Five Talent’s CEO on what it takes it to make it in Bend and how tech companies are working together to make this the most liveable city in America.
Preston Callicott is your classic go big or go home personality. For example, the CEO of Five Talent and his wife visited Bend for the first time ever on a Friday in 2003—they bought a house here twenty-four hours later. Callicott started several companies in the Bay Area, and for the past six years has helmed Five Talent, doubling the software development company’s revenue annually for nearly his whole tenure.
Recently Callicott has turned his energy toward tapping Bend’s tech and startup community to participate in the city’s civic issues. He helped rally dozens of tech companies to sponsor the Bend Livability Project, and he’s made strategic asks since then for support on other community projects. We sat down with Callicott to learn more about Bend’s tech industry and why he thinks it’s important that tech and startups get involved.
When did you realize you wanted to live and work in Central Oregon?
I had been commuting from here to the Bay Area every day for more than seven years. I kept trying to spin up our startups in Bend; the investors would like the idea, but they didn’t want us to start it here. One weekend I was driving with the kids down Wall Street downtown and I told my wife that our most recent startup had been funded, but that the investors wanted it based in Silicon Valley. From the back seat, my daughter points out the window and says “Daddy, if you worked at that hot dog stand, I could see you every day.” I knew then that I needed to figure out how to fully be in Bend. I joined Five Talent a few months later.
For many years, investors challenged the notion that you could build a tech company here. Has that sentiment changed?
Before if you wanted to live here, you either had to create a business or bring something with you. The concern from investors was whether you could find enough talent and was it close enough to keep an eye on. In the last four years, we’ve seen enough companies start, get funded and be successful. Now they’re attracting talent and spinning out their own startups. Suddenly we’re pollinating our own ecosystem and people are realizing that you can move here and get tech jobs. So I do think it’s changed. I see so many bright minds and great ideas. And the exciting part is that’s just the surface—there’s so much more going on that we haven’t heard about.
You’ve rallied the tech community to sponsor the Bend Livability Project and support other community initiatives. Why do you want tech to be involved?
I want Bend to be the most livable city in America. There’s a massive sense of new ideas and innovation brewing here to facilitate that goal and I think we should take advantage of it. It’s not just tech, but innovators. There are so many entrepreneurial people who moved to Bend for the same reason, the lifestyle. So they have a vested interest in helping the city navigate its growth. In addition, they are used to finding creative solutions for problems, and they move fast. The tech/startup community often avoids getting involved with government and politics, but this stuff—from affordable housing to transportation—affects all of our daily lives. When one of your employees can’t find housing, then it’s suddenly your issue, too.
What current private or public initiatives are you working on?
I’m on the Bend 2030 executive board, which created MOVEBend, a group dedicated to transportation issues. We’re supporting the OSU bike share program and trying to bring zip cars to Bend. I’m also committed to supporting entrepreneurs and businesses here. To that end, I’m on the board of Opportunity Knocks (OK), I mentor one entrepreneurial OK group and I am a member of another OK group.I mentor and meet with new startups all the time, and I’m in the process of starting another one right now.
Above: Bend Magazine invited two notable natives to our riverside deck for a chat about the Bend sporting life and their common (or not-so-common) experiences. Bob Woodward (left) sat down for a conversation with Tim Gibbons (middle) and Carl Decker (right) on a (hot!) summer day. Photo by Jon Tapper
Crossing Tracks
as told to Bob Woodward
Bend is recognized as a great place to cross-country ski and mountain bike andhome to locals who are competing at the highest level in both sports.
On the mountain bike, Carl Decker has carved out an outstanding career that includes a world single-speed championship, several world all-mountain championships (downhill and cross-country results combined over two days). He has completed arduous, self-supported, off-road tours. Just recently, he was crowned U.S. Single-Speed National Champion. A former Bend High cross-country running star, Decker races bikes professionally for team Giant.
While not a pro racer, Tim Gibbons has immersed himself in competitive cross-country skiing on the collegiate level as the former leader of Dartmouth College’s women’s ski team. He also served as a physiologist with the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Recently he served as co-curator of the well-received “Winter Comes” exhibit of Oregon’s ski history at the Deschutes Historical Society.
Carl, your dad was an MTB racer around here. Did he directly influence you to get in the sport or was that something you decided that you wanted to pursue?
Carl Decker: Living in Bend and growing up in my family, that was a foregone conclusion. The pinnacle of the lifestyle around here is to make a living riding bikes, at least for me. And my dad he was so into biking before people were into that. He rode his bike across the country when he was 20 years old—on a Schwinn. People didn’t do that stuff. Growing up in my family, living in this place and doing what I always wanted to do [was the dream], but I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it.I was told by people that I couldn’t do it, but I just kind of got lucky.
