glass is my tool.” For more information visit zglassact.com.
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Get Lost… …In a place we call the Metolius Basin. Camp Sherman Store/Fly Shop
Lake Creek Lodge
A one-of-a-kind general store. Fly shop. Deli. Groceries. Beverages. Clothing and a lot of other goodies you didn’t even know you needed! 541-595-6711 www.campshermanstore.com
Historic resort featuring 20 unique cabins, the Lake Creek Lodge Restaurant, swimming pool, trout pond, game room and outdoor game area. Family-friendly. Pet-friendly. Catering offered year-round. Group events welcome. 800-797-6331 www.lakecreeklodge.com
Cold Springs Resort Fifteen tastefully decorated cabins on and around the banks of the spring-fed Metolius River. Old-fashioned hospitality with a scenic and relaxing environment. We also have 15 RV sites under towering ponderosa pines. Hiking, biking and world-class fly fishing make for the perfect vacation or family retreat. A family tradition since 1938. Pet-friendly. 541-595-6271 www.coldspringsresort.com
Hoodoo’s Camp Sherman RV Park & Motel Resort features restrooms, showers, fire pits and laundromat. Six units, reminiscent of an old-fashioned bunkhouse, offer solitude and comfort in the shadow of Black Butte. 541-595-6514. www.campshermanrv.com
Hoodoo Mountain Resort The majesty of Hoodoo’s location and fun of Hoodoo’s night skiing will bring you back again and again. Even if you don’t ski, we have plenty to do for everyone, including the very popular Autobahn Tube Hill. 541-822-3799 www.skihoodoo.com
House on Metolius This privately owned, beautiful two-hundred-acre estate sits astride the river, with magnificent views of Mt. Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack and the Metolius as it flows through the natural meadow. Accommodations include five cabins and eight rooms in the Main House. For reservations call 541-595-6620 www.metolius.com
Metolius River Lodges Thirteen cozy cabins on the pristine, emerald-green banks of the Metolius River. Comfort and quiet under centuries-old ponderosa pines, just steps away from world-class fly fishing and hiking. 541-595-6290 www.metoliusriverlodges.com
Metolius River Resort Eleven cabins nestled among ponderosa pines along the banks of the Metolius River. The cabins are fully furnished, with kitchens, riverrock fireplaces, and decks with river views. Cast your line or enjoy a book by the fire. 541-595-6281 www.metoliusriverresort.com
The Suttle Lodge & Boathouse The first Suttle Lodge & Boathouse was built in 1928 on the shores of Suttle Lake. Four fires later, we are continuing their bootlegging tradition: Good food, beer, wine and games on the lawn, cocktails, boats for rent, lodge rooms, full-service and rustic cabins. www.thesuttlelodge.com
Hola! Serving innovative Nouveau Mexican and Peruvian cuisine for lunch and dinner. This award-winning restaurant has transformed the cabin-style building that was previously the Kokanee Café, alongside the Metolius River. 541-595-6420 www.holabend.com
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metoliusriver.com
CAMP SHERMAN
PHOTOS BY JAROD GATLEY
Camp Sherman has been a jewel in the crown of the Pacific Northwest since Native peoples first pitched camp along the banks of the Metolius River Early 20th-century wheat farmers from Sherman County to the north came to Camp Sherman in the heat of summertime for rest and relaxation, lending the name by which this unique place has been known ever since.
the Metolius River. It’s a great place to ride a bike too, from a gentle pedal along the local byways to a mountain bike run on nearby trails.
A visit to Camp Sherman is a step back in time, to a slower pace of life without the din and distraction of an overly plugged-in world.
There’s a plenitude of campgrounds, lodging and vacation rentals to serve as a base for your adventures — or a place to relax by a rushing river and simply reconnect with nature. For a mix of comfort and rustic charm, there’s a range of lodging establishments ready to help you create memories that will last through the years.
There are miles and miles of hiking trails in and around Camp Sherman — the most popular being right along
While it’s a great place to get away from it all, Camp Sherman is also a lovely place to reconnect with an oldfashioned sense of community. The hub is the Camp Sherman Store, where you can pick up your groceries or a delicious deli sandwich, outfit yourself for a day on the river and get
the word on the latest hatch. Keep an eye out for the possible comeback of barbecues on Fourth of July and Labor Day at the Camp Sherman Store. You can also pick up everything you need — from a custom sandwich to a craft beer — for a riverside picnic. Rediscover this gem in our midst, whether camping overnight or making a day of it. Vacationing in Camp Sherman has been a tradition for families for a century and more. Visit here and you’ll understand why.
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Throw some
Circles
the west end of town. Hyzer Pines was built and put into use officially in 2007. It opened through the endeavor of Kathy KemperZanck who created a community campaign for disc golfers in the area to build
Hyzer Pines is a challenging course that is heavily treed, with only small gaps for distance throws. Players must navigate this using backhand and forehand throws, making it one of the premier courses listed in Central Oregon. It is easy to get started in disc golf. Find a couple friends to go out and play with, and
— By Ceili Cornelius —
Disc golf courses are typically set up in wooded areas that can help the natural glide of the disc. Different types of discs exist for different types of throws. There are distance drivers, fairway drivers, midway drivers, and putters. All these discs have different roles in playing a course. A putter, for example, is used like in golf, to put the disc into the basket once close enough. Most holes are considered par 3 or par 4, which means to land a “par” you must make it into the basket in three or four throws. A birdie is when you get the disc in the basket in two throws. The disc golf community in Central Oregon has also grown over the years thanks to the addition of the Hyzer Pines disc golf course located right next to Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) and Sisters High School, off Highway 242 at
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JAROD GATLEY
Disc golf was created as a version of golf, with similar rules, except you play with plastic discs, versus golf clubs. The rules of disc golf are like that of golf.
a premier disc golf course. Kemper-Zanck decided to create a course after playing with her family in Madras. “It is a free and easy sport and anyone can do it. I wanted another thing for the kids to do in our community, and it’s outdoors, it’s exercise and it’s challenging. I thought every community should have a disc golf course,” said KemperZanck. The course is 18 holes, most of the holes being par 3, based on distance and challenge. SPRD now manages and maintains the course, changing the location of the holes and maintaining the trails.
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visit a local store that sells discs. It is best to get putters to start out with as they are the heaviest and easiest to throw. Another popular course in the Central Oregon area is Pine Nursery, a park and disc golf course located off Empire Ave. in Bend. That course has hosted a few tournaments and is one of the more challenging courses because of the unique terrain of lava rock and high desert environment. To learn more about disc golf rules and types of discs to play, visit: www.innovadiscs.com/. Go out and throw some circles!
Handcrafted, World-Class E.F. Payne Split-Bamboo & Graphite Fly Rods MADE IN BEND, OREGON
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CAST YOUR LINE in wondrous waters
By Jeff Perin Central Oregon is arguably one of this country’s best regions to fly-fish — and is still relatively unknown in the shadow of all the attention the Rocky Mountain states get. From fabled steelhead waters to lakes, small streams and spring creeks, there is really something for everyone in the Sisters area. The Metolius — Oregon’s most famous and interesting spring creek — is just about a 20-minute drive from Sisters. It is small water, easy to read and nice to wade. Golden stone hatches are common from early July to early October, and while you may not see a lot of adults in the air at any given moment, the trout are looking for them! Fish a Clarks Stone along the banks, log jams and deep pools. Besides the big stones, little yellow Sallys, PMDs and caddis round out our upper-river hatches. The Middle River begins at Gorge Campground and goes to the end of the fly-fishingonly water at Bridge 99/Lower Bridge Campground. This is the most interesting water on the Metolius. The river is bigger through here with strong currents, deep pools and great back eddies. Afternoon hatches can include PMD, caudatella, flav, caddis, yellow sally, little olive stones and the occasional terrestrial. In the evening, BWOs,
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PMDs, rusty spinners and the best caddis hatches of the day are common. The Metolius is a no-guiding river, so stop in the local fly shop for the latest info on the river and hatches and be prepared to do it on your own. The Upper Deschutes River includes the headwaters section from Little Lava Lake down to the rich, trout-filled waters of Crane Prairie Reservoir. This is small water, running cold and clear, and in many places it is abundant with logjams, complicating access to the water. It is ideal water for Tenkara angling, Euro-nymphing and attractor dry fly enthusiasts. Local anglers pick up the biggest fish by courageously fishing streamers in the logjams and along the tight, undercut banks. Fish run 8 to 24 inches, with the streamer anglers picking up the bigger fish. The Lower Deschutes is the most popular section. It begins below the Pelton Dam just north of Madras, near the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The area from Warm Springs to Trout Creek is one of Oregon’s best fly-fishing areas, with a world-famous salmonfly hatch in May and early June. During the summer, you’ll find caddis, PMD mayflies and midges are important to the trout.
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The Lower Deschutes offers anglers their best opportunity to catch some really solid trout during their visit to Oregon. Average-size redband trout run 15-16 inches, with 18- to 20-inchers common. These fish are STRONG fighters, and many firsttime visitors are quite surprised by the battle that may find the backing rarely seen on a trout reel! Whychus Creek downstream of Sisters toward Alder Springs and the confluence with the Deschutes, or up in the mountains south of Sisters, has some potential, if small streams are your fancy. Access is not easy but there are some good places to fish on Whychus for small, wild rainbow trout. The Upper North Santiam River near Marion Creek is a good small stream with good access and plenty of trout. Fishing is usually good all day with evening caddis hatches bringing out the best fish. Central Oregon has an abundance of very good lakes, most within an easy drive from Sisters. Bring a float tube, pontoon or favorite lake boat to get good access. My favorite lakes to guide on or fish are East Lake, Hosmer Lake, Three Creek Lake, Crane Prairie and Lava Lake.
Jeff Perin is the owner of The Fly Fishers Place in Sisters.
TRAL N E C TOP HATCHES ON OREGON WATERS Callibaetis mayflies are a lake angler’s dream. It took us many years to invent the fly we call the Black Butte Callibaetis, but wherever the black mayflies are found this fly is a match.
stonefly
A tiny little olive mayfly with gray wings. The only mayfly found in Central Oregon hatching all 12 months of the year so it provides some of the only dry flyfishing in the winter.
callibaetis
The hatch goes from about Memorial Day weekend to the end of June. The trout in the Metolius come crashing at the surface to feast on the dark-green flies.
blue wing olive
green drake
BILL BARTLETT
Stonefly hatches bring the most tourists to fish a single hatch. The famed Salmonfly and Golden Stone hatches happen on the Deschutes from mid-May until early June.
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Climb On! by Ceili Cornelius
It’s no secret that Central Oregon is one of the premier locations for rock climbing. With Smith Rock and a multitude of bouldering areas close by, Central Oregon has some of the most unique routes and popular areas in the Pacific Northwest. Josh Spoelstra is a local climbing guide. “The climbing community is friendly and inclusive and always willing to bring someone in, no matter the skill level. So, the first thing I would say is find a friend and then learn some information about climbing and go out together,” said Spoelstra. It is important, when entering rock climbing, to know your own skill level and to understand that indoor climbing in a rock gym is an entirely different experience from climbing outside. “Gyms give you a good idea of what climbing a route is like, but the elements aren’t there, so be sure to maybe start in the gym
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“The climbing community is friendly and inclusive and always willing to bring someone in, no matter the skill level…” and get a feel for it and move into outdoor climbing with a partner after that,” he said.
Bend Rock Gym offers programs and classes for climbers at any skill level.
One of the best places to get started in the Central Oregon area is the Bend Rock Gym (BRG) in Bend.
BRG also partners with guides and programs at Smith Rock for outdoor climbing classes.
“Come into your local gym and just start asking questions,” said Jeremy Wassenaar, director of operations. “We have highly trained people working here and willing to help you get started. Bend Rock Gym has harnesses, shoes, belay equipment, all available to rent if you come in without your own gear. Bend Rock Gym also caters to climbers of all skill levels with differently ranked routes based on difficulty throughout the gym.
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Smith Rock is one of the most well-known climbing destinations in the Central Oregon area. “There are routes for every type of climber, even beginners at Smith Rock,” said Spoelstra. Smith Rock and BRG work together to bring climbers together and partnered up to learn the routes and understand outdoor climbing. For more information visit www.bendrockgym.com/ adult-programs/.
Something
for everyone! Take home a piece of Central Oregon
Only $6.99 to $24.99! T-shirts, hoodies, jackets, kids and more!
