Dudes Weekend: What to do, where to eat in Bend, Oregon

We walked and biked all weekend in Bend, Oregon, along the Deschutes River Trail.

Darling Husband, his best friend Jamie and I road tripped down to Bend this summer for Bend Brewfest. We discovered that Bend is sunny and perfect for people like us who like to spend time outdoors.

Read below to find out why "moving to Bend" was a recurring discussion throughout this fun weekend.

The area
Bend is in the middle of the state of Oregon on the Deschutes River. We adventured there in August 2016 and the weather (for me) was perfect -- dry, hot, cloudless blue skies and a likeable mix of desert and green landscapes. The city was larger than I remembered from previous trips, though we spent most of our time downtown and in the Mill District.

We loved our VRBO rental on Hill Street. It was just a 10-minute walk to downtown.

Walkable and bikeable, we really enjoyed discovering by foot and electric bike. There are tons of long, winding paths throughout the city and along the river.

Where we stayed
We decided to save a bit of money. We knew hotel rooms would be expensive, so we booked a VRBO rental on Hill Street, just a 10-minute walk from downtown. For a long weekend, it was nice to have a living area where we could hang out, a kitchen to cook breakfast in (and a late-night popcorn snack) and it was still close to downtown.

The rental was a duplex, but we never heard the neighbors. It was updated and clean inside and had nice finishes. It was a two-bedroom, one bathroom rental, and I loved the original bathtub and bathroom floor tiles. In the morning, I enjoyed coffee and a book on the little deck out back. It was tiny so we definitely heard one another moving about, but a perfect amount of space for the three of us.

These electric bikes we rented were fantastic! I rode tandem on Darling Husband's bike and I didn't even have to pedal!

What we did
I was lucky enough to enjoy Bend with two gentlemen who love the outdoors. We adventured all over the city.

On Friday, we walked for about two hours in the morning, exploring downtown and historic Old Bend and making our way out to the Les Schwab Amphitheater where the Brewfest was held. Both days after our jaunt to the brewfest, we rented large orange tubes from Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe and floated the river. On hot, sunny days, the icy Deschutes was mellow bliss.

On Saturday, we rented bikes at Bend Electric Bikes on Hill Street right by our rental. We rode all over the Deschutes River Trail for about two hours.

We enjoyed this beautiful sunset on the river Friday night at the Crow's Feet Commons.

When the sun went down, we walked to downtown for dinner. Downtown was busy, but we were seated right away at both restaurants Friday and Saturday nights.

What we ate
We stopped at Safeway as soon as we arrived in Bend late Thursday night to pick up breakfast items, snacks and wine. We had lunch both days at the brewfest, taking advantage of the variety of trucks offering barbecue, Asian noodles, Greek, gourmet hot dogs and pizza.

For dinner downtown, the first night we had beers and pub fare at Brother Jon's Alehouse. We got to sit at the tables right outside the front door and enjoyed people (tourist) watching. Note: The Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House restaurant downtown was swamped. Leave yourself some extra time if it's on your Bend bucket list.

Lovin' that sun!

The second night, we enjoyed margaritas and Mexican food at Hola! We again ate outside and enjoyed the sunshine.

After dinner the first night, we walked over to the river to enjoy the sunset. We grabbed a beer at Crow's Feet Commons and sat on the front porch of this gorgeous old house and enjoyed the colors as the sun went down. It was a relaxed, casual atmosphere that we loved.

Verdict: Bend is perfect for people who live to be outdoors. We walked, biked, floated and ate our way through the weekend and we wouldn't have had it any other way.

On our electric bike ride, we discovered Farewell Bend Park. I knew we had to come back here for a photo before leaving town. The men humored me.