Tim, your dad was an early adopter when cross-country skiing started to become popular, dragging you as a kid every weekend to Mt. Hood. Was it his influence or something else that motivated you?
Tim Gibbons:It was literally every weekend, from November to the first week of May that we were skiing. One weekend in high school, I decided that I wanted to hang with my buddies in Beaverton [rather than ski]. It was the most boring weekend I ever spent. So I realized: I love being outdoors; I love skiing. My brother and I, we literally would explore on alpine skis the trails from Timberline to Government Camp, or we would explore the Barlow Trail on our cross-country skis.
So when you came to COCC was it to ski and become a ski racer?
TG:Skiing was a big part of it because COCC had such a nationally prominent program for a community college. Back then community colleges had sports programs. But it was also how you could have a great instructor and small class sizes.
Carl, when you decided to go pro as a mountain bike racer, did you feel people in the community were more supportive or skeptical?
CD: People have always been supportive—the people that get it. I was going to school wearing mountain bike race T-shirts, thinking that was the coolest clothing that you could wear. There were like six guys that thought that was cool. But around here there was such a big community of outcasts like us.
When you first came here, Tim, cross-country was really taking off. You got in on the ground floor of the boom.
TG: Exactly. And the college was a big part of that. But it was also Sunnyside Sports and their races. Of course, nationally and internationally cross-country took off [as well]. It was fun to be part of that, but it was also fun to explore and be part of something growing in Bend.
photo by Jon Tapper
Carl, who were the people who influenced you growing up in Bend?
CD: Well, my dad to some degree. I learned a lot from him, even into my professional days he gave me some nice perspective. But it was people like you [Woody]. I remember you being at Ashland and being the emcee at bike races and making it into a fun event. It wasn’t a road race that’s super intense and everybody is fighting against each other. It was you fighting against your bike and the terrain and rejoicing that you made it through to the other side. That’s been the nature of mountain biking, that its man against hill instead of man against man—to some degree. I looked up to Paul Thomasberg a lot in that transition from being a kid to being a pro that was probably the guy that I could learn the most from.
At what point did you decide to become an actual pro?
CD: I think in bike racing, “actual pro” is a very gray area. It’s not like baseball where it’s, “I turned pro and then… I bought my mom a house in Malibu!” I turned “pro” and much like these other fringe sports, I delivered pizza for several years of transition until I didn’t have to have a job, or my job was racing bikes. I turned pro in 1998 and I stopped delivering pizza in probably 2004.
You’ve taken different paths, but you’ve both gone away and come back. What’s been the draw of Bend and Central Oregon.
CD: It’s obvious for anybody that lives here, but you do have to go away at some point to realize what you’ve got. It didn’t take long living in Portland and opening the drapes and seeing no sun for the thirtieth or fourtieth day in a row. I’d get tears in my eyes when I’d open the blinds those first few years in college. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a thing.
Tim, you went off to Dartmouth and coached the Dartmouth team and then went to work for the U.S. Olympic team in Colorado. What brought you back?
TG: You know, the mountain biking in Colorado is fantastic and around Colorado Springs is great, but you have to drive close to two hours to get to snow. When I can go for a run or a mountain bike ride within five minutes, or in ten to fifteen minutes I’m on snow at Meissner, or in twenty to twenty-five minutes I’m at Bachelor, not many places can say that. That’s the lure that brings you back.
What about futures? Carl what are you expecting?
CD: I’m doing a little bit of coaching, which I didn’t expect to like as much as I do. In a year I can give people seven years of knowledge. I work with Giant developing product and making bikes better, but I still love racing bikes and still holding on for grim death at the age of 41. But I’m still learning stuff. Parts of me are getting worse and parts of me are getting a little bit better.
Talk a little bit about the family and support network and what that did to allow you both to develop personally and professionally.
Carl: I was lucky to come up in a family that was based around sports and cycling specifically. The Decker family we had our own Team Decker T-shirts. That’s just what we did. The luckiest day of my life was the day my dad got transferred from the Oregon Coast to Bend with the state police. From then on my future was in motion. There was a huge community here that helped push me.
As you get older do you have a different perspective about how much your parents put into that?
CD: Oh yes. My parents made huge sacrifices for that. My dad worked his (butt) off all winter and banked all of his vacation time so we could go to these mountain bike races. And it was a very valuable asset this vacation time. And a lot of people would want to go to Hawaii and drink beer and relax, but we were charging out to races and doing these adventures. Most people would need a vacation from their vacation when they got back.
Tim, how about you?
TG: Very similar to Carl. Both parents were teachers and educators and had winter vacation and summer vacation. We were whitewater rafting and climbing mountains. We were fly fishing, cross-country ski racing. So every other weekend in the winter we would road trip to a race. That’s not what families did. So in talking about the sacrifice, that was also the adventure. My parents are still alive; dad is 92 and mom is 86. They are avid sports fans. They watch soccer; they watch track and field. They watch college sports, but none of the professional sports. They’ll watch every minute of the Olympics. So you have parents who watch and appreciate the sports lifestyle. It’s not whether you liked it, it’s just what we did as a family.