541-549-2059
121 W. Cascade Avenue, Sisters www.maryannasyourstores.com
Check out our Sunriver & Seaside stores!
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NEW BLACK BUTTE RANCH LODGE CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY By Katy Yoder Talking to new general manager and longtime Black Butte Ranch (BBR) employee Shawn McCance, it’s easy to get excited about the new Lodge construction. Even considering the many view options throughout the region, McCance confidently believes the venue will have the best views in Central Oregon. With amenities like floor-to-ceiling windows on two stories, there will always be something new to see in the changing moods of the Cascade Range, Phalarope Lake and the flower-filled meadows. “When it’s complete the Black Butte Ranch Lodge is going to be spectacular and gorgeous inside and out,” said McCance at the BBR Lakeside Bistro nestled next to Phalarope Lake and the new Lodge site. “It’ll be the place for special occasions
like weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and Mother’s Day, as well as lodging guests who want to have a special experience,” said McCance. Dates for opening the new Lodge have been pushed back slightly due to supply chain issues. The certificate of occupancy for the Lodge has an opening date of February 15, 2023. The first wedding scheduled on the Ranch will take place in late March of 2023. Amenities are threefold in the downstairs portion of the Lodge. “The restaurant is separated by a huge fireplace that transitions into a festive bar area. That’s for everyone’s use,” said McCance. Also in the downstairs area, spacious decks complete a dining space that opens up for inside and outside dining on the lake side. Farther into the Lodge
you enter an event space with room for weddings of up to about two hundred people. There’s a separate greenroom for bridal parties to prepare for the big day. The main event space has an air wall, so it can be subdivided into two smaller event spaces. It will also have spectacular views and decks. Upstairs is the modern equivalent of the old Aspen Lounge, a favorite place to socialize and catch up with friends. For McCance and the design firm focusing on furniture, wall arrt and equipment, the key is finding a balance that appeals to all guests. “It’s going to be fresh with a sense of tradition and sense of today,” he said. “We see the new Lodge as a venue that will be around for the next 50 years, just like the last Lodge.”
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RUN OUR WILD, BEAUTIFUL RIVERS
If you have an itch to get your feet wet while enjoying a thrilling ride through some spectacular country, head out to raft one of Central Oregon’s wild rivers
The beautiful McKenzie River is widely regarded as the finest river-running experience in the region. With a steady plunge down the mountains, the river creates continual excitement for rafters. This designated Wild & Scenic River is exquisitely beautiful, rolling between stands of tall Douglas fir, western red cedar, western and mountain hemlock and white alder that line the banks. The Deschutes River has long been a popular destination for rafters. The short Upper Deschutes is suitable for a family outing with children as young as seven, according to the guidebook “Whitewater Rafting in North America.” The relatively
River Classes:
Class I: Gentle, moving water. Very small waves requiring little or no maneuvering. A nice float down the river.
Class II: Regular waves, easy to see, reaching three to four feet in height. May require simple maneuvering to avoid rocks and other obstacles. Class III: Large, continuous series or sets of waves, some in excess of six feet. You can run holes or hydraulics or maneuver around them. There may be some small drops, ledges or waterfalls. Plenty of thrills for most folks. Class IV: Difficult, wild water; for experienced rafters. Class V: Very challenging water; for the most experienced river runners only.
brief run features the Class IV thrills of Big Eddy, which rolls and swirls in a lava canyon formed by the region’s volcanic activity. The rest of the trip offers more mellow rapids in a scenic environment. The Lower Deschutes offers a series of exciting rapids, and multiday rafters have the chance to explore the canyons. Numerous outfitters offer outfitting and guide services. Not only do they supply the equipment, but their experience and expertise make running the rivers safer. Check with local resorts for information. The Metolius River near Sisters is beautiful — but navigating it is best left to highly experienced expert boatmen.
BILL BARTLETT
Class VI: Virtually non-navigable.
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ENJOY SISTERS COUNTRY AWE-INSPIRING
Dark Skies By Jim Cornelius
Sisters Country lies on the edge of the largest area of dark sky in the Lower 48, which lies over Southeast Oregon. The Sisters backcountry and the high desert to our east offer some extraordinary opportunities to take in aweinspiring views of the vault of the heavens. The chance to experience soul-stirring encounters with the cosmos is part of the draw to Central Oregon.
“Most people want to see the Milky Way,” said Grant Tandy, an astronomer who grew up in Sisters and operates the observatory at Worthy Brewing Co. Backpackers who venture into the Sisters backcountry can enjoy that experience when it’s at its best, viewing the core of the galaxy during the summer months. You can also touch it with a drive up the McKenzie Highway (Highway 242) to the summit, or venturing up Three Creeks Road to the lakes or to the snow parks. The Perseids meteor shower will be visible August 11-12. Tandy notes that snow parks are a good place to view the sky, as is the high desert.
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“You want to get to a place that has the lowest horizon around you, so you can see more of the sky,” he said.
For those enthralled by the night sky, a visit to the University of Oregon’s Pine Mountain Observatory is a worthy excursion. The Observatory will reopen to the public for the 2022 season for 10 weekends. Visit https:// pmo.uoregon.edu for dates and more information. The Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory is another option. Visit https:// snco.org for more information. Tandy operates what is believed to be the only observatory attached to a brewery anywhere — at Worthy Brewing Co. in Bend. Visitors can “get a oneon-one experience with a big telescope,” Tandy says. The observatory was created as part of the brewery’s outreach effort to enhance appreciation of our planet and nature. While Sisters Country and Central Oregon offer exceptional stargazing opportunities, growth in the area threatens to degrade the quality of the dark sky. That’s a concern that has broad
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implications, all around the world.
“All of life on earth evolved under certain conditions of light and dark cycles,” Tandy said. Disrupting darkness with increasing urban lighting disrupts life itself. “It’s not just about being able to see the sky,” Tandy said. “There’s ecological concerns and human health concerns.” Those who choose to make their home in Sisters Country can do their part to preserve the dark skies that are such an important feature of the place. Smart lighting choices and proper shielding go a long ways. “Use lights only when you need them, and don’t use lights any brighter than you have to,” Tandy urges.
preserve a precious resource Use fully shielded lighting fixtures. Use shielding and careful aiming to target the direction of the light beam so that it points downward and does not spill beyond where it is needed. A dark sky does not necessarily mean dark ground. Smart lighting that directs light where it is needed creates a balance between safety and starlight. Use energy-efficient lightbulbs and fixtures. Using energy-efficient options will save you money and help to reduce the carbon footprint of your home or business. Choose no more than 2700 Kelvin bulbs, amber in color. Limit the amount of shorter wavelength (blue-violet) light to the least amount needed. Use timers, dimmers, and motion sensors when possible.
Use controls to ensure that light is available when it is needed, dimmed when possible, and turned off when not needed. When needed, lights should be no brighter than necessary. All light should have a clear purpose. Consider how the use of light will impact the area, including wildlife and their habitats. Talk to your friends, family, and coworkers about dark-sky principles. Be informative, stay positive, and promote the 5 PRINCIPLES presented above. Suggest alternatives to their current lighting. Contact your local city and county officials. Encourage them to implement smarter lighting practices in your community. Keep the discussion focused on the positive outcomes for the city and try to anticipate any questions that the officials might ask about costs and safety issues. PHOTO BY JAROD GATLEY
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BILL BARTLETT
Sisters is without question one of Oregon’s premier mountain-biking regions
TAKE A RIDE ON SISTERS’ TRAILS By Andrew Loscutoff The Peterson Ridge Trail System (PRT) is Sisters’ premier mountain-biking trail. The trail is friendly to all ages and abilities, with flowing ribbons of singletrack navigation through ponderosa pines and volcanic rock outcroppings. Substantial views can be had particularly on the western route along the ridge. Stop at the overlooks between stretches of pedaling for mountain views and more. PRT offers an engaging and fun experience, with technical lava rock features, fast flowy pedally tracks, and near-town beginner trails. The trail system is the site of the Sisters Stampede Mountain Bike Race held the Sunday of each Memorial Day Weekend, drawing riders from across the region. The Suttle Tie Trail is an option, to explore the changing
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ecosystem as one heads west toward the Cascade mountains. Explore the old ponderosa pines while riding the leisurely grades, and enjoy the seclusion of a trail with much less traffic. Once at the lake, take a spin around the three-mile Suttle Lake Trail. This is a nontechnical, fast loop that winds around the lake offering a thrill of speed and stunning views of the alpine lake. All abilities will have a great time! The Metolius-Windigo Trail is accessible from Sisters as a backcountry adventurer-type of experience. Keep in mind that this trail is popular for trailriding equestrians and can be quite hoof-beaten after the dry days of summer come about. If one is ambitious, a ride from Three Creek Sno-Park down the Peterson Ridge connection will reward the adventurous, exploring types with a story to tell others of the time they descended the rocky ridges and pedaled
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through the ghostly burnt forests of the Pole Creek Fire. Ten miles out and back, with a great view from a short hike at the top, the Green Ridge Trail is another segment of the MetoliusWindigo. This trail is accessed from Green Ridge Road, which turns north off Highway 20 just east of Black Butte. Check with the Forest Service for directions. In a variation on the theme of getting out into the woods on two wheels, bicyclists are taking to the gravel in big numbers. Gravel riding — or “gravel grinding” or “adventure riding” — combines elements of road- and mountain-biking in distance rides over unpaved roads. With miles and miles of unpaved forest roads at our doorstep, Sisters is a natural fit for this family-friendly cycling phenomenon. Check with local bike shops for more information on equipment and routes.
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NATIVE OREGONIAN AT YOUR SERVICE! Specializing in Sisters, Bend & Redmond, serving all of Central Oregon. Working with buyers, sellers & 1031 exchanges. Discover all that a healthy Central Oregon lifestyle has to offer. Mountains, forest, lakes, music, arts, farm-to-table meals and more! Sheila Jones, Broker
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Guided Walking Tours Fireside Story Events Founder’s Day Picnic And More!
Three Sisters Historical Society & Museum Open Friday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 541-549-1403 • 151 N. Spruce Street Photo courtesy Deschutes County Historical Society
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e h t n i g playin
ALPINE SKIING Hoodoo Ski Area Hoodoo’s top elevation is 5,703 feet, and almost two-thirds of its 806 skiable acres face due north. This makes for excellent snow conditions that complement 1,035 feet of vertical drop. For more information, visit skihoodoo.com or call 541-822-3799 or 541-822-(DEEP) 3337. Mt. Bachelor A little farther afield is Mt. Bachelor, offering world-class destination skiing, featuring 3,365 feet of vertical drop over varied terrain suitable for all levels of skill. For more information, visit mtbachelor.com or call 800-8292442. Call 541-382-7888 for Mt. Bachelor’s snow report. Santiam Sno-Park This sno-park is located across the highway from the Hoodoo entrance road (off Highway 20/126). It’s a popular sledding area with nearby trails for cross-
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country skiers and snowshoers. TUBING Both Hoodoo and Mt. Bachelor offer tubing facilities that make for a safe, fun, family outing. Hoodoo’s Autobahn tube area is located at the base of Hayrick Mountain and offers spectacular views that you can enjoy while being towed to the top of your run. Ray Benson Sno-Park About one mile from Hoodoo, this site offers a variety of trails for winter sports. Dog teams, skiers, snowmobilers, snowshoers and skijorers all enjoy this popular winter sno-park. A large shelter in the parking area has a wood-burning stove. Parks require sno-park permits (daily or seasonal), available at Hoodoo, Black Butte Ranch, and in Sisters at Blazin Saddles, Eurosports and Hillside Ski & Sport. The North Loop Trail covers four miles through scenic for-
est. The South Loop Trail out of Benson Sno-Park leads to Brandenburg shelter and a sixmile scenic snowshoe or crosscountry trek. CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING AND SNOWSHOEING Hoodoo offers 15.8 kilometers of groomed trails. The Nordic center has rental gear. Mt. Bachelor has 56 kilometers of Nordic skiing. Gear can be rented at Eurosports or Hoodoo's Hillside Ski & Sport in Sisters.