Like much of Central Oregon, the Ochocos were born from a violent past that includes massive mudslides, volcanic eruptions and storms that left the land piled with ash up to 1,000-feet deep. Today, it’s a place of secluded canyons, dancing creeks, whispering meadows and open forests that invite exploration. The only thing missing is the crowds.
written by Eric Flowers photographs by Mike houska
Photo by Mike Houska
Lookout Mountain
Perhaps the most well-known and popular destination in the Ochocos, Lookout Mountain is just a short drive east of Prineville and also the tallest peak within the range. There are several access points, beginning with an eight-mile trail near the Ochoco Campground on County Road 123. Those looking for a shorter route with more direct access to the summit can continue southeast to Forest Road 42. From there, a jeep track winds to the Baneberry Trailhead and the historic Independent Mine site where three different routes meet to lead you to the summit. The multi-use trails get foot, horse and mountain bike traffic throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons. But on a recent weekday excursion that spanned more than five hours on the trails, we encountered not a soul. Still, it’s easy to see why locals have added Lookout as a go-to destination. Even in midsummer the trails were in superb biking condition, thanks to the abundance of shade offered by towering old-growth fir and pine trees. Where small springs pop up, the landscape turns verdant with ferns and grasses more closely associated with the McKenzie River area than the far eastern edge of Central Oregon. While we were able to push, pull and sometimes carry our bikes to the summit, the trail is more suited to hiking over the last mile or two. At the summit, hikers are rewarded with expansive views over thousands of forested acres stretching miles westward. On the horizon, the peaks of the Cascades rise in a stately formation, glaciers clinging stubbornly to their sides.
“It’s the crown jewel of our trail system,” said Drew Peterson, a recreation foreman with the Ochoco Ranger District.
Dog-friendly Rating: 3/5 As with all trails within the Ochocos, there are no leashes required for dogs. However, opportunities for water are limited to the few springs on the trail. Precipitous ledges at the Summit also require owners to keep a close eye on pets.
Trail Notes:While the seclusion is nice, it also means that hikers and bikers need to be prepared for all eventualities in the backcountry as cell phone service is spotty and help may be slow to arrive. But for those who have endured overfull campgrounds and jammed trailheads all summer, the Ochocos are the perfect antidote. For bikers, Lookout offers an attractive destination as an easy two-car shuttle. Simply drop the second vehicle at the trailhead near the Ochoco Campground, then proceed to the upper trailhead off Forest Road 42. From the top, it’s a roughly eight-mile downhill screamer back to the shuttle car. For bikers wanting a more traditional cross-country experience, the Ochoco-Round Mountain Trail offers an extended ride with plenty of climbing and descending.
Photo by Mike Houska
Steins Pillar
One of the most iconic and photographed features within the Ochocos sits just a few miles east of Prineville. Located just north of Ochoco Reservoir, Steins Pillar soars roughly 300 feet from the forest floor, looming like a sentinel over Mill Creek. While easily observed and photographed from Forest Road 33, which parallels Mill Creek, intrepid explorers can access a trailhead from a dead-end spur road. From there, hikers and their companions have a two-mile hike to the base of the basalt column pillar. A geological anomaly, Steins Pillar is evidence of the area’s violent volcanic past and the subsequent eons of erosion that stripped bare the surrounding soil and left the solid pillar standing as a solitary reminder of a more tumultuous time.
Dog-Friendly Rating: 3/5 This four-mile, out-and-back trek is an ideal length for a family outing. However, as one of the more heavily visited trails in the area, it’s a good idea to keep your dog close to hand to minimize conflicts.
Trail Notes: Steins Pillar is believed to be named after Major Enoch Steen, a civil war veteran and early explorer. His name was often misspelled as “Stein”. In the case of Steins Pillar, the misspelling stuck, as did the possessive grammatical error. Steens Mountain outside of Burns also bears his name, albeit correctly spelled.
About Dogs and the Ochocos: There are currently no leash restrictions in place at any time in the Ochoco National Forest, including the Wilderness areas. However, rangers encourage visitors to bring and use leashes to minimize conflicts between trail users. Leashes also prevent dogs from harassing wildlife and vice versa. “We understand that dogs are members of people’s families and we take their safety into consideration. In the end the more responsible dog users will be rewarded with a better experience,” said Drew Peterson, recreation foreman for the Ochoco Ranger District.
Photo by Mike Houska
Twin Pillars Mill Creek Wilderness Trail
Just a few miles beyond Steins Pillar is the southern access for Twin Pillars. The trailhead is located at the entrance to Wildcat Campground on the edge of the Mill Creek Wilderness. While much of the wilderness area was severely impacted by a wildfire in the late 1990s, not all was lost. In some respect the wildfire has helped to reveal views of the surrounding landscape, including better sightlines to the namesake Twin Pillars. This area is also a great place to visit when fall colors begin to emerge.
“The great thing about the Ochocos is that they actually feature a lot of fall foliage, not in comparison with the East Coast, but we have lots of aspen and larches,” said Drew Peterson, Ochoco National Forest recreation foreman.
The Mill Creek Wilderness is also a good window into the devastation that can be caused by wildfire, whether sparked by nature or humans, and the slow but steady recovery in an otherwise healthy ecosystem.
Like other places in the Ochocos, Mill Creek Wilderness is short on crowds and long on solitude. During a recent visit, we spent the night at Wildcat Campground with the camp host as the only other occupant. We locked our rigs at the trailhead, but the only real danger was a cougar that had apparently been sighted recently in the area. We didn’t see any signs of the big cat, but we did flush a grouse and spotted a healthy wild trout that was idling in a small pool alongside the trail. Most impressive though were the massive Ponderosas spared by the wildfire. These stately trees have reached full maturity with trunks four and five feet in diameter. These are the few remnants of giants that drew lumbermen to the region a century ago, providing fodder for sawmills in Bend and Prineville. Today those mills are idle and the trees that were spared the saw comprise a commodity of a different sort.
Dog-friendly Rating: 5/5 An abundance of water and plenty of room to roam make this a great spot for an extended hike with your dog. The fact that it gets light traffic minimizes the potential for conflict.
Trail Notes: The Twin Pillars trail is accessible by northern and southern trailheads. The namesake pillars are located closer to the northern trailhead near Bingham Springs. Because most of this trail lies within the Mill Creek Wilderness, it is minimally maintained. There are no bridges to assist with stream crossings, of which there are several. However, water levels are lowest in fall, making this less of an issue.
If you are the parent of a baby or toddler, you know the stress of the sleep-deprived early years. When there is a lack of food, unemployment, a struggle with mental illness or drug and alcohol dependence, the stress can become overwhelming. Before young families reach a breaking point they need a pressure relief valve. Enter MountainStar Family Relief Nursery, a Central Oregon nonprofit that prevents child abuse before it happens by helping families in crisis.
There are twenty-eight relief nurseries in the state of Oregon and MountainStar operates three of them—in Bend, Madras and Prineville. The relief nursery model supports families in a number of ways. Children who are three and younger come twice a week to a therapeutic classroom, a safe and relaxing space designed to boost healthy development. When the children are in the classroom, parents have time to go to the grocery store, seek out services or simply get a break. Staff members also make regular home visits and offer parent coaching. Families are connected to community resources. And there is an emergency food pantry and a cabinet stocked with diapers for parents in immediate need. For those without a family safety net, such as a parent or grandparent, MountainStar acts as a surrogate of sorts.
The holistic program is working. Ninety-eight percent of the children enrolled remained free from confirmed cases of abuse and neglect.
“Parents tell me they can really talk to us—that we listen,” said MountainStar Program Director Jeanna Darnell. “For some parents, this is the first time they’ve ever had anyone on their team.”
Staff Extraordinaire:Roberta Maestas
Roberta Maestas is the safety net specialist at MountainStar and is the first point of contact for families wanting to enroll in the program. She visits each family at their home for intake, putting parents at ease with her warm smile. Maestas moved to Bend to retire after working for twenty-one years as a juvenile probation officer in Salem. But retirement didn’t last long. “I love working with the little ones,” she said. “They are just so precious.”
–
Get Involved
About MountainStar:
MountainStar works directly with vulnerable families in an effort to keep children safe from abuse and neglect. Learn more at mtstar.org
By the Numbers:
• More than 675 clients servedeach year • Families receive 300+ contact hours each year • 98 percent of children enrolled remain free from abuse
How You Can Help:
• Sign up for a tour • Donate items such as formula from their wish list • Be a fairy godparent • Volunteer in a classroom
Though locals and visitors alike once knew October as a quiet month in Bend, Tenth Month changed that this year. The once loosely associated roster of gatherings that constitute Tenth Month have emerged as a cohesive, must-see lineup of film, design, marketing and business events.
Almost every day of the month, Bend was filled with entrepreneurs, filmmakers and creatives. Conferences and festivals like BendFilm, Swivel Digital Marketing and Bend Design and Bend Venture Conference anchored the month, while events like the unConference, Venture Out and TedxBendWomen rounded it out. All independently organized, the conferences, events and festivals were brought together by the Tenth Month team to celebrate the people who are making a difference in Bend and beyond.