Hoodoo
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wildflowers From Three Creek Lake south of town to the lands of the Deschutes Land Trust along Whychus Creek, to Iron Mountain a short drive to the west in the Cascades, Sisters Country is painted each summer with the vibrant color of wildflowers. July tends to be the height of the season, so make sure your summer visit includes some time in the field. PHOTOS AND INFORMATION COURTESY DESCHUTES LAND TRUST
Bitterroot: May
Bitterroot, Lewisia rediviva. A desert beauty growing in rocky, open soils. White to pink flowers burst from rosettes on the ground. Named for Meriwether Lewis whose samples grew 2 years after collecting (rediviva = restored to life)!
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium. A
Yarrow: April-September
widespread native at home in sagebrush meadows and pine forests. Leaves are feathery and flowers grow on tall stems in an umbrella-like cluster. Each white flower has 3-5 rays and a yellow center.
Arrowleaf balsamroot, Balsamorhiza sagittata. One of our
Arrowleaf Balsamroot: May-June
showiest wildflowers lighting up hillsides with sunny, disk-like faces. Grows in clumps with large wide triangular leaves that have heart-shaped bases. Yellow flowers are 2½-4 in. wide on 1-3 ft. stems.
Red columbine, Aquilegia formsa.
Red Columbine: May-July
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A stunningly delicate native that grows in moist, partly shaded areas. Drooping bright red and yellow flowers grow on stalks up to 4 ft. tall. Hummingbirds and butterflies love columbine nectar.
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Spotted mountain bells, Fritillaria atropurpurea. A beautifully delicate native lily, found in forests near openings. Brownish bell- shaped flowers have yellow-red spots and grow 5-25 in. tall. This uncommon lily takes a keen eye to find!
Spotted Mountain Bells: June
Mariposa lily, Calochortus macrocarpus. A sagebrush jewel that blooms intensely lavender on tall 8-23 in. stems. Mariposa is ‘butterfly’ in Spanish, and kalo and chortos are Greek for ‘beautiful,’ and ‘grass.’
Mariposa Lily: June-July
Scarlet gilia, Ipomopsis aggregata. Trumpet-shaped, bright red flowers on stems up to 3 ft. tall. Flower color may vary from scarlet, speckled with white, to pale pink speckled with red. Grows in dry soils in woodland openings and meadows.
Scarlet Gilia: June-August
Washington lily, Lilium washingtonianum. This native lily seems like it came straight from the flower shop with its classic shape, smell, and size! Large white to pink flowers on tall, 2-8 ft. stems. Grows in dry forests and is named for Martha Washington.
Washington Lily: June-July
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(Hours subject to change)
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SISTERS IS FOR THE BIRDS! If you are fascinated with birds, Sisters is one of the best places in the world to be. Douglas Beall, who writes the “Sisters Country Birds” column for The Nugget Newspaper” calls Sisters unique. “There’s more woodpecker species here than any place on the planet,” he said. It’s not just woodpeckers, either. All kinds of birds call Sisters Country home, from magnificent raptors like golden eagles to songbirds. The Cascade Mountains transition from high alpine to high desert climate, and terrain makes for a wide variation in habitat within a relatively small area. “It’s very populated with many species,” Beall noted. Beall’s own favorites are warblers. “The warbler family is my favorite because they’re so hard to photograph,” he said. “They’re small and quick and often singular, high up in the trees.”
cker dpe oo W
He grew up in Illinois as a self-described “swamp creature” always out in nature. His mother introduced him to the wonders of the avian community, but it wasn’t until his own children were grown that he got serious about birding. A trip to Hawaii was a watershed moment. He discovered how many bird species are being extirpated by disruption of ecosystems.
Understanding behaviors allows him to anticipate a good shot — and it gives shape and purpose to time on the trail. “(Birding) takes you to places you would never go,” he said. “Birding extends your experience. You find out so many things about yourself when you’re out there.” There is no better place to deepen your experience of nature than here in Sisters Country, seeking to spot, identify and photograph birds.
“Somehow, that plays a chord in my heart,” he said. Passionate in all his endeavors, Beall became an avid birder and wildlife photographer.
The East Cascades Audubon Society website offers a variety of resources, including lists of good locations for birding: www.ecaudubon.org/birding locations.
“It’s meditative for me,” he said. Beall is in love with birdsong and considers himself a “bird behaviorist.” “Identifying birds by their note has always been a
tern Tan ag Wes
er
We nB er st
luebird
W h it e H e a d ed
Birding becomes a passion for many, profoundly enhancing the
challenge to me,” he said. “I love watching behaviors. That’s the main reason I take the quality of photos that I do.”
experience of being out in the forest, rimrock and sage. That’s certainly the case for Beall.
By Jim Cornelius
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HITTING THE LINKS By Bill Bartlett
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greens, and the spaciousness of the layout combine to make this an unforgettable course. Thousands of golfers consider Glaze Meadow to be the most iconic course in Central Oregon. Need a break from the long game? Black Butte’s Little Meadow Putting Course features 12 holes between 45 and 105 feet. Aspen Lakes is a privately owned, public golf course. It’s a standard par 72 at 7,302 yards from the back tees. The concept for the course began in 1987, when the Cyrus family acquired a 1,084-acre parcel adjacent to their family farm. The first nine holes were constructed in 1996 under the watchful eye of world-renowned course architect William Overdorf. The iconic red sand for the bunkers originated on the Cyrus property. Despite long distances and plenty of challenges, generous hole widths make this course manageable for all.
BLACK BUTTE RANCH
Within eight miles of town, golfers have a choice of three top-rung courses, two at Black Butte Ranch and one at Aspen Lakes. Black Butte Ranch, a public resort, hosts two of Oregon’s outstanding courses. The Ranch consists of 1,251 homesites. There are 33 miles of private roadways, 18 miles of bike paths, two 18-hole championship golf courses, 17 tennis courts, five swimming pools, three restaurants, a few shops and a general store. The 18-hole, 7,002-yard, par-72, Big Meadow Course, designed by Robert Muir Graves, opened in 1972. Both courses are outstanding for scenery and golfing enjoyment. They are carved out of pine forest with seven snowcapped mountains towering above. The Big Meadow Course is relatively easy to walk, although the back nine has more hills than the first. Sixteen holes reach into
the forest. Only two holes have boundaries, and only two run parallel. Such features make one aware of the expansiveness of the great outdoors. One of the most memorable holes is #14, a 417-yard par-4. The tee is set 75 feet above the green and offers a magnificent view of Three Fingered Jack. The stunning Big Meadow is a favorite among Oregon’s golfers, garnering numerous awards over its 30-plus years. This straightforward Robert Muir Graves design takes golfers through a grand journey of the Oregon Cascades. The 18-hole, 7,707-yard, par-72, Glaze Meadow Course, designed by Bunny Mason, was completed in 1980. Both courses are outstanding for scenery and golfing enjoyment. They are carved out of pine forest with seven snowcapped mountains towering above. There is a breathtaking beauty about the Glaze Meadow Course. White sand traps, blue sky, exquisite contouring of fairways and
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BILL BARTLETT
— By Bill Bartlett —
Equestrians are drawn to Sisters like a magnet. Single to eight-stall stock trailers dot the townscape during the warmer months. In Sisters you are no farther than one half mile from the center of town to the trailheads. And no more than five to 10 miles to a number of indoor and outdoor arenas where a range of instruction, schooling events, clinics and boarding await you. Whether you’ve never been on a horse or are training through all FEI levels, Sisters Country is a vast, yet intimate, setting for your equestrian aspirations. Whether just picking up a lesson or two or wanting to get yourself to the top levels of competition, spend a few days, a week or two or an entire summer in Sisters Country and fulfill your riding dreams.
popularity of horsemanship. It might take a few calls before your buddy is settled in one of nearly 500 boarding stalls within an easy driving radius of Sisters. Sisters has at least a half dozen licensed realtors who specialize in horse properties. You can also buy a horse in Sisters Country from any number of nationally recognized breeders. Sisters Country is particularly suited for buyers of quarter horses, Dutch warmbloods, Arabians, Appaloosas, paints, palominos, Tennessee Walkers and even
If you don’t own one or have no intention of buying one, not to worry. There are at least a half dozen ranches where you can get rides from 30 minutes to all day, from open meadows to pine forests. Guided rides are as close as 15 minutes to Sisters.
Boarding your horse? Like everywhere, stall space for horses is tight due to the area’s growing
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mules. You can find a gentled backyard mare or gelding for a few hundred bucks or easily spend $15,000 in Sisters Country for pedigreed equines. A leopard Appaloosa in nearby Powell Butte sold for $45,000 last year.
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For the accomplished rider looking for a long distance experience, Sisters is the epicenter for the legendary MetoliusWindigo Trail. This trail is more than 100 miles long and begins west of Sisters at the Bear Valley Trailhead and runs south to Windigo Pass south of Crescent Lake.
BILL BARTLETT
Sisters is horse country. And don’t let the Western-themed ambience of Sisters Country fool you. You’re just as welcome and will be just as much at home here with an English or Western saddle.
Oh, and don’t be surprised if while gallery strolling or shopping or dining in Sisters, a horse or two or more walk down the street. With a rider of course.
Open Every Day 6am-4pm 541-549-0361
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“Lucky Leprechuan” run and walk took place just before St. Patrick’s Day. Additional events are planned during the year. Check out the website at www. runsistersrun.com.
JAROD GATLEY
The established Sisters Trail Alliance (STA) routes (www. sisterstrails.org), including the most well-known Peterson Ridge System, offer runners of all levels of fitness options to be “set free” and are well marked and mapped. The Peterson Ridge trailhead features a brand new parking lot and restroom just on the edge of town out Elm Street/ Three Creeks Road.
RUNNING THE BACKROADS — By Charlie Kanzig —
Many years ago, a friend of mine here in Sisters began running in order to prepare for a triathlon. His routine kept him running around the threemile paved loop in the Tollgate subdivision. I invited him one morning to venture outside the fire exit gate and into the adjacent national forest that features dirt roads and trails in every direction. He would later reflect on that morning as the day I “set him free.” Two recent developments may help both visitors and
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locals to expand their running experiences. The Sisters Country Running Club began meeting in March 2022 as a way to build the running community in Sisters. All experience levels are welcome. Information on the meeting times can be found on the group’s Facebook and Instagram pages under Sisters Country Running Club. Also, in the past year, local resident Kelly Blither created RunSistersRun to promote running events in the area. The “Ugly Sweater Run” took place before Christmas and the
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The annual Peterson Ridge Rumble held in April, which includes distances of 20 and 40 miles, uses the Peterson Ridge Trail for much of its course. The STA website includes maps of the trails established and maintained by the group. One longtime resident said, “I can leave my house and head into the forest and within five minutes the buzz of the world is behind me. I seldom see another person.” Picture running along a forest trail with morning sunlight glowing on the old-growth yellow-belly ponderosas and hearing the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves of the quaking aspens along Indian Ford Creek and/or near Cold Springs Campground. The Indian Ford Trail can be accessed off of north Pine Street just before the pavement ends or, on the other end, from the Indian Ford Campground. Cold Springs is three miles west of town off of Highway 242. Trails established in recent
years along Whychus Creek south of Sisters are attractive in their own right with trailheads to be found by traveling out Three Creeks Road just a few minutes from town. The Metolius-Windigo trail, which is over 100 miles long, passes right through Sisters Country and can be accessed at many points, including near Cold Springs Campground, west of Black Butte Ranch, and at Cow Camp out Road 15 (Pole Creek Road). In the summer, be aware that the Windigo is commonly used by horse riders and can be quite dusty. Running the trails along the Metolius River near Camp Sherman has been described as getting a small sip from the fountain of youth. In contrast, east of Sisters the ecosystem changes to a dryer, juniper-dominant forest that affords open trails even through much of the winter. A relatively new trail system on BLM land off of Fryrear Road treats runners to a more rocky, rugged landscape that is within a 15-minute drive from downtown Sisters. What many visitors may not consider for running routes are the miles and miles of dirt and gravel roads that are available in all directions from downtown Sisters, many of which are intersected by the STA system. A good Forest Service map can come in handy for planning a run in Sisters Country. Maps can be purchased at the Sisters Ranger station. I have a tattered copy of my own with highlighted courses from over the years. Of course, staying safe is always something to keep in mind when running in unfamiliar places. Be sure to let someone know where you are going with some detail, consider not running alone, and be mindful of weather conditions. Proper hydration, especially in summer, is essential in the high desert.
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Kids, men’s and women’s clothing, swimsuits, PJ’s, shoes & sandals Hats • Purses • Sunglasses Camping and hiking essentials, pocket knives, sunscreen & bug spray, maps, books and toys Sisters logo-wear & gifts
The ease of access to off-road running and the multiple options to choose from makes Sisters a special place. “Living here, I could literally run a different route every day,” said Sean Meissner, director of the Peterson Ridge Rumble. Head out on a dirt path, pass between two ponderosa pine trees through the doorway of your next adventure and be set free.
290 W. Cascade Avenue, Sisters • 541-549-8424 Mon/Wed/Thurs 10-5 • Fri 10-5:30 Sun 11-5 • Closed Tues. WWW.SISTERSOREGONGUIDE.COM
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A PASSION FOR ROAD CYCLING Any time the pavement is dry in Sisters Country, you’ll see dozens of cyclists out on the roads. There are more every year, as cycling becomes a passion for more and more people who find it a great way to live a fit lifestyle while exploring our beautiful countryside. Sisters Country offers something for every cyclist, locals and visitors, weekend warriors and elite riders. Take a tour of rural backroads. Dig in for a heart-pounding mountain climb. With flat farmland roads and winding mountain climbs all within a few miles-radius of Sisters, this area has become a
magnet for cyclists from all over Oregon and beyond. Cycling is so attractive here that the State of Oregon has designated three routes in Sisters Country as scenic bikeways. One goes over McKenzie Pass on Highway 242; one takes riders east across rolling countryside and farmland to Smith Rock; the third is a series of loops along the Metolius River in Camp Sherman. ODOT notes that, despite common practice, the McKenzie Pass, which opens the third weekend in June — is NOT open solely to cyclists before it
opens to regular vehicle traffic. The area offers a wide variety of cycling experiences from easy tours to challenging climbs and everything in between. Traffic is generally not a problem and the weather is consistently good from March through October. Local bike shops — Blazin Saddles and Eurosports — are fountains of expertise. For extensive information about local rides, visit blazinsaddleshub.com (click on “Local Rides”) or eurosports. us/local_rides. These shops also offer group rides several times a week during the peak season.
JERRY BALDOCK
Riders of all levels can take a tour of relaxing rural backroads or dig in for a challenging, heart-pounding mountain climb
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Wildflower Studio
For Over 100 Years, In Ev Everyy S Season... s n...
Ar t Boutique & F raming
We Serve Up Fun For Everyone! y !
Picture Framing Local Artists Paintings • Prints Glass • Jewelry Handmade Bags Fiber Art & More 541.904.0673•103-B E. Hood Ave., Sisters Wed.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Open Tues. by appt. Closed Sunday & Monday WildflowerStudioArtandFraming.com
• Deli and Espresso • Food and Provisions • Fly Fishing Rods, Reels, Flies, Accessories, Classes, Gear Rentals • Camping Supplies Check our website for updates www.campshermanstore.com
Camp Sherman Store | 541 541-595-6711 595 6711
Donate. Shop. Volunteer.
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Thrift Store ReStore 541-549-1740
211 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters Mon.-Sat 10-5; Sun 12-4 seasonally
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Clothing • Housewares Toys • Books • Jewelry Collectibles • DVDs
541-549-1621
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Donation Hours: Tues-Sat 10-1
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Sisters Country 2022 EVENTS june Sisters Farmers Market Located at Fir Street Park. Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., June through early October. Local and fresh veggies, meats, fruits, honey, pickles, eggs, ice cream, artisan crafts, grains, and more! www.sistersfarmersmarket.com. 4th Friday Art Walks April through December. Stroll through downtown Sisters, enjoy beautiful art and meet artists. www.sistersartsassociation.org Xtreme Bulls June 8 | 6:30 p.m. Come see the best in bull riding at the Sisters Rodeo grounds. Ticket hotline: 800-827-7522. Contact: Sisters Rodeo Association, 541-549-0121 or sistersrodeo.com. Sisters Rodeo & Parade June 8-June 12 Come to “The Biggest Little Show in the World”! Now in its 80th year. Four performances sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association with a purse of over $100,000. Sisters Rodeo Parade, Saturday morning, 9:30 a.m. Ticket hotline: 800-827-7522. Contact: Sisters Rodeo Association, 541-549-0121 or sistersrodeo.com. Sisters Arts & Antiques in the Park June 11 & 12 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This annual event features a variety of arts, crafts, antiques, some commercial items, food, entertainment with a special fundraiser benefiting artists and crafters. Located at the Sisters School Administration Building. www.centraloregonshows.com
Crest the Cascades June 18 This annual bike ride over the McKenzie Pass offers some of the most spectacular scenery in Central Oregon. It starts and ends at the Sisters Park & Recreation District’s Coffield Center. Contact: Sisters Park & Recreation District, 541-549-2091 or sistersrecreation.com.
july Rumble on the Runway July 4 | 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sisters Eagle Airport presents the annual aircraft & automobile showcase with pancake breakfast, fundraising 5K run/walk, Great Rubber Chicken Drop and more! Contact: www.sistersairport.com. SOQS Quilt Walk Quilts are on display inside Sisters businesses during regular hours the month of July. Contact: Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, 541-549-0989 or www.www.soqs.org. Quilter’s Affair Monday-Friday, July 4-8 Five days of virtual quilting classes, lectures, and programs. Contact: Stitchin’ Post, 541-549-6061 or www.quiltersaffair.com. Sisters Quilts In The Garden Tour July 7 | 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 25th anniversary of the annual tour, presented by the Sisters Garden Club. Contact: www.sistersgardenclub.com. Continued on page 84
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Continued from page 83
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show™ July 9 The 47th year of the largest outdoor quilt show in the country will be held Saturday, July 9! Contact: 541-549-0989 or www.soqs.org. Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show Sunday! July 10 More quilting exhibits and special events that you can save for Sunday, at FivePine Conference Center. Contact: 541-549-0989 or www.soqs.org.
august Sisters Rhythm & Brews Festival August 12 & 13 This event takes place at Village Green Park featuring award-winning blues musicians and beer garden. Contact: www.sistersrhythmandbrews.com.
september Sisters Fall Street Festival September 3 & 4 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This successful annual event features a variety of arts, crafts, some antiques, some commercial items, food, beer-wine garden, entertainment with a special fundraiser benefiting artists and crafters. Downtown Sisters. www.centraloregonshows.com. Country Fair & Art Show September 16 & 17 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This annual event includes an art show and sale, silent auctions, music, homemade marionberry cobbler & ice cream, children’s games and much more. Free admission! All proceeds are donated to local community support agencies. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration at the corner of Hwy 242 and Brooks Camp Road. (1/8 mile from the intersection of Hwy 20 and Hwy. 242) For information call 541-549-7087.
www.sistersoregonguide.com for up-to-date event information
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“Glory Daze” Car Show September 24 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cruise through Sisters! All categories, makes and models, with vendors, awards and music with DJ Boogie. Downtown on Main Avenue. Sponsor and contact: Sisters Park & Recreation District, 541-549-2091 or www.sistersrecreation.com. Sisters Fresh Hop Festival September 24 | Noon to 6 p.m. The 11th annual event at Three Creeks Brewery & Landing Zone, 265 Barclay. Ticketed 21+ beer tent with free admission to child-friendly outdoor space. Over 15 breweries will feature fresh hop beer. Live music and food all day. Contact: Three Creeks Brewing Co., 541-549-1963, or threecreeksbrewing.com.
october Sisters Folk Festival September 30-October 2 The 26th annual celebration of Americana music from blues to bluegrass, includes performances by top folk artists and musicians. Sponsor and contact: Sisters Folk Festival, 541-549-4979 or www.sistersfolkfestival.org. Sisters Harvest Faire October 8 & 9 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Now in its 40th year, this fair brings together over 150 juried vendors of handcrafted quality arts and crafts, plus food and entertainment. Located downtown on Main Avenue. Free admission. Sponsor: Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, 541-549-0251 or www.sisterscountry.com.
november Sisters Holiday Celebration & Parade | TBD Annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Fir Street Park and Christmas parade on on Hood Avenue. Following the parade, visit with Santa Claus at the Chamber office on Main Avenue. Sponsor: Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, 541-549-0251 or www.sisterscountry.com. All event calendar information is subject to change.
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Sisters Folk Festival After an exhilarating folk festival in 2021, the Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) is looking ahead with excitement to bringing roots music again to Sisters and Central Oregon. More than 30 musical artists will perform at several stages throughout town. Artists include: indie folk duo The Milk Carton Kids, Le Vent Du Nord, Rainbow Girls, The Accidentals, Fireside Collective, Jeffrey Foucault, JigJam, Caroline Spence, The Sweet Water Warblers, Making Movies, The Small Glories, James Hill & Anne Janelle, Beth Wood, Seth Walker, and O’Connor Lee. Legendary singer, clarinet player, and New Orleans street musician, Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans will play the Festival,
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as will the 2021 SFF encore artist and songwriter, Emily Scott Robinson; the hard-driving bluegrass pickin’ and singing of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys; multitalented singer and songwriter Lindsay Lou; Cuban hip-hop, rap, and spoken word artist with her eight-piece band, Telmary & HabanaSana; old-time Americana multi-instrumentalist and clawhammer banjo player Hubby Jenkins; neo-acoustic super group Big Richard; guitar player, singer, and songwriter Sunny War; and folk duo Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno. “SFF continues to bring diverse voices, cultures, and music to the festival lineup, always trying to present something special and distinct,” said
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SFF Creative Director Brad Tisdel. “We believe there are great traditions to honor in bringing outstanding Americana roots music to town and in curating a few artists that surprise or thrill you with their own unique sound and delivery.” SFF is also looking ahead to the 2022 Americana Song Academy, taking place again at House on Metolius in Camp Sherman from September 26-29. Space is very limited. The academy is part of Sisters Folk Festival’s educational outreach programs, which include the Americana Project, providing music and visual arts opportunities in Sisters schools, and summer camp programing. SFF also books performances outside the Festival weekend.
BILL BARTLETT
SEPT 30 THROUGH OCT 2
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“THE BIGGEST LITTLE SHOW IN THE WORLD”
JUNE 8-12, 2022
• :30 PM JUNE 8, 2022 6
2023 DATES: JUNE 9, 10 & 11 (Xtreme Bulls June 7)
TICKETS 800.827.7522 or 541.549.0121 | SistersRodeo.com
Sisters Rodeo is back in the saddle and ready to spur out of the chutes after a two-year hiatus forced by pandemic restrictions. The 80-year-old event is coming back better and stronger than ever. They’ve added a new event — Breakaway Roping — a fast-paced event that will feature some of the top roping cowgirls in the sport. The all-volunteer Sisters Rodeo Association has installed new low-energy, high-output LED lamps that will dramatically improve illumination for the June 8-12 event. The lights will make for a better experience of evening performances.
RODEO
The greater benefit however will be to allow for high-definition TV coverage. This year’s rodeo will be live telecast on the Cowboy Channel and RFD TV, a pay television channel that caters to viewers with rural tastes and interests. According to Curt Kallberg, Sisters Rodeo Association board president, there will be new viewing areas with large-screen TVs, enabling guests to meet in the food or vending area without missing any of the action. The specialty act this year will be Felix Santana and his
Lusitano and Iberian warmblood cross, Gallahan. The duo will be performing a series of movements with roots in classical horsemanship also known as haute école or Alta Escuela training. The Saturday Rodeo Parade is returning on June 11, starting at 9:30 a.m. and led by Queen Mary Olney. Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will be on hand throughout the Rodeo. “The rodeo is so important to Sisters,” said Kallberg. “We’re convinced this will be our best rodeo ever, truly the biggest little show in the world.”
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JERRY BALDOCK
SISTERS
JUNE 8 THROUGH JUNE 12
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show number of quilts on display. The week prior to the show will be filled with events and educational opportunities. On Wednesday, July 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., SOQS will host an inspirational evening with Sujata Shah and a trunk show of her quilts. “Stories in Stitches” is a ticketed event and a fundraiser for the Quilt Show, held at the Sisters High School auditorium. Tickets are available at www. soqs.org/events. Master quilt makers teach classes and workshops during Quilt Week and exhibit their quilts at the Village Green. In addition, hundreds of quilts are displayed in “show-and-tell” exhibits — first time quilters, youth, and quilts made by men—throughout downtown Sisters. Quilt exhibitors range in age from 10 to 92 years old, and quilts on display come
to us from all over the world. The action isn’t over on Saturday. On Sunday, July 10, from 10 to 11 a.m., SOQS will host a lecture with Helen Robinson and Jenny Pedigo of Sew Kind of Wonderful, held at the FivePine Conference Center. The beloved Sisters Garden Club 25th Anniversary Quilts in the Garden tour is back this year, on Thursday, July 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is not affiliated with the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show — visit www.sistersgardenclub.com for more information. This is the 47th year of one of Sisters’ signature events, which grew from grass roots into international renown as a celebration of an art form — and a celebration of community.