Tenth Month by the Numbers
3,755,000: Number of dollars awarded to companies at the Bend Venture Conference between October 12-14, hosted by the Economic Development of Central Oregon. The funding set a record for angel conferences in the state.
6: Number of women who pitched (out of 15 presenters) at the Bend Venture Conference.
3: Number of people who moved to Bend within the last 6 months specifically for the chance to compete for funding at the unConference, an event created by Startup Bend and Tech Alliance of Central Oregon for startups founders to pitch their ideas in three minutes or less and compete for funding.
25:Percent of Bend Design Conference attendees who live outside of Central Oregon
7,600: Number of seats filled during BendFilm
8:Number of short films shown at BendFilm made by Oregon filmmakers.
Richard Miller’s amateur boxing gym produces a powerful punch of integrity. Miller, now a middle-aged community champion (instead of the middle-weight one), still looks like a fighter. When Miller moved to Bend twelve years ago, he saw a void in the athletic fabric and created Deschutes County Rocks, an amateur co-ed boxing club. In doing so, Miller contributed something unusual on Greenwood Avenue: an all-volunteer staff that relies on donations, raffles and exhibition shows to cover the gym’s costs.
Why did you create a boxing gym in downtown Bend?
We are not all built the same. Bend is great and offers a lot to kids but I kept asking myself: Where are the kids who don’t fit in the box? Where are the kids who can’t afford to ski or pay the hefty fees for club athletics? I know what boxing did for me and I wanted to offer that to both the east and west sides of town. At Deschutes County Rocks you don’t have to be the fastest, biggest or most skilled to get a scholarship. You just have to show up, respect the rules and make a commitment.
Every Coach has golden rules they live by. What are yours?
I guess the first one is respect your team. Everyone has something to give. I’m not in charge; I have four fulltime volunteers, including my wife. The team is the driving force to become what we want to achieve. Your ego is the most dangerous thing about you. That’s how fights happen. I don’t want them to fight. I want them to learn. Learning includes doing well in school. Nothing below a C.
Did the male athletes just allow the women (there were five in attendance) to proceed before them?
I want my boxing team to be regarded as having the best manners wherever we go and whenever we travel. I’m often on the road with two-dozen kids, traveling to other states to compete. Last year we traveled twenty-seven times. We always win if the officials come up to me and say: your team has impressive manners. But we also win a lot even against the east coast slicks. It might sound archaic, but I don’t like cell phones. Eye contact is important in our sport. I have my team look each other in the eye at dinner and look out the window when we travel. Ladies do go first around here. It’s a sign of respect.
Photo by Jon Tapper
You volunteer hundreds of hours of your time, you strain to pay the rent and make sure the kids who want to compete never carry the financial burden. Why?
I grew up in Rock Springs, Wyoming. There wasn’t a lot to do if you didn’t like riding horses. The movie theater was our social moment. Two weeks in a row I got in a fight and was kicked out. A few weeks went by without a word from my dad. Then one day he came home from work and said, ‘Put on your sneakers and gym shorts.’ I found myself at the local middle school in line with seventy middle school-age boys. When they let us inside, he was sitting there with a panel of old timers and there were training stations, gloves, bags and gear all over the gym. My dad smiled and said, ‘Now you’re going to learn something else but brawling.’ That’s why I do it. This is not about hitting. This is about controlling your anger, fear, rage and obstacles we come up against every day. I do it because I know what it did for me. I’m leaving a legacy. What more can a person want than to change a life—especially a kid’s.
Can we talk about about the “C” word? What about Concussions?
I want to talk about it. There are so many misunderstandings. This is amateur boxing. Ironically, amateur boxing is not even in the top twenty-five sports that cause concussions. We have gear that is designed specially to absorb impact, not create it. We have intense monitoring systems. We only go three rounds. If there is even a doubt you’ve been hit inappropriately there is a mandatory thirty days’ suspension. Our concussion protocol is higher than soccer, football, lacrosse and skiing. There’s a basic principal of being a good coach that is often overlooked: my goal is to retain my players and keep them healthy. Why would I want anyone on my team to get hurt?
Avid golfers know that the best time to play golf is whenever there is room for a backswing. That is to say that real golfers don’t let weather or seasons determine if or when they play. For the rest of us though, there is a sweet spot. Perhaps a mid-summer afternoon or a perfect late spring weekend when winter storms seem a distant memory appear ideal. In Central Oregon, though, autumn is the underrated season. It’s a time to savor what remains of summer as if it were the last sip of wine from a bottle found deep in the cellar.
Come October, months of mercury-popping heat give away to mild days. It’s a time when you want to linger in, not flee, the midday sun. Tourists have scattered like the smoke from the wildfires and a quiet settles over the region’s trails and fairways. The days are made more perfect because there are so few of them and they aren’t always predictable. Knowing winter is around the corner makes it all the better.