JERRY BALDOCK
Community is the theme of this year’s Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS ) — a celebration of the people and place that make Sisters, and also the tribe of creatives who thrive on bringing color and fabric to vibrant life through quilting. The Quilt Show will wrap Sisters’ streets in over 900 quilts on July 9. This year, Hood Avenue will be closed to traffic, creating a relaxed atmosphere in which quilting enthusiasts can have a walkabout among the beautiful works of art – as well as enjoying perusing Sisters’ shops and stopping in at Sisters’ eateries. The new street closure (it used to be Cascade Avenue) offers expanded scope for festival-related activities. The show is designed to be walkable — intimate and not too spread out, despite the large
SAT JULY 9
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2022 SISTERS OUTDOOR QUILT SHOW™ — Always the Second Saturday in July — Free To Attend, Always Has Been, Always Will Be!
Celebrating the art, skill, and heritage of traditional and contemporary quilts for 47 years
• Quilts for viewing • Quilts for sale • WISH fabric postcards • Special exhibits FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO:
WWW.SOQS.ORG Or call 541-549-0989
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Sisters Rhythm & Brews After a two-year hiatus, the Sisters Rhythm and Brews Festival will be returning to Sisters in 2022. “We are elated to be back this summer,” said festival co-creator Joe Rambo. “Once again making use of our beloved Village Green Park!” The festival will be held for two days the weekend of August 12-13. Festival passes and single-day tickets are available at Bendticket.com and through www.sistersrhythmandbrews. com. This one-of-a-kind event will host an array of stellar, blues, funk and soul acts. Sisters Rhythm and Brews is proud to announce their initial lineup, starting with the return of Eric Gales.
Delvon Lamarr Organ him more time to Trio or DLO3. Rooted play, so we want to in the sounds of the do just that.” AND 1960s and ’70s, remThe 2022 iniscent of Booker T. lineup includes and the M.G.’s, DLO3 Serbian-born guispecializes in the lost tar virtuoso Ana art of feel-good music. Popovic. Her high-enerThe legendary Mr. Sipp gy set will showcase not only will return to reprise a stunning, Ana’s mesmerizing guitar skills crowd-pleasing performance. but also her phenomenal sixSince his last time playing piece touring band. Popovic has Sisters in 2012 at the Sisters Folk toured all across the globe and Festival, Pokey LaFarge has gone never shies away from an opporon to become one of the most tunity to jam with the greats. esteemed purveyors of American Drummer and inaugural Sisters roots music. Revisiting Howlin’ Rhythm and Brews performer Wolf’s catalog from the iconic Cedric Burnside recently collectChess Records, LaFarge has ed his first Grammy Award after composed a live performance that pays homage to the classic bluesman and includes some of his most famous and celebrated tracks. Visit www.sistersrhythman dbrews.com for additional artist announcements and more information.
AUG 12 AUG 13
M R . SI P P
photos by Jerry Baldock
ES GAL IC ER
Gales played the festival in 2019 where he received a standing ovation after an emotionally charged hour-long set. According to Jennifer Rambo, “The vast majority of feedback we received centered around getting Eric back here, and giving
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two previous nominations. He will return to the Sisters stage this year. Another new addition to this year’s festival line-up is the soul-jazz concoction
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OLD MILL DISTRICT | JAROD GATLEY
VISIT BEND & REDMOND
A day spent in Bend is a great way to enjoy a bit of “city” on your rural vacation — in a city that is still on a human scale. Venture down to Riverbend Park and stroll on the River Trail. Or go paddleboarding on the Deschutes. Or give your furry friend a fun session at the dog park. From there you can explore the Old Mill District with its shops and eateries. Be on the lookout for concerts by major national touring acts at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater in the Old Mill District.
in-water amenity offers a variety of river recreation opportunities including tubing, kayaking and surfing. Ride through The Fish Ladder for a little rapids adventure. For those who want to keep it mellow or who have children as part of the group, exit the river and walk to McKay Park to re-enter the river. If you are a whitewater kayaker, surfer or paddleboarder, The Whitewater Channel offers four wave features. Visit the Bend Whitewater Park’s main page at www.bendparksandrec.org/facility/bendwhitewater-park/.
Ply the Deschutes River at the Bend Whitewater Park, located in the Deschutes River near The Old Mill District in Bend. This
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High Desert Museum
Many folks take a day or two on their trip to Central Oregon to visit Bend or Redmond — both just about 20 miles down the road to the east and southbound.
One great way to venture out to Central Oregon’s largest city is to jump on the Bend Ale Trail — the biggest ale trail in the West. And you can jump on the trail right here in Sisters, starting at Three Creeks Brewing Co. Then head on down Highway 20. There is a dizzying array of breweries in Central Oregon, and this is a fun way to familiarize yourself with them. Pick up a passport at a participating brewery or print it out online at www. visitbend.com/bend-ale-trail. The High Desert Museum is a destination for visitors from across the region. Visitors encounter wildlife, explore the history and culture of the West and experience exceptional art collections and art exhibits on the 135-acre grounds. The Museum was recently awarded a $6 million grant from Sisters' own Continued on page 96
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Bend offers the spectacular Balloons Over Bend event, Friday-Sunday, July 22-24, filling the skies of Central Oregon with picturesque hot air balloons. Visit balloonsoverbend.com. The event will partner with the Redmond Chamber of Commerce to extend the fun into Redmond. As the sun sets over Redmond, balloons are set up and inflated for all to enjoy as they light up the
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night sky above the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. The event will feature some of Central Oregon’s favorite food trucks, breweries, live music and local vendors. Redmond, 20 miles east down Highway 126 from Sisters, is the location of the region’s airport at Roberts Field. It’s also the site of the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo, currently scheduled for August 3-7. The annual event — the largest in Central Oregon — features championship NPRA Rodeo, top name concerts, 4-H animal exhibitions, carnival rides, cotton candy and corn dogs, along with shopping and exhibits. Visit expo.deschutes.org/fair. The number one attraction in the Redmond area is Smith Rock
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Smith Rock State Park
Roundhouse Foundation to add more capacity for educational programming, create immersive experiences to bring visitors into the forest canopy, and — in collaboration with Tribal partners — fund an update of the Museum’s permanent exhibition on the past and present of the indigenous people of the Columbia Plateau.
State Park — one of Oregon’s most scenic features, where crags vault to the sky along the meandering Crooked River. It’s an international destination for rock climbers — and a great place for a day hike or a family picnic. Visit Redmond’s revitalizing downtown for dining and a stroll among its shops.
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Teacher instills
love of place
in students
By Jim Cornelius “The point of education is to find out what our gift is and how to give it to the world.” That’s the philosophy Sisters High School (SHS) biology teacher Rima Givot bases her craft upon. Her own gift is multifaceted: a love for science, for nature, for adventure in the outdoors — and teaching and coaching is her means of sharing that gift. Givot is herself a product of Sisters schools. She graduated in 1994, after moving here between her sophomore
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and junior year. Sisters, in a deep sense, became home immediately. “I just connected with the place here from the beginning,” she said. Givot’s path led her away from Sisters, to a Teach For America position in An Bonito, Texas for a year; to Colorado to study geology. But she always came back to Sisters in the summers. She studied geology at Colorado College, which was fulfilling to her love for science,
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but less fulfilling in other ways. She was captivated by field work in the canyons, but found it isolating. “I love science and I love nature, but I didn’t feel feel fulfilled just me out in the rocks,” she said. “I was just really wanting to serve.” During a sojourn back in Sisters, she started an outdoor program with the organization that would become Sisters Park & Recreation District, working Continued on page 100
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with Sisters’ youth program pioneer Tom Coffield. “I was passionate about working with the kids,” she said. It seems that life was leading her into teaching, and the pathway opened. There was a spot available in Sisters teaching astronomy, biology and wilderness First Aid. She worked with the Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition (IEE) program at Sisters High School from its inception. She started coaching crosscountry runners, and would eventually add alpine skiing to her portfolio. She took time out to be a mom, but found her way back to the classroom, where she inspires class after class of students. Sisters offers some unique educational opportunities. The outdoor education provided through IEE is one aspect. Givot also has access to the Trout Creek Conservation Easement near the school, which has become an outdoor classroom and laboratory. “This unique forest has become a long-term ecological research study area for our students, who have been visiting this area to learn about our local ecosystem,” she said. “Students learn to identify native plants and animals, conduct scientific field studies, and develop a sense of stewardship in the process.” Givot’s biology classes have been collecting data in the conservation area for over a decade, including plant and animal counts. Teaching outside the brickand-mortar classroom has a big impact. “They internalize the
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“
The point of
EDUCATION is to find out what
our gift is and how to
give it to the world.
”
experience when they’re out in the actual world,” Givot said. “They invest themselves more.” Students thrive when given a variety of ways to connect with subject matter. “I truly believe every student is capable of learning… and that they meet the expectations that we give them,” Givot said. “I also really believe that people need connection with their place to have purpose and grounding.” Givot loves partnerships and collaborations, and Sisters has offered a tremendous range of opportunities in that arena. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
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Center has partnered with SHS for field trips that have set the career path for more than one of Givot’s students. Students have had opportunities to run experiments with high-altitude balloons. The Sisters Science Club staged numerous science fairs to help students showcase their work. SHS has an active Astronomy Club that hosts star watch parties and where students contribute a monthly “Stars over Sisters” column to The Nugget Newspaper. Students have had opportunities to travel internationally for science education. “The dedication of the community members has been so critical,” Givot said. Rima Givot found her gift, and found a powerful way to give it to the world — through the exceptional opportunities created at Sisters High School and with a community that shares her love for our natural environment and for education.
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WRITING AND RISK-TAKING GO HAND IN HAND FOR SISTERS AUTHOR By Kit Tosello It’s hard to deny that for Melody Carlson the Sisters, Oregon life is conducive to writing. With over 300 published books, including some that have been adapted for film, she’s considered one of the most prolific writers of all time. Despite her success, on any given day Carlson approaches her craft the way she approaches everything— with a fresh spirit of adventure and no shortage of tenacity. Of late, this combination has catapulted her into the world of screenwriting. “Even as a young person, I was always a risk-taker,” said Carlson,
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who by the age of 18 already had her associate’s degree and was on a boat headed for Papua, New Guinea. There she taught preschool for a year before traveling the world by herself. “I’m wired that way. Writing is risky, throwing yourself out there. I’m one of those people who couldn’t not write.” She’s also one of those people who can’t not shake things up now and then. There came a day when Carlson was determined to hone a new skill: crafting screenplays based on her books. Patience and persistence paid off. Early in 2022, Carlson was on location in Colorado to observe production
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of “The Happy Camper,” the film adaptation of her novel of the same name. With executive producer Brian Bird of “When Calls the Heart” fame at the helm, she’s confident the movie will do justice to her story of a young, disillusioned woman, Dillon, who returns to her hometown in Oregon. In the process of rehabbing a dilapidated trailer, Dillon reinvents her life and finds romance. In writing “The Happy Camper,” Carlson drew on her own experience of fixing up a 16-foot 1963 Oasis with an overcab. At a key time, the project offered Continued on page 104
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a healthy outlet. “I was tired of writing. I was in transition. I saw an old, beat-up trailer on the side of the road (in Sisters) for $2,000,” she explained. Applying an aqua-and-orange Southwestern theme, Carlson overhauled the camper top to bottom, inside and out. “The Happy Camper” is the second of Carlson’s novels to become a movie. The first, “All Summer Long,” premiered on the Hallmark Channel in 2019. A number of her other projects appear to be on their way to the screen as well, including “Looking for Leroy,” which released as a novel in 2022. Pure Flix Entertainment, a division of Sony, has plans to turn Carlson’s 16-book “Diary of a Teenage Girl” series into a made-for-TV series for teens. That collaboration is looking good, but as she puts it, “Nothing’s ever sure until it’s sure.”
“God’s creation is so amazing and it never fails to inspire me, she said.” Carlson writes in a variety of genres including children’s picture books, teen novels, women’s fiction, and e-book serials. Among the awards she has accrued are the Romantic Times’ Career Achievement Award, the Rita, and the Gold Medallion. Her stories venture from serious issues like schizophrenia (“Finding Alice”) to lighter topics.
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“In my teen books, I try to pick hot topics that today’s adolescents are challenged by,” she said. “I realize that not every teen will face every issue, but they might know someone who does. Teens have it tough these days. With all the media slamming them with questionable values, combined with some rough family issues, I want to use my fiction to give teens tools and answers and to hopefully equip them to make better choices in their lives.” Carlson and her husband, Chris, have lived in Sisters since 1994. They have two grown sons and two grandchildren. She and Chris are drawn to nature. “God’s creation is so amazing and it never fails to inspire me,” she said. “Whether it’s taking a walk in the woods or the beach, riding bikes, cross-country skiing in winter, or just gazing out a window, we love being connected to the great outdoors.” Recently, the Carlsons completed a new home for which Melody contributed the design work and Chris, most of the construction. It’s not by accident that her favorite room, the den, with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and deep sofas, is well-positioned to catch every high desert sunset. “If I’m not doing something creative, I’m not happy,” she said.
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“Gardening, home decorating, anything. I just grew up thinking that was normal. My sister and I were raised by a single mom with limited financial resources. “But you name a craft, we did it— stained glass, candles, macrame.” It’s that creative curiosity, along with her natural-born pluck, that she says makes every new writing project an adventure. “It’s like exploring unknown territory with every story I write. There’s still so much to learn, and I hope that I’m improving my craft with each book.” To learn more about Melody’s books and keep up with future news, visit www.MelodyCarlson. com.
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The Storyteller — by Craig Rullman — photo by Jarod Gatley
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Jennings.” with frontier history from the Jim Cornelius, editor in chief Cornelius’ path to Editor in time I was a little kid, that fed my of The Nugget Newspaper, is a Chief of The Nugget Newspaper desire to be out in the woods renaissance man. Author of the and the wilderness and having book “Warriors of the Wildlands: was not a straight line. Armed adventures. I gravitated toward True Tales of the Frontier with a degree from the folk music, Americana, and counPartisans,” he is also the founder University of California, Santa try music because it felt like a of the wildly successful Frontier Cruz, and an abiding interest in soundtrack to all of that.” Partisans website and podcast, a history, he came to Sisters withCornelius’ band, the Anvil writer at the Running Iron Report out a job in hand. “Marilyn had Blasters, with Mike Biggers, Lynn website, a recognized scholar of a job, but I worked at a variety Woodward, and Jeff Wester, is frontier history, an accomplished of places,” Cornelius said. “I a Sisters Country staple and musician, and a founding memworked at the hardware store, can be found most Wednesday ber of the Sisters Folk Festival. at the bookstore, but I’d always evenings through the summer Cornelius is also an avid had an interest in writing and playing live on the lawn at Black shooter, and can sometimes so I approached Erik Dolson Butte Ranch. be found at the Zimmerman (former owner of The Nugget pit engaged in what Newspaper) to see if is now popuhe was interested larly known as The in having me come I was that classic kid who Frontier Partisan on board as a freeBiathlon, a rigorlancer. So I started ous personal freelancing and an training routine opportunity opened involving kettleup to become a bells and precision staff reporter. Then I marksmanship. moved from staff to “My wife, Marilyn, editor, and eventuand I moved here ally editor in chief. in October of “I wondered at I was supercharged by the stuff that 1993,” Jim says. “I first,” Cornelius I read when I was young...and that grew up in the Los says of the ability Angeles area and to sustain a jouris still what drives me, to move my parents had a nalism career in a cabin in a little town small town, “How people the way I was moved. called Wrightwood. deep can the well I always wanted be in a town of this In literature, a young Jim to end up in a place where I size? And it turns out the well is Cornelius was influenced by the could run around in the woods. bottomless. So many interesting hard-boiled novels of Robert We’d just been married and people have come to Sisters and E. Howard, creator of Conan, LA was still upside down due continue on doing interesting among other notable fictional to the Rodney King riots, and things. The bread and butter of characters, and also the masterwe didn’t want to raise a family The Nugget Newspaper is the work of Allan W. Eckert. “Eckert there. Sisters was tiny when we people stories.” wrote ‘The Frontiersmen,’ a moved here, only six hundred or After thirty years in Sisters biography of Simon Kenton,” so people in the city limits, and Country, Cornelius has seen and Cornelius told the Sisters Oregon I’ve been running around in the reported on many of the changGuide. “My brother gave it to me woods ever since.” es. “The community now is a lot when I was 13 and that was it.” The melding of music and more vibrant in a lot of ways,” he As for musicians he is unequivoliterature in his life was not, cal: “The hub of my musical Cornelius says, “a conscious Continued on page 108 wheel has always been Waylon plan, but I was so enamored
“
met dragons, flew on spaceships, and travelled across the continent because I read a lot.
”
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says. “The high school reopened the year before we moved here and that was a big thing for the community. It made it feel like a place where people were invested in enrichment and creating a future for kids.” The chief editor of a newspaper holds a distinct and important position in any community, and it comes with a responsibility to remain circumspect. Cornelius also notes an influx of people moving to Sisters. “There is a risk,” he says, “when you come from an urban environment to a small town that you bring the big city with you. I don’t think most people mean to do that. It’s important that people hold the door open for each other at the post office, and know their neighbors and chat with them. I always liked that you can stop your truck in the middle of the street to talk with someone coming the other way and nobody honks at you, they just drive around.” Because the editor’s office in any small-town newspaper is a kind of community vault, and frequently a place for mediation, the Sisters Oregon Guide wondered what folks in Sisters might be surprised to learn about their town. “People that were born and raised here stayed here for a reason, people move here for a
reason,” Cornelius said. “There is a lot of intentionality and people feel invested. People might be surprised at how much others are willing to recognize a different point of view than the one they walked into the room with. Being able to do that is a skill, a dying art, but people are willing to walk in and hear a different point of view, mine or another person’s, and allow themselves to modify their opinions a little bit. I like bridging gaps between people. That comes naturally to me, and it’s very satisfying when that happens.” The intentionality Cornelius notes in Sisters Country is similar to the drive in the frontier histories he has made a lifetime study. “The people who fought the battles of empire all over the world were often irregulars, not professionals,” he says. “It goes back to how the Sisters Folk Festival was created. If you want music, you have to make it. So some regular folks have to step up and get it done, and figure it out as they go. And to me that is a very American spirit.” And there are other examples. “We had a classroom raising here in Sisters,” Jim says. “The elementary school was overcrowded, so Curt Kallberg said, ‘Why don’t we just build some classrooms?’ And we did. It was a great community
project and the governor even showed up for the dedication. One of the reasons I’ve been in Sisters for 30 years is because there has been a lot of that ‘cabin raising’ feeling, and if people want it they come together and make it happen. That’s the best of Sisters, for me.” For Cornelius, the circle he rides begins and ends at storytelling. “I’m a consumer of stories, and a teller of stories, and everything is framed that way to me. I was that classic kid who met dragons, flew on spaceships, and traveled across the continent because I read a lot. I was supercharged by the stuff that I read when I was young...and that is still what drives me, to move people the way I was moved. I always experienced reading as if I was living it.” Print journalism in America faces challenges from digital media and social media platforms, but Cornelius is confident that The Nugget Newspaper has a bright future. “People value it,” he says, “and they show they value it by advertising in it or supporting subscriptions. We are lucky that Sisters is a reading demographic. We definitely have to adapt to the different ways people consume stories, but we will always be a newspaper as long as they are making newsprint.”
True tales of the adventurers, rangers and scouts who fought the battles of Empire, and the indigenous resistance that stood in their path.
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Film captures the way of life of the
BUCKAROO on the traditional values of the rural West: faith, family, friends, and community, as seen through the eyes of those who make their lives and homes across the American outback. Writer and documentary filmmaker Craig Rullman tapped Sisters native Samuel Pyke of Hillshadow Pictures to film the work, with additional assistance from freelance filmmaker Cody Rheault, also of Sisters. Rullman originally conceived of the film as a portrait of artist and Paisley-area buckaroo Len Babb. Babb has frequently shown his work in Sisters. “It started with Len, for me,
because he works in that legacy of [legendary Western artist] Charlie Russell, and has been a working cowboy all his life,” Rullman said. However, he noted, “the movie evolved over time.” There were interrelated stories that evolved out of tracing Babb’s life in the saddle, working for a variety of ranches in the Great Basin. Those stories evolved into a portrait of a community and the lifeways and culture of the Great Basin buckaroos —which is reflected in the title. Being on “the outside circle” means, in a literal sense, riding big circles through wide-open Continued on page 112
Craig Rullman, center, with Al Jackson and Victoria Jackson, buckaroos of the Paiute-Shoshone nation.
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PHOTO PROVIDED
Something about a buckaroo on a horse in beautiful country continues to speak powerfully to the American soul. A Sisters team of filmmakers has captured the buckaroo way of life in a documentary film that is currently gaining buzz on the film festival circuit. “The Outside Circle: A Movie of the Modern West” is a documentary film about the life and legacy of Great Basin cowboys and ranchers as they work to preserve their culture and traditions in a rapidly changing world. Filmed on locations throughout Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Wyoming, and Idaho, this movie focuses
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a tremendous reputation for just being great hands.” Rullman was drawn to the diversity reflected in the many lives of the Great Basin buckaroos, and also the sense of community built around that way of life. And there is something about buckarooing that brings out the artist in the people who live the life, and appeals to those of an artistic bent in other walks of life. “Some of what drew me in this direction was doing a little work for the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, and seeing their commitment to creating functional art,” Rullman said. Many buckaroos braid exquisite horsehair tack; others excel in engraving spurs or in leatherwork
and saddle making (Babb and his son are also noted saddle makers). Exceptional artistry is an unexceptional aspect of the buckaroo way of life. “That line between art and life is blurred,” Rullman said. Through “The Outside Circle: A Movie of the Modern West,” Rullman hopes to remind audiences that the cowboy life is not a relic of a distant American past, but an ongoing, vital, contemporary American way of life. The film was accepted for the prestigious Hill Country Film Festival in Fredericksburg, Texas, in June, and Rullman is working on wide distribution. View a teaser trailer for the film at https://bit.ly/outsidecircle.
PHOTO PROVIDED
country, checking on cattle, finding lost cattle, rounding up cattle — the fundamental job of the buckaroo. It’s also a metaphor for a life lived on the outskirts of mainstream, modern society. “We can’t tell Len’s story without telling the story of the Murphy family and their five generations in Paisley, trying to build a ranch and a business and a healthy family,” Rullman said. And, from the beginning, Rullman knew that he wanted to document the life and work of Paiute buckaroos, which is found in the lives of the Crutcher and Jackson families in northwestern Nevada. “In the Great Basin,” Rullman explained, “native cowboys have
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Landing on ice at the North Pole, Shane Lundgren led two attempts to make the pole in Russian biplanes.
A LIFE OF AVIATION ADVENTURE By Jim Cornelius In the mid-1990s, Shane Lundgren was flying on the knife’s edge of adventure, in some of the most hostile environments known to aviators. Those adventures, along with other achievements in the field, earned him nomination among the Living Legends of Aviation. The Camp Sherman resident grew up on the wing. His father, Kim Lundgren, was a navigator for PanAm, and the founder in 1978 of Air Berlin. Shane was born in Palo Alto, California, and went to university in San Diego, majoring in history and economics. He thought he was headed into a career in law. But the pull of aviation was strong — he had started getting his ratings and licenses at the earliest possible ages. In 1982, he checked out in the Boeing 737 operated by Air Berlin. At the age of 21, Lundgren
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was the youngest person to fly the 737 commercially. He wasn’t going to law school. From 1982 to 2012, he would fly as a captain for Air Berlin. These were historic times. Shane was on hand when the Berlin Wall came down. “I kind of feel like Forrest Gump,” he said. “I was at the Wall, and all these historic events are going on around you.” When the Wall fell, Air Berlin “was kind of this strategically placed airline,” Lundgren said. German investors bought in, and the carrier, which flew to Moscow, went from being a U.S. airline to a German one — the only airline in history to change flags in this manner. Flying for Air Berlin, Lundgren took routes to Moscow and beyond — and a wild notion began to grow. “I got pretty interested in barnstorming across Siberia,” he said.