“Fall, for me, is one of the best times to play golf in Central Oregon,” said Rob Malone, Aspen Lakes director of golf. “It’s cool in the morning. It’s beautiful and crisp and normally blue skies.”
There’s also another incentive to get out after Labor Day—the shoulder season is chock full of bargains. Whether you are a local looking to play 18 holes on one of the region’s award-winning courses or a visitor looking for a stay-and-play resort experience, there is a destination to fit just about any itinerary and budget. If you want to play golf at any of the premier destinations, without paying top shelf prices, now is the time. But don’t wait too long. Winter really is just around the corner.
Golf Staycation
Summer may be the busy season here for local golf courses, as evidenced by the $80 greens fees, but it’s also the busy season for locals who pack their calendars with road trips, hiking, camping and exploration. Golf is usually put on the back burner for busy moms and dads and others who choose to spend their time somewhere other than the practice green. As kids return to school and weekends are freed, resorts are looking to pull in locals to fill tee sheets and overnight rooms. Now is the time to round up your golf buddies that you’ve blown off all summer and schedule a man-cation. Here are a couple of itineraries:
A guys’ weekend doesn’t necessarily have to entail a stay at fancy lodge or resort room. Creating your own home base also gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of golf courses. We recommend grabbing somewhere centralized that will let you spread out, but also somewhere that offers a kitchen for meal prep and snacks, ideally with a barbeque on site. (Bonus if you can find a place with a hot tub.) McMenamins cottages make an attractive option with the soaking pool and fire pits for evening gatherings, but your best bet might be a vacation rental. Like resorts, they are also looking to fill rooms in the shoulder season and deals abound.
In terms of golf, we recommend looking into some of the courses that consistently rate high with locals and visitors, but drop their rates in the shoulder season. Our shortlist includes Aspen Lakes near Sisters, which offers some of the best views and most enjoyable golf in the region. In Bend, Widgi Creek—which always offers a great evening special—will drop rates come October. Tetherow will also be open until the end of October and offers one of the most memorable experiences in Central Oregon. It’s also one of the few courses in the state to make the illustrious Golf Digest Top 100 list.
If a resort stay is in the cards, Black Butte Ranch with its two golf courses and wide range of home rentals is a perfect option. The resort’s newly upgraded pools and gym facilities located at the main lodge. Two award-winning golf courses, including the recently renovated Glaze Meadow, mean you never have to leave the property to get your fill of fairways. There’s even fly-fishing on the resort lakes, as well as on the nearby Metolius River.
“The first few weeks in October are spectacular,” said Jeff Fought, director of golf at Black Butte Ranch. “Not only do the rates drop, but you have a September feel of being a little colder in the morning and then getting up to 75 degrees.”
While enjoying a soak in the 102-degree pond at Crystal Crane Hot Springs, a handful of bathers watched a distant storm surge across Eastern Oregon’s landscape in dramatic fashion. Bolts of lightning arced toward the earth and lit up the night.
Elsewhere overhead, the day’s last sunlight faded from the western sky. Soon the coyotes would begin to howl and the stars would show their brilliance.
It’s all part of the natural scene at Crystal Crane, a high-desert oasis about twenty-five miles east of Burns along an arrow-straight stretch of Oregon 78. With its therapeutic soaking pool, private tubs and quintessential Harney County ambiance, the resort is a fine rest stop for the weary traveler.
“It was very relaxing,” said Josh Sims, of Bend, who was packing up his campsite on a recent sunny morning. “If I’m traveling a long distance, I see if there’s a hot spring in the area. It’s very convenient, especially in the middle of nowhere.”
Sims had watched the lightning storms the previous evening, immersed in the bath-like water after a long day of driving.
“You feel good, stuck in a pool, and hearing coyotes in the background and lightning in the hills,” he said.
Not far from Steens Mountain, the Ochocos and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Crystal Crane Hot Springs offers a variety of overnight lodging options. Pitch a tent or park an RV at one of several campsites. Rent a poolside cabin or a single room.
Overnighters can cook their meals in a shared kitchen, then head over to the springs for a nighttime soak.
Denise Kryger and her husband, Dan, purchased the Crystal Crane property in 1997. They expanded the soaking pond, improved existing structures and added more lodging—including a Plains-style teepee with a hot tub inside.
“The teepee is one of our biggest hits,” Kryger said. “It’s a wonderful little unit to rent.”
The main soaking pool is really a small pond, bordered on one side by a grassy marshland where ducks often swim. Hot water pours from several spigots. The pebbled bottom gently slopes to a depth of seven feet, but it’s shallow in most spots, perfect for wading or reclining near water’s edge.
For a luxurious experience, reserve one of the private bathhouses. Inside a quiet room, with a rustic metal tub full to the brim, it’s not hard to kick back and forget about the world—if only for an hour.