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Shane Lundgren is taking his place as a Living Legend of Aviation.
“Barnstorming” was a popular phenomenon in the early days of aviation, when pilots would fly into rural communities, often landing in a field near a barn, and put on impromptu airshows. It has come to designate an expedition that travels town-to-town in short hops. With Russia opening up to the West after the fall of the Soviet Union, it seemed that it would be possible to barnstorm from village to village across the vast spaces of arctic Siberia. It took years to bring the project to fruition, but in 1994, WIRED Magazine got Continued on page 116
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behind the idea — and it became the first “online” expedition, recounted on the then-new World Wide Web, as well as on the pioneering magazine’s pages. “It was chaotic to try to organize that trip,” Lundgren recalled. Folks in Arctic Siberia who had lived under the controls of the Soviet Union were not used to foreigners showing up in Russian Atonov An-2 biplanes and pulling out giant satellite phones. And “uploading” stories and photos from Siberia wasn’t viable for an infant Internet — Lundgren and his colleagues had to work the old-fashioned way, dictating the text of stories, and entrusting digital photo files to a businessman who was returning to the United States and offered to deliver them to WIRED. The adventure was wild and woolly — but satisfying enough to do it again the following year, this time under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute’s Arctic Studies Center, who wanted to visit and chronicle the lives of indigenous peoples in the wilds of Siberia, from Yakutsk to the Bering Straits. During this time, Lundgren had taken to carrying the Explorer’s Club Flag #7, an honor accorded to few explorers. Lundgren’s Living Legends of Aviation nomination notes that “carrying the historic Flag #7 from the Explorers Club across Siberia led Shane to cross the paths of historic early arctic pilots George Hubert Wilkins and Ben Eielson, who attempted flying over the top of the world in the late 1920s.” Lundgren recalls that he “got increasingly intrigued with the idea of flying to the North Pole.”
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In 1997, he and several other adventurers made an attempt to reach the North Pole in Lundgren’s Atonov An-2 biplanes. They were turned back by mechanical problems. The unsuccessful attempt was documented by National Geographic in a film titled “Antonovs Over the Arctic,” which can be viewed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ZGc2KbB7HMc. In the film, Lundgren says, “We could have made the Pole, we just wouldn’t have ever come back from the Pole. And it’s just like going to the summit of Everest — if you’re within a hundred meters and you know you can make it, but you don’t think you can get down, what’s the point? The point is to live and to come back and to do other things.” The following year, Lundgren and his team returned for another shot. The North Pole offers a very narrow weather window when a pilot can hope for sufficient light to see where to land and no fog to obscure the view. For Lundgren the window opened on April 13, 1998. Landing itself is tricky, since the North Pole is not a land mass. “You have to find a piece that’s big enough to land,” Lundgren said. Then the pilot must make test touch-downs to make sure the ice will hold. Lundgren found his spot and made his landing. He said it was -30 degrees, but beautiful. The team left the engines running while they took in the moment — then they climbed back in the cockpit and took off. The return flight was not without adventure.
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Stronger-than-expected headwinds meant they had insufficient fuel to hit their destination of Spitsbergen, Norway, so they had to divert to a Danish Air Station at the top of Greenland before making the Norway leg. Lundgren donated his Antonov An-2, dubbed Polar 1, to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. To get it there, in 1999 he flew across the North Atlantic and across the USA. Lundgren lives in Camp Sherman, where he served on the Black Butte School Board for a decade from 2007 to 2017. “Since I’ve been here, it’s been raising a family and being a developer,” he said. He still has his hand in the aviation world, as CEO of the company he founded in 2015, Metolius Aviation Capital, which provides financial services to the commercial aviation market. Lundgren is modest — almost abashed — about being honored as a nominee by Living Legends of Aviation at a gala in Beverly Hills, California, on January 21. The event’s emcee was John Travolta, and many actors and other celebrities — such as Harrison Ford — who have a passion for aviation attended. “It’s celebrity-meets-aviation, a little bit,” Lundgren said. “It’s a nice mix of interesting people who are genuinely interested in aviation.” Lundgren’s exploits, and his ongoing work in the field, will place him with the likes of Chuck Yeager, Bud Anderson, Tom Cruise, and Harrison Ford — and his father, Kim Lundgren, — among the Living Legends of Aviation.
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camping
ALLEN SPRINGS Season: Year-round (weather permitting). Location: On Metolius River, 5 miles north of Camp Sherman Store. Access: From Sisters, 9.6 miles northwest on Hwy. 20, then 11.1 miles north on Road 14. Elevation: 2,750 feet. Facilities: Vault toilets, no water. Sites: 16, best suited to tents. Activities: Catchand-release fishing, trails. Rates: $21-$23. Reservations: Some at recreation.gov or for additional info, call 541-3231746.
ALLINGHAM Season: May-September (weather permitting). Location: On Metolius River, one mile north of Camp Sherman Store. Access: From Sisters, 9.6 miles northwest on Hwy. 20, then 6.1 miles north on Road 14, then one mile north on 1419. Elevation: 2,900 feet. Facilities: Vault toilets, piped drinking water. Sites: 10. Activities: Catch-and-release fishing, trails. Rates: $21 per night. Reservations: None. www.recreation.gov.
CANDLE CREEK Season: May-September (weather permitting). Location: Last campground on the Metolius River in Camp Sherman. Access: From Sisters, 12.4 miles northwest on Hwy. 20, then 12.3 miles north on Road 12 and then 1.6 miles east on Road 1200 980. Elevation: 2,700 feet. Facilities: Vault toilets; no water. Sites: 10. Activities: Catch-and-release fishing, trails. Rates: $14 per
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night. Reservations: Some at recreation.gov or for additional info, call 541-323-1746.
COLD SPRINGS Season: May-October (weather permitting). Location: On Hwy. 242 west of Sisters. Access: From Sisters, 4.2 miles west on Hwy. 242. Elevation: 3,500 feet. Facilities: Vault toilets, handpump drinking water. Sites: 22. Activities: Birdwatching, hiking, biking. Rates: $18 per night. Reservations: Some at www.recreation.gov or for additional info, call 541-323-1746.
CREEKSIDE CAMPGROUND Season: April-October with Camp Host. Location: City of Sisters, 504 S. Locust St. Access: From S. Locust St. and from Desperado Trail. Elevation: 3,100 feet. Facilities: Restrooms, showers, tables and fire pits. Sites: 60 camp sites include 27 full-hookup plus non-hookup, tent, and hiker/biker sites. Activities: On Whychus Creek downtown, walking, bike-riding. Rates: $25-$50 per night based on site. Reservations: 541323-5218 or 541-549-6022. Details: ci.sisters.or.us.
SCOUT LAKE Season: May-September (weather permitting). Location: Near Suttle Lake, 16 miles west of Sisters. Access: From Sisters, 12 miles northwest on Hwy. 20, left on F.S. Road 2070, then under a mile and left on F.S. Road
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2066. Elevation: 3,600 feet. Facilities: Beach, vault toilets, piped water, tables and fire pits. Sites: 10. Activities: Swimming (large beachfront), hiking, popular group/family meeting location. Rates: $20$60 per night. Reservations: recreation.gov or for additional info, call 541-323-1746.
SOUTH SHORE SUTTLE LAKE Season: May-September (weather permitting). Location: On Suttle Lake, 16 miles west of Sisters. Access: From Sisters, 12 miles northwest on Hwy. 20, left on F.S. Road 2070, then under a half mile to entrance on the right. Elevation: 3,400 feet. Facilities: Vault and wheelchair-friendly toilets, piped water, tables and grills. Sites: 38. Activities: Fishing, boating, water skiing, hiking. Rates: $23 per night. Reservations: Some at www.recreation.gov or for additional info, call 541-323-1746.
THREE CREEK LAKE Season: June-September (weather permitting). Location: On Three Creek Lake. Access: From Sisters, take Elm Street (becomes Road 16) south 16 miles (last 2.1 miles rough and rocky, not RV friendly). Elevation: 6,500 feet. Facilities: Vault toilets. Sites: 11. Activities: Fishing, non-power boating, hiking. Rates: $19 per night. Reservations: recreation.gov or for additional info, call 541-323-1746.
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Affordable, classic family dining in a friendly atmosphere Burgers • Pizza • Sandwiches Salad Bar & Much More! Enjoy our patio and fire pit!
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Escape the ordinary
Visit the Olympic Peninsula Washington
GET AW AY You r 20 22
to P o
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Sup plem ent to t he P ort Tow nsen d
&
Jeffe
Jeffe rson
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Cou nty
& th e Ol
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Charming Towns Artisan Food • Local Farms Theatre • Live Music • Art Galleries Whale Watching • Blue Sky Beaches
Cou nty Lead er
ptleader.com • enjoypt.com 122
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20
Gas Station
126
To Medical To 242
Ranger Station
Medical
N. OAK ST.
S. OAK ST.
N. PINE ST.
S. PINE ST.
To Sisters High School & Sisters Middle School
McKenzie Pass
HWY 242 WEST:
Metolius Recreation Area, Camp Sherman, Black Butte Ranch, Suttle Lake, Hoodoo, Portland, Eugene, Salem, Albany
HWY 20 / 126 WEST:
SISTERS PARK DR.
Fire Station & Community Hall
W. HOOD AVE.
Barclay Park & Restroom
W. CASCADE AVE.
W. MAIN AVE.
W. ADAMS AVE.
Medical
E. ASPENWOOD AVE.
E. BLACK BUTTE AVE.
Clemens Park Playground & Restroom
Sheriff’s Office
Chamber
Nugget Newspaper
20 Gas Station
126
City Hall
Library
To Sisters Elementary School
Bend, Mt. Bachelor, High Desert Museum, FivePine
HWY 20 EAST:
Aspen Lakes Golf Course, Eagle Crest Resort, Redmond, Terrebonne, Madras
HWY 126 EAST:
Post Office
Map is not to scale. Map copyright Sisters Oregon Guide. All rights reserved.
Village Green Park Playground & Restroom
E. WASHINGTON AVE.
E. HOOD AVE.
E. CASCADE AVE.
Gas Station
Fir St. Park & Restroom
E. MAIN AVE.
E. ADAMS AVE.
Elm Street divides downtown Sisters into east and west. N. ELM ST. S. ELM ST.
N. FIR ST. S. FIR ST.
Recycle Center
N. LARCH ST. S. LARCH ST.
N. ASH ST. S. ASH ST.
N. CEDAR ST. S. CEDAR ST.
N. SPRUCE ST. S. SPRUCE ST.
N. LOCUST ST. S. LOCUST ST.
DINING Black Butte Ranch: 7 miles west of Sisters on Hwy. 20. | 877-431-5738 | 541-595-1252 blackbutteranch.com | Offering outstanding dining options amidst the most spectacular views in Central Oregon. The Lodge Restaurant (closed until 2023) features Northwest cuisine and majestic views of the Cascades. The Aspen Lounge (closed until 2023) offers a scenic vista for inspired cocktails and light fare. Robert’s Pub is the perfect gathering place for families and golfers, featuring salads, burgers and microbrews. Lakeside Bistro is the ideal spot to take in the beauty of the mountains and lake and enjoy espresso, fresh pastries, savory sandwiches and artisan pizza. BlackButteRanch. com/dining. See ad on page 60. Camp Sherman Store: 25451 SW FS Road 1419, Camp Sherman | 541-595-6711 | campshermanstore.com | Serving the best in food, beverages, and groceries, all with a smalltown charm. Grab a cup of coffee or espresso and a freshly baked pastry in the morning and come back later for our sandwiches and burgers dubbed the “best in Oregon.” Their words, well…ours too! We also have salads, breakfast sandwiches, and burritos. We have a wide range of groceries and specialty items, and don’t miss our cooler full of healthy beverages, soft drinks, beer & wine. Eat on our picnic tables or take your lunch to go. See ad on page 81. Faith Hope & Charity Vineyard: 70450 N.W. Lower Valley Dr., Terrebonne | 541-526-5075 faithhopeandcharityevents.com | Close to Sisters. Nestled in the heart of Central Oregon, the vineyard is far from the ordinary wine country experience. Using grapes carefully chosen for our mountain climate, we’ve crafted award-winning wines. Combined with the scenic beauty and captivating location, it all adds up to an unforgettable wine country experience. Tasting room open daily, noon to 5 p.m. Live music throughout the year. Vineyard estate home sites available. See ad on page 21.
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Hardtails Bar and Grill: 175 N. Larch St. 541-549-6114 | hardtailsoregon.com. Open 7 days a week, 10 a.m. to midnight weekdays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. weekends. Now serving breakfast! Full bar; 16 brews on tap. Live music, large dance floor, indoor/outdoor seating on the patio. Outdoor concert venue. Pool tables, video poker, darts, karaoke and video lottery. Watch your favorite sports on our 7x7 JumboTron. Delicious specialty burgers including elk and buffalo. Always open late! See ad on page 101. Lake Creek Lodge: 13375 SW Forest Service Road #1419, Camp Sherman | 541.588.2150 lakecreeklodge.com | Newly renovated in 2021, our restaurant now boasts the best pizza in Central Oregon. Our secret sourdough crust is topped with a variety of your favorites and accompanies cold beer, wine, salads and appetizers. Hang out by the fire in our knotty pine dining room or dine on the deck next to lovely Lake Creek. Open year-round, check our website for current hours and specials. See ad on page 68. Rainshadow Organics: 71290 Holmes Road, Sisters | 541-977-6746 www.rainshadoworganics.com/calendar/ The farm-to-table kitchen at Rainshadow Organics serves up inspired brunches, intimate dinners, and private events with an intentional, full-story approach to ingredients, menus, and the dining experience. The unique partnership between our farmers and in-house culinary team creates a true farm-to-table meal in which the ethics of our farm are honored on the plate – organic, regenerative, humane, honest, local, seasonal, and good for the environment. Dinners and brunches held monthly; advance tickets are required. See ad on page 26. Sisters Bakery: 251 E Cascade Ave. 541-549-0361 | sistersbakery.com | Since 1981, Sisters Bakery has been an essential part of any Central Oregon adventure. Get hooked on our famous scones, sourdough bread, donuts, and pastries. Espresso drinks and single-origin house coffee. Shop our pantry for local salts, teas, homemade jams, granola, and merchandise. See ad on page 77.
Sisters Coffee Co.: 273 W. Hood Ave. 541-549-0527 | sisterscoffee.com | Sisters Coffee Co. is a family owned and operated roastery and retailer, based in Sisters since 1989. We focus on sourcing, roasting and serving high-quality craft coffees in our cafe and throughout our regional wholesale program. Our cafe is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., serving fresh baked pastries and locally sourced food items on our breakfast and lunch menus. See ad on page 105.
Sno Cap Drive In: 380 W. Cascade Ave. 541-549-6151 | Since 1952, a slice of Americana and a Sisters classic! Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. (Hours subject to change.) Featuring 100% high-quality ground chuck burgers cooked the old-fashioned way, yummy fries, onion rings, chicken strip baskets, chili dogs and more, with incredible homemade ice cream and milkshakes, including soft-serve. Families have been returning for decades! See ad on page 38.
Sisters Depot Kitchen & Cocktail Bar: 250 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-904-4660 | SistersDepot. com | Your favorite local, woman-owned, nosh and watering hole where you can find great homemade food, craft cocktails, wine and beer, all sourced from the Pacific Northwest. Glutenfree and vegetarian options available. Enjoy our fabulous outdoor courtyard listening to live music on our stage, or follow us to see what new events we’re bringing to you. Sisters Depot is perfect for hosting your event in our private dining room, courtyard or regular dining room. See ad on page 72.
Spoons: 281 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-719-0572 Open Monday - Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving up spoonfuls of delicious breakfast and lunch. Start your day with Carrie’s famous hashbrowns, a fabulous breakfast burrito, pancakes, waffles or eggs, bacon and toast. Come by for lunch and enjoy the most delectable sandwiches, soups and salads, including our gourmet grilled cheese specialties and the best Reuben in Sisters. Top off your visit with some frozen yogurt. Order online at https://spoons-of-sisters.square.site/ See ad on page 59.
Sisters Farmers Market: Located at Fir Street Park | www.sistersfarmersmarket.com | Sundays, June to October, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local and fresh veggies, meats, fruits, honey, pickles, eggs, ice cream, artisan crafts, grains, and more! Featuring some of Central Oregon’s best vendors. The market features a lovely outdoor venue creating a safe and welcoming atmosphere with plenty of social distancing to do your shopping! See ad on page 29.
Takoda’s: 425 W. Hwy. 20 (next to Bi-Mart) 541-549-8620 | takodassisters.com | Full-service restaurant & lounge offering lunch, dinner and take-out. Family friendly, and accommodates large groups easily. Some menu items include awesome pizzas, PNW Ray’s meat products, fresh locally baked Big Ed’s focaccia sandwiches, our always-fresh salad bar, house-made soups, homemade desserts, local microbrews, a variety of wines & more. Enjoy our beautiful outdoor patio dining with live fire pit, or challenge friends to horseshoes or cornhole! Video lottery machines & big-screen TVs in our lounge. Open daily. See ad on page 121.
Sisters Meat and Smokehouse: 110 S. Spruce St. | 541-719-1186 | sistersmeat.com | Topquality, Oregon-first products, locally sourced when possible. Smoked on-site, meats are hormone- and antibiotic-free, and prepared by third-generation meat experts. Wild game, pork, poultry, lamb, beef, line-caught Alaskan seafood, and complementary products. Wine, cider and craft beer on tap. Menu features exclusively Sisters Meat and Smokehouse products: meats, cheeses, sauces, sandwiches, entrées & more. Relax on the outdoor patio, or to-go!
Three Creeks Brewing: 721 S Desperado Ct. 541-549-1963 | threecreeksbrewing.com Instagram @threecreeksbrewing | Join us for award-winning food and beers. Since 2008, we’ve relentlessly pursued the mission of crafting beer and cuisine of uncompromising quality and consistency; proudly receiving numerous prestigious awards, including the Great American Beer Festival’s Brewery Group of the Year honors in 2020. Offering daily specials, friendly service and a large “dogs welcome” outdoor patio surrounded by towering pines. See ad on page 20. WWW.SISTERSOREGONGUIDE.COM
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LODGING Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort: On Hwy. 20, 3-1/2 miles east of Sisters | 541-549-3021 or toll-free 888-503-3588 | BendSistersGardenRV. com | Featuring RV full-hookup with 30/50-amp service, camping cabins, furnished cottages, DVD rentals, grocery, laundry, bathhouses, wireless internet, miniature golf, heated pool and spa, and off-leash dog park. Big rig-friendly! See ad inside front cover. Best Western Ponderosa Lodge: 500 Hwy. 20 West | 888-549-4321 or 541-549-1234 bestwestern.com | Enjoy oversized lodgepole guest rooms, or deluxe suites featuring twoperson Jacuzzi tub, river-rock gas fireplace, and walk-in rain shower, all non-smoking. Seasonal outdoor pool and large covered hot tub yearround. Complimentary hot breakfast. This 14-acre tranquil setting is just a short stroll to downtown. See ad on page 128.
Sisters Athletic Club and outdoor heated pool (seasonal). Complimentary cruiser bikes. FivePine Campus features a restaurant, movie theater, luxury spa and easy access to downtown Sisters. Rates start at $179. Meeting/event & wedding site available. See ad on page 46. GrandStay Hotel & Suites Sisters: 1026 West Rail Way | 541-904-0967 | grandstayhospitality. com | Enjoy our new rooms with kitchens. Start your morning off with a free hot Grand Start® Breakfast. 24/7 gourmet coffee & tea available. Large indoor pool and whirlpool. Complimentary Wi-Fi. Meeting room. Outdoor patio. Grand Returns™ guest loyalty program. AAA, military and senior rates. All non-smoking. See ad on page 111. House on Metolius: NF 980, Camp Sherman 541.595.6620 | metolius.com | house@metolius. com | A private resort on the Metolius River featuring eight well-appointed guest cabins with stunning views. The main house features eight guest rooms and ample gathering space for a private event. Activities include fly-fishing, hikes along the river and relaxation on this two-hundred acre nature reserve. See ad on page 62.
Black Butte Ranch: 7 miles west of Sisters on Hwy. 20. | 877-431-5738 | BlackButteRanch. com | Our 1,800 pristine acres hold something for everyone in your family, with 36 holes of championship golf, a spa, award-winning restaurants, pools, exercise facilities, biking, tennis, horseback riding, fly-fishing and more. In winter, explore by snowshoe or cross-country ski. We’re conveniently located near hiking and mountain biking opportunities and close to Hoodoo Ski Area. We can also direct you to whitewater rafting, cave tours and cultural sites. See ad on page 60.
Lake Creek Lodge: 13375 SW Forest Service Rd #1419, Camp Sherman | 541.588.2150 lakecreeklodge.com | Nestled into 42 acres of the Deschutes National Forest are our 21 historic and luxury cabins, all with the South Fork of Lake Creek meandering between them. Beyond our property lies the picturesque community of Camp Sherman and world-class fly-fishing on the Metolius River. In addition to our two and three bedroom cabins, we offer an on-site restaurant, full bar, a cozy lodge, outdoor fire pits, a seasonal swimming pool, indoor and outdoor event venues, a stocked trout pond, horse corrals, easy access to hiking trails and basketball, pickleball and tennis courts. Call us today and let our charming staff point you in a great direction to explore the Metolius Basin. See ad on page 68.
FivePine: 1021 Desperado Trail | 541-549-5900 or 866-974-5900 | fivepinelodge.com | Romance and adventure await at FivePine’s Craftsman-style suites and luxury cabins. Rooms feature pillowtop king bed, gas fireplace, couples soaking tub, and 55-65" flat-screen TV. Guests enjoy a complimentary wine and beer reception, deluxe morning coffee and tea service, Wi-Fi, access to
Metolius River Lodges: 12390 SW F.S. Road 1419, Camp Sherman | 541-595-6290 metoliusriverlodges.com | $130 to $345. Open all year. Located in the heart of the Metolius Recreation Area. Our cottages sleep 1-8 and offer the ability to be a picture window away from the clear spring-fed Metolius River. Come experience the river’s magic away from TVs and noise. Fully
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equipped with WiFi. Most have kitchens and fireplaces. Firewood available. Walk to Hola Restaurant and the Camp Sherman Store. No pets. See ad on page 11. Paws Visit: Dog-friendly Airbnb: In the heart of Sisters. Private 2-room suite near Whychus Creek! Just three blocks from downtown Sisters, close to brew pub, spa, movie house, shopping, and fun outdoor adventures. Perfect for couples, safe for solo and business travelers, and especially furry friends (dogs)! Reserve directly online at airbnb.com/rooms/14432122. Sisters Inn & Suites: 605 N. Arrowleaf Trail, Sisters | 541-549-7829 | sistersinnandsuites. com. At the Ray's Food Place shopping center, close to Takoda's Restaurant, gas, bank, Subway, McDonald's and Dairy Queen. Comfortable beds, cable TV, free WiFi, refrigerators, microwaves, coffeemakers, and a balcony or patio in every room. Kitchenettes are available. All rooms are non-smoking. Pets welcome with a small fee. See ad on page 103.
Sisters Mountain View Vacation Rentals: Relax and unwind in one of our unique homes with unobstructed mountain views overlooking the historic Patterson Ranch in Pine Meadows. Close to downtown Sisters. Access to the clubhouse, including the pool and hot tub. Stunning Mountain View Home airbnb.com/ rooms 47732473, VRBO 2169160; Cozy Mountain Escape Rental airbnb.com/rooms/52800776, VRBO 2558824; Serene Hot Tub Rentalairbnb. com/h/serenepinemeadowhome, VRBO 2684752. See our ad on page 75. Sisters Vacation Rentals: 877-632-7007 sistersvacation.com | Enjoy the comfort, value, and flexibility of a vacation home in Sisters, Black Butte Ranch and Camp Sherman. Share time and make some memories together with family and friends in an inviting gathering room or relax in the privacy of separate bedrooms. Eagle Crest rentals coming soon! See ad on page 99.
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Ponderosa Properties REAL ESTATE SALES / PROPERTY MANAGEMENT / VACATION RENTALS
The Locals’ Choice for Real Estate Sales Serving the Sisters, Camp Sherman and Black Butte Ranch Areas
541-549-2002 | 1-800-650-6766 www. P onderosa P roperties.com | 221 S. Ash St., Sisters