In addition to soothing weary muscles, the Crystal Crane water also contains healthful minerals such as calcium, sodium, silica and magnesium. Hot springs are good for the soul, sure, but they’re good for the skin, as well.
“It makes your skin feel so smooth,” said Kryger. “It’s a wonderful feeling with that water.”
On clear nights, the stargazing is spectacular. Planets glow and shooting stars flare. Far from a major city, light pollution is almost nonexistent at Crystal Crane, and there’s nothing quite like floating on your back in a warm pool, watching the universe swirl high above.
Open year-round, Crystal Crane is a popular stopover for hikers, bird watchers and autumn hunters. Travelers from across the United States and the world visit the hot springs, Kryger said.
“We meet the best people here; it’s incredible,” he mused. “[Crystal Crane] is still quite remote, and yet we have all the amenities to go with it.”
Itinerary: Steens Road Tour
What to do between soaking sessions at Crystal Crane? Well, there are plenty of recreational opportunities in Harney County, a place short on crowds and long on scenery.
Before you head out, stop for breakfast at the Crane Store & Café on the outskirts of Crane, a few minutes from the hot springs. Try the biscuits and gravy—you won’t be disappointed, but you will be stuffed.
Fuel up the car and take a long drive on the East Steens Tour Route, where opportunities for camping, hiking and wildlife viewing abound. From Crystal Crane, take Oregon 78 to the Fields-Denio road and turn south. Soon the rugged fault block of Steens Mountain, rising to nearly 10,000 feet, will come into view. Stop at Mann Lake for camping or fishing, or check out the table-flat Alvord Desert a bit farther south.
At Fields, head north on Oregon 205 to take in the gentler west side of the Steens. A drive up the steep Steens Loop offers spectacular views in all directions, as well as scenic hiking trails and fishing holes on the Donner and Blitzen River. Keep your eyes peeled for mule deer and California bighorn sheep.
Autumn is a great season in the Steens—the mountain is known for its fall foliage.
Keep driving north on 205 to arrive at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for migratory birds. The refuge headquarters is still closed following last winter’s armed occupation, but the roads are open. Bring binoculars and scan for sandhill cranes and assorted waterfowl.
The tour wraps up in Burns, just two hours from Bend.
Brisk mornings, less traffic and changing leaves make fall in the High Desert an ideal time for both road and mountain biking. You don’t have to travel far from Bend to be the only person on a road or trail. It’s what makes the fall shoulder season a favorite time among local riders. “To me, fall in Central Oregon is the nicest time,” said Brad Boyd, owner of Eurosports bike shop in Sisters. “Cooler temperatures, less wind; I’m always amazed how quiet it is.” While in spring you might still be waiting for snow to melt at higher elevations, and summer heat can make riding a bear, the right fall day is without equal. With that in mind we’re focusing on the Sisters area and offering up three fall road rides that you don’t need to have Tour de France-level conditioning to enjoy.
Photo by Duncan Galvin
MCKENZIE PASS
The thirty-mile, out-and-back ride from Sisters culminates at the historic Dee Wright observatory lookout, a one-of-a-kind structure carved out of solid lava rock by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps, some eighty years ago.The intrepid explorer will also find distinct remnants of the 1860 wagon trail that was similarly carved out of the unyielding lava beds and remains largely as it was when the route was abandoned in the 1920s.
While it gains roughly 2,100 feet of elevation, the climb is spread gradually throughout the ride, particularly on the final eleven miles.
“For someone who is comfortable riding on roads and can handle a hill, it’s great ride,” said Alex Phillips, Oregon Parks & Recreation Department bicycle recreation specialist.
From Sisters, the ride cruises past horse ranches and into a thick forest of tall Ponderosa pines. The real climb begins roughly four miles in, but continues at a steady, manageable rate. The final five miles open up with views of the expansive lava fields. Mount Jefferson looms in the distance.
Boyd suggested continuing on an additional five miles of rolling highway to Scott Lake, before the pass begins the lion share of its 3,600-foot decent to the McKenzie River Valley.
“That section, in both directions, is just fantastic,” he said.
Photo by Duncan Galvin
METOLIOUS RIVER/CAMP SHERMAN
If climbing isn’t your thing, consider the Metolius River/Camp Sherman area. Formerly designated a Scenic Bikeway by the state, the region has a hidden gem quality, especially in the fall.
“It’s a beautiful area. People love riding there,” said Phillips. With the crystal-clear headwaters of the Metolius, historic Camp Sherman and a variety of roads are scattered through Ponderosa pine forest, offering loops from three miles to around twenty miles with options for thirty-mile plus rides. There’s something for everyone with minimal elevation gain and occasional mountain vistas.
“We tell people September and October are the best months to be here,” said Camp Sherman Store owner Roger White.
“Everything lines up perfectly. Once we start into fall the colors start and the weather gets even better. Traffic drops off a lot. Come the start of school, there will be a lot less people.”
Boyd agreed.
“There’re some beautiful colors there,” he added, describing fall. “There’s nothing going on. You’re pretty much by yourself.”
ALONG THE WAY
Each of our three fall rides offer a variety of stops and sites along the way. Consider starting your day in Sisters with a morning coffee at Sisters Coffee Company or breakfast at Sisters Bakery. For additional ride information visit Brad Boyd’s Eurosports bike shop in town or nearby Blazing Saddles bike shop. Boyd, a longtime area resident, offers a number of beers on tap for post-ride celebration in the shop’s beer garden. In the summer, the shop hosts a number of food carts, which Boyd said may remain open on weekends through the fall. Three Creeks Brewery, just outside of Sisters on the way to Bend, also makes a solid option for a post-ride bite and brew.
Photo by Sebastian Foltz
SISTERS TO SMITH ROCK
The lesser known Sisters to Smith Rock Scenic Bike Ride also makes for a great fall ride. Less prone to fall colors, the route from Sisters east through Terrebonne gives a taste of the High Desert without the blazing summer heat.
“People don’t tend to focus on it, and it’s spectacularly beautiful,” said Phillips. “A lot of people think it’s all downhill one way. It’s really not. It’s a lot of rolling hills.”
The thirty-seven-mile route (one-way) fluctuates within a range of 660 feet of elevation gains and losses. Phillips recommends it as a great introduction to bike touring, with camping options on either end of the route.
Boyd also suggested shortening it to an out-and-back by turning around where the route crosses the Deschutes River, a little more than halfway through the ride.
With its high desert climate, this route remains a solid option through much of the winter and long after snow has begun to fall on the Metolius area and McKenzie Pass.
Ingrid Rohrer-Downer infuses Broken Top Bottle Shop’s menu with ethnic inspiration.
written by Lee Lewis Husk
Since 2015, the small kitchen at Broken Top Bottle Shop has been in the hands of Ingrid Rohrer-Downer, a chef with an outsized reputation for versatility and creativity. With extensive experience cooking for large parties as well as diners at upscale restaurants, Rohrer-Downer’s ethnically influenced comfort food complements BTBS’s extensive global beer selection.
“Broken Top is a nice place to step back and prepare ethnic food that translates well,” she said.
That love of ethnic food started when she was a youngster in Fresno where a live-in nanny from Argentina fostered in her an appreciation of seafood. After completing the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in the early 1990s, Rohrer-Downer spent ten years with Bon Appétit Management Co., which offers on-site food service to businesses, universities and others. She started with the company in Palo Alto and later transferred to Hillsboro where the company contracted with Intel.
At Intel, Rohrer-Downer oversaw Mexican, Indian, Sri Lankan, Thai, Japanese and Colombian chefs who catered to the cravings of Intel’s diverse workforce. “I sucked up as much (culinary) knowledge as possible,” she said of the time spent with chefs, who shared recipes and cooking techniques.
Traditional favorites still populate the BTBS menu—house-smoked baby back ribs, the cheese-stuffed DD Ranch burger and the sesame sushi salad. However, global influences are evident around every corner. For example, the pork belly sandwich is now “the pork belly bahn mi sandwich” with Vietnamese flavor infusing each bite. The cauliflower shawarma sandwich is a burst of exotic flavors.
“I can do high-end food, but people love comfort food,” she said. “The difference is I throw in a twist—some unusual stuff in it,” she said.
With a commitment to organic and locally-grown produce and meats, Rohrer-Downer converts the weekly CSA (community supported agriculture) box into “Thursday’s tacos.”
Located at the foot of Central Oregon Community College on Bend’s westside, BTBS’s ground-level space is beneath apartments, which for safety reasons prevent it from having an open flame, hood or deep fat fryer. All the cooking is done on flat-top induction burners, ovens and outdoor Traeger barbeques. That’s where Rohrer-Downer’s creativity shines through.
“It’s a testament to Ingrid’s skills and ability to put out large quantities of food on busy nights from such a small space,” said Jennifer Powell, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Jason.
“She excels under pressure and succeeds by all measures,” said Jennifer.
A compulsive cook, Rohrer-Downer, 45, says she’s always thinking about food and creative ways of preparing it. “I have a lot of food dreams,” she said, adding that at BTBS she’s able to experiment and enjoys interacting with its regular clientele.
The BTBS menu has always offered vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free soups, salads, sandwiches and entrées along with meaty selections. Rohrer-Downer has been tweaking the menu to reflect her love of various cuisines of the world. The results are evident in every bite. Explore their menu here: btbsbend.